SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- H2C Safety Pipe, Inc. (H2CSP), developer of proprietary technologies for safer and more cost-effective hydrogen transport and distribution, applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of Senate Bill 804, the Hydrogen Pipeline Safety Act (SB 804), which establishes a hydrogen-specific pipeline safety framework as the state prepares for the infrastructure needed for hydrogen to help decarbonize key sectors.
Co-authored by State Senator Bob Archuleta, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen Energy, and Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy, SB 804 was adopted unanimously by both legislative chambers and signed into law September 30, 2026. The legislation recognizes that a growing hydrogen economy will require infrastructure and safety standards designed specifically for hydrogen rather than relying exclusively on requirements developed for conventional natural gas pipelines.
Senator Archuleta is a leading voice on hydrogen policy in the California legislature who has worked to advance policies supporting hydrogen production, infrastructure, transportation, and safety since being appointed Chair of the Select Committee in 2021. “California has an opportunity to lead the nation, and the world, in the safe development of hydrogen infrastructure,” he said. “SB 804 gives us the tools to do that. This is about preparing for the future while making sure that safety keeps pace with innovation.”
“Having spent much of my career in the California Legislature, what strikes me about SB 804 is the breadth of support behind it,” said Robert M. Hertzberg, an H2CSP director and former Speaker of the California State Assembly and Majority Leader of the California State Senate. “Labor, environmental groups, and business interests came together around the legislation, and Democrats and Republicans voted unanimously for it in both houses. That kind of consensus is unusual today, and I think it reflects a shared recognition that for hydrogen to become an important part of our energy future, we need to establish the framework for transporting it safely, reliably, and at lower cost.”
A New Statewide Framework for Hydrogen Pipeline Safety
Among its central provisions, SB 804 requires hydrogen pipelines to:
- be designed and constructed to minimize hydrogen leakage to the lowest technically feasible level;
- use materials chemically compatible with hydrogen and resistant to hydrogen-induced degradation, including corrosion and embrittlement; and
- employ continuous measurement and monitoring systems capable of proactively detecting deviations from normal operating conditions in real time.
Pipeline owners will also be required to maintain accurate operational records of hydrogen concentration levels and confirmed leakage and to report annually to the State Fire Marshal regarding compliance with that requirement.
SB 804 also closes an important gap in California’s regulatory framework. Previously, state safety oversight of dedicated hydrogen pipelines outside the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) was not clearly specified. The law establishes a statewide safety framework under the Office of the State Fire Marshal while preserving the CPUC’s existing authority over public utilities subject to its jurisdiction. Where the new standards conflict with requirements adopted by the CPUC, the more protective provision will apply.
H2C Safety Pipe Technology Aligns with the New Safety Framework
“Earlier this year, Bob Hertzberg and I coauthored an article in World Pipelines examining how California could help establish a new approach to hydrogen pipeline integrity based on the principle of integrity by design,” said H2CSP President and CEO Robert H. Shelton. “The idea was that hydrogen infrastructure should be designed from the outset to minimize leakage, use materials suited to hydrogen’s unique properties, and provide continuous awareness of pipeline operating conditions. Those core principles are now reflected in California law.”
H2CSP began developing its Safety Pipe™ technology around many of those principles years before SB 804 was introduced. Rather than relying solely on periodic inspections, the company’s approach combines materials selected for hydrogen compatibility and resistance to degradation with technologies designed to continuously detect, contain, and mitigate hydrogen leakage.
H2CSP has developed three pipeline architectures for different applications and safety requirements. Its most protective configuration uses a pipe-in-pipe system, with a composite hydrogen carrier pipe installed inside an outer safety pipe that provides secondary containment. The annular space between the pipes is swept with an inert gas and monitored by hydrogen sensors, enabling operators to detect even very small quantities of escaping hydrogen and changes in those levels over time before a larger safety concern develops.
“What is significant about SB 804 from our perspective is that the regulatory framework has evolved in the same direction as the technology on which H2C Safety Pipe has worked for years,” said H2CSP Director Martin L. Adams, former General Manager and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest publicly owned utility. “Minimizing leakage, using hydrogen-compatible materials, and employing continuous monitoring are not theoretical objectives. Technologies capable of implementing those principles exist today, and we believe California’s action will help accelerate their deployment by setting a clear path for hydrogen to be moved throughout the state with the utmost safety and confidence.”
Potential Impact Beyond California
California’s action could have implications well beyond the state. Hydrogen is increasingly being considered for industrial applications, sustainable aviation fuel, heavy-duty transportation, power generation, long-duration energy storage, and other sectors in the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, China and elsewhere internationally.
“Governments and project developers need to be able to transport hydrogen safely and at scale while minimizing leakage, protecting surrounding communities, and preserving hydrogen’s environmental benefits,” said Peter Miller, H2CSP’s Environmental Policy Director and former director of Western Region Climate & Clean Energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
SB 804 provides a regulatory model for addressing that challenge before large-scale hydrogen pipeline networks are constructed. The legislation specifically recognizes the importance of hydrogen pipeline safety and environmental integrity, hydrogen’s potential role in reducing carbon emissions, and the value of proactive leadership as hydrogen infrastructure begins to be developed.
“For the hydrogen economy to scale globally, people must trust the infrastructure carrying the hydrogen,” Shelton said. “California is establishing that trust at the beginning rather than waiting to build it after the fact. We believe the principles reflected in SB 804 address fundamental requirements for hydrogen infrastructure and that those principles, and technologies such as those H2CSP has developed to implement them, will be increasingly adopted across the United States and around the world.”
About H2C Safety Pipe, Inc.
H2C Safety Pipe, Inc. is advancing safer, more cost-effective, and scalable hydrogen transport and storage through its proprietary Safety Pipe™ technology. The company has developed three pipeline architectures for different applications and safety requirements, employing combinations of composite hydrogen carrier pipe with secondary containment, continuous monitoring, advanced sensors, leakage detection, and automated control systems. H2CSP’s proprietary technologies also include digital systems supporting hydrogen provenance, regulatory compliance, and commercial transactions, including through the use of blockchain technology. These architectures can be deployed in new or existing rights-of-way and, where appropriate, within existing infrastructure, helping minimize hydrogen leakage and accelerate the development of safe, reliable, and economically viable hydrogen infrastructure. For more information, visit H2Csafetypipe.com.
Media Contact:
Lisa Murray
Trevi Communications, Inc.
lisa@trevicomm.com
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