Pipeline Safety Trust’s (PST) new Federal Policy Advisor Chad Powell had a memorable first visit to Bellingham. Upon entering the Bellingham office, he was instantly greeted with reminders of Liam, Stephen, and Wade. The signs remembering the Olympic Pipeline Tragedy that hang on the wall right after you step inside. The prayer wheel that rests atop a landing to the left of the signs. Copies of The Planet magazine’s Olympic Pipeline Retrospective edition from 2000 that line the bookshelves. The reasons of “why” his new work was so important were right in front of him.
“Hearing and reading the stories about Liam, Stephen, and Wade, really humanizes the issues we are fighting for,” Chad says. “It is easy for issues at the Congressional level to just become statistics, but the story of the Bellingham tragedy is so powerful, so moving, that it’s apparent it is clearly more than that.”
Chad’s previous experience as a congressional staffer prepared him for his role as PST’s Federal Policy Advisor in a variety of ways. Chad’s time working for Congress taught him how to thrive in a fast-paced environment and the importance of building integral relationships in order to move the needle forward on policy decisions.
“My time in Congress taught me so much about what levers to pull and when to pull them,” Chad says. “To pass effective policy sometimes you need to work with agency staff, sometimes with congressional staff, and sometimes a domestic policy council. You never know where your allies will be, but wherever they are, you have to always be strategic at whatever level you are engaged at.”
Already coming to PST with a baseline knowledge of some Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) policies, Chad is looking forward to learning more and spending more time advocating for the policies that PST champions.
During his Congressional staffer tenure, Chad became familiar with many of the issues surrounding high profile pipelines such as Enbridge’s Line 5, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Sable Offshore, but lacked the specific technical and policy expertise to fully understand all of the pipeline safety problems. Chad says now that he is a part of PST, he will gain those areas of expertise and be able to advance pipeline safety in a more robust manner.
“I am excited to bring such a storied organization’s wealth of in-depth knowledge to the halls of Congress,” Chad says. “I am ready to advance PST’s mission, and by doing so, advance pipeline safety.”
More about Chad
Chad joined the Pipeline Safety Trust in June 2026.
Previously, Chad worked for two Congressional offices in a variety of communications and policy roles. He also previously worked on a statewide political campaign. Chad has a BA in politics from Pomona College.
In his free time, he enjoys hiking, playing with his dog Ramona, traveling, and watching too many soccer games.
Leave a Reply