 |
|
PaintSquare Daily News is available in three editions: Industrial Only Commercial Only Combined Industrial & Commercial Your free subscription also includes: Special topical editions and Weekend Brief—a recap of the week’s top news and some great in-depth reads. Subscribe now: paintsquare.com/psdn |
USDOT Announces $12.5M in Pipeline Safety
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has recently announced the availability of $12.5 million in grant opportunities regarding safety awareness, training, research and other activities associated with hazardous materials and pipeline infrastructure.
“These grants support localized activities and provide communities with the resources they need to develop solutions to very serious safety issues,” said PHMSA Administrator Skip Elliott. “All eligible entities are encouraged to apply in order to help safely move hazardous materials across the country.”
About the Grants
Offered to state, tribal, non-profit and community-based organizations every year, the PHMSA grants serve as an effort to promote safety programs for the nation’s 2.8-million-mile pipeline network and hazardous materials transportation system.
In the past, PHMSA reports that its grant program has helped to train first responders, educate the public on local safety initiatives, develop and commercialize new technologies and has even funded participation in regulatory oversight activities.
This year, PHMSA will offer $12.5 million in total funding. However, the opportunities vary and include:
However, grants will also be available for Assistance for Hazardous Materials Local Emergency Response Training (ALERT), Hazardous Materials Supplemental Public Sector Training (SPST), State Pipeline Safety Base Grants, Underground Natural Gas Storage Grants, and Pipeline Research and Development.
While the number of grant recipients will depend on how many grant applications are received, all recipients will be required to provide a report of completion to PHMSA within a year of their project’s conclusion.
“These grants will help communities to improve their pipeline and hazardous materials safety efforts,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
Application acceptance deadlines vary for the grant opportunities, but can be viewed on grants.gov.
Previous Pipeline Safety Efforts
In 2016, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan bill supporting the pipeline safety agency of the Department of Transportation and establishing safety standards for natural gas storage facilities.
The Securing America’s Future Energy: Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (SAFE PIPES) Act, reauthorized PHSMA's Office of Pipeline Safety to oversee the safety of pipelines that transport natural gas or hazardous liquids through 2019.
For example, because PHMSA’s slow regulatory process was previously criticized by lawmakers, the Act requires PHMSA to reprioritize and complete outstanding mandates from the 2011 reauthorization bill before undertaking new rulemakings.
Years later in 2019, Chao announced three new pipeline safety rules intended to bolster the safety of more than 500,000 miles of both onshore gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines.
According to PHMSA, the new pipeline safety rules “modernize federal pipeline safety standards by expanding risk-based integrity management requirements, enhancing procedures to protect infrastructure from extreme weather events and requiring greater oversight of pipelines beyond current safety requirements.”
The rules include:
Prior to PHMSA offering pipeline and hazardous materials safety grants, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than $900 million in grants through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grants program had been made available.
