SGA Hires Former PHMSA Investigator to Lead Pipeline Safety Initiative
As regulatory expectations continue to shift, one industry group is bringing in a veteran federal investigator to help operators stay ahead of compliance challenges.
(P&GJ) — SGA Natural Gas Association has appointed former PHMSA Chief Investigator Tiffany Ziemer as director of pipeline safety and regulatory excellence, a newly expanded role aimed at helping operators navigate evolving safety and compliance requirements.
Ziemer joins SGA after more than a decade with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), where she held several leadership positions, including chief investigator. During her tenure, she oversaw enforcement activities across 11 states and participated in accident investigations involving pipeline operators.
The appointment comes as many natural gas operators face increased regulatory scrutiny, workforce transitions and growing expectations around operational performance and safety management. SGA said the expanded initiative will focus on regulatory preparedness, risk reduction, workforce development and operational resilience through training and industry collaboration.
"As operators face increasing expectations around safety, reliability and regulatory performance, access to practical expertise has never been more important," SGA President and CEO Suzanne Ogle said. She said Ziemer's regulatory and investigative experience will help strengthen the association's training and educational resources.
Ziemer said operators that are best positioned for regulatory reviews are those that build compliance and preparedness into everyday operations rather than treating inspections as standalone events.
Under the program, SGA plans to provide members with resources designed to improve inspection readiness, apply lessons learned from enforcement actions and strengthen operational performance through peer learning and training opportunities.
Ziemer is also scheduled to participate in SGA's OpsCon 2026 conference, where she will discuss evolving PHMSA priorities and their impact on pipeline operations.