Pipeline modernization project to create jobs, increase safety

An America built to last has to include an efficient and safe network of pipelines that connects communities with the energy they need. 

That’s why DOT has pledged to work with pipeline operators who step up to modernize their pipelines by helping to cut bureaucratic red tape and get shovels in the ground faster. That means jobs for American workers and safer, more efficient pipelines for American communities.

NiSource, Inc. answered the challenge, and last Thursday, Deputy Secretary John Porcari and PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to see firsthand the work that’s being done. Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, who has championed this important work at the local level, was also on hand.

NiSource is investing more than $4 billion dollars to replace 1,000 miles of pipeline--using steel made right here in America.

Spread over six states, this project will not only modernize pipelines in communities across the region; NiSource estimates that it will also add an estimated 8,000 jobs in a region that needs them.

I am proud to say that the Obama Administration is holding up our end of the bargain as well. We're making government more responsive by fast-tracking crucial infrastructure projects and reducing red tape while maintaining the highest quality and safety standards.

By speeding up the approval process for this project, DOT is helping workers get back on jobsites faster. And we're making communities in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Ohio safer by replacing old and obsolete pipelines more quickly. When you're replacing cast iron pipes that have been in the ground since the 1920s, accelerated approval matters.

This project serves as a message to other pipeline operators: if you step up, we'll step up. Answer the call for increased safety by pledging to replace aging infrastructure, and DOT will do everything we can to help expedite the work.

As Administrator Quarterman said, “I encourage other pipeline operators to take a hard look at their infrastructure and determine what actions they need to take to improve safety. If they step up, we stand ready to assist with the permitting process and to make sure the project is constructed safely.”

We thank NiSource for launching this massive pipeline replacement initiative. We look forward to working with them and other pipeline operators to ensure that our pipeline network remains safe and reliable for years to come.