USDOT Awards States and Communities $45 million in Pipeline Safety Grants

Press Release

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today announced that 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will receive nearly $44 million in Pipeline Safety Base grants and 23 communities around the country will share nearly $1 million in Technical Assistance Grants to augment state and local pipeline safety efforts.

"We need partners across the country to help us in our efforts to ensure pipeline safety," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "These two grant programs fund important safety programs for states, communities and non-profit organizations to help raise awareness of pipeline safety and ensure proper inspection of pipelines."

Pipeline Safety Base grants provide state pipeline regulators up to 80 percent of operating costs per year, based on PHMSA's assessment of the program's performance. State inspectors are responsible for more than 90 percent of the nation's intrastate transmission and distribution pipelines. Participating states provide more than 300 additional inspectors, effectively tripling the number of inspectors on the ground ensuring compliance with pipeline safety regulations. The state pipeline regulators receiving the grants must sign an agreement to inspect pipelines on PHMSA's behalf.

Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) are awarded to communities and non-profit organizations to increase pipeline safety and encourage public involvement in decision making. These grants will allow recipients to develop customized programs to enhance and promote pipeline safety programs. Examples include conducting scientific analyses of locally-focused pipeline safety issues and providing gas leak detection equipment for emergency responders. Grant recipients have also proposed to develop web-based programs and printed materials that deliver the pipeline safety message to a wider, more diverse audience. Others will provide training that keeps first responders and gas workers safe, like the Leak City training facility in Athens, Ala. Visit the program descriptions to learn more about how TAG recipients will use the funds.

"TAG recipients are on the frontline of pipeline safety in their communities," said PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman. "These grants are an extremely valuable resource for our local and non-governmental partners."

PHMSA began issuing TAGs in 2009, and by 2011 had awarded more than $3 million to 70 recipients. Grantees may receive up to $50,000 based on the merit of their application.

TAG recipients are required to provide a report to PHMSA within one year chronicling completion of the work as outlined in their grant agreement.

The 2012 State Base Grant* recipients are:

Alabama -- $1,184,185
Arizona -- $1,307,720
Arkansas -- $472,472
California -- $2,127,543
Colorado -- $468,266
Connecticut -- $760,649
Delaware -- $79,121
District of Columbia -- $258,692
Georgia -- $1,537,824
Idaho -- $71,006
Illinois -- $1,695,096
Indiana -- $671,593
Iowa -- $817,750
Kansas -- $638,397
Kentucky -- $318,204
Louisiana -- $1,016,028
Maine -- $279,396
Maryland -- $346,708
Massachusetts -- $910,597
Michigan -- $670,078
Minnesota -- $1,376,193
Mississippi -- $416,834
Missouri -- $603,910
Montana -- $113,207
Nebraska -- $215,647
Nevada -- $367,295
New Hampshire -- $458,994
New Jersey -- $1,014,041
New Mexico -- $877,036
New York -- $2,742,116
North Carolina -- $465,912
North Dakota -- $115,807
Ohio -- $1,055,554
Oklahoma -- $1,048,246
Oregon -- $439,345
Pennsylvania -- $2,159,584
Puerto Rico -- $198,453
Rhode Island -- $78,782
South Dakota -- $234,101
Tennessee -- $552,147
Texas -- $3,274,497
Utah -- $288,208
Vermont -- $166,664
Virginia -- $1,243,077
Virgin Islands -- $1,371,982
Washington -- $258,692
West Virginia -- $422,260
Wisconsin -- $409,905
Wyoming -- $158,143
*Actual grant awarded may be higher due to maintenance of effort requirements.

The 2012 Technical Assistance Grant recipients are:

National Association of Counties Research Foundation (District of Columbia) -- $49,923
Danielle Dawn Smalley Foundation Inc. (Texas) -- $50,000
Port of South Louisiana (Louisiana) -- $50,000
Pipeline Safety Coalition (Pennsylvania) -- $50,000
League of Women Voters of PA Citizen Education Fund (Pennsylvania) -- $49,500
City of Athens (Alabama) -- $50,000
City of Sulphur/ Fire Department (Louisiana) -- $12,241
Land-of-Sky Regional Council (North Carolina) -- $50,000
East Brandywine Township (Pennsylvania) -- $50,000
Pipeline Safety Trust (Washington) -- $20,000
Blenheim Hose Company, Inc. (New York) -- $10,000
County of Montgomery (Virginia) -- $17,400
Will County (Illinois) -- $50,000
Tower of Flower Mound (Texas) -- $22,988
Utility Contractors of Washington DBA/ NUCA Washington (Washington) -- $50,000
City of Monroe (North Carolina) -- $45,000
Custer County Conservation District (Montana) -- $50,000
Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission (Texas) -- $50,000
Coastal Regional Commission (Georgia) -- $50,000
Woods Cross City (Utah) -- $40,000
County of Anderson (Kansas) -- $45,250
Village of Worth (Illinois) -- $50,000
City of Allentown (Pennsylvania) -- $50,000
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration develops and enforces regulations for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of the nation's 2.6 million mile pipeline transportation system and the nearly 1 million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea, and air. Please visit http://phmsa.dot.gov for more information.

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