TCS is a nonpartisan budget watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. TCS educates stakeholders on a wide variety of federal policy issues, including energy and natural resources, budget, tax, good government, defense, agriculture, transportation, and disaster policy. TCS was founded in 1995. Since then, TCS has partnered with other NGOs, community and regional groups, and other stakeholders to demand accountability, provide oversight, and work to ensure a government that treats taxpayers fairly by confronting waste, exposing special-interest giveaways, and pushing for lasting fiscal responsibility.

TCS has a long history of informing the public, policymakers, the media, and other stakeholders about the taxpayer costs and public benefits of federal energy and natural resource policy. Pipeline safety is an important facet of this work because safety measures, leak notifications, and related regulations can prevent long-term costs for taxpayers, communities, and property owners near pipelines. Adequate safety measures for hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipelines can also help reduce public safety risks and conserve natural resources near pipelines, including drinking water.

While federal subsidies and other incentives do not play a direct role in pipeline safety, they indirectly influence markets, industries, and industry development affecting taxpayers and communities. Policies governing leaks and other pipeline safety issues affect taxpayers, who bear some of the immediate and long-term recovery costs when pipeline failures cause critical health and safety emergencies.