WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today announced that over $46 million in Pipeline Safety Base grants will go to 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
“Safety is our top priority and we’re committed to keeping communities safe and preventing pipelines incidents,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These grants help make sure that happens by funding personnel and equipment to carry out inspections and enforce important intrastate pipeline safety regulations that keep the entire pipeline network as safe as possible.”
The grants provide up to 80 percent of operating costs for state pipeline regulators that agree to inspect intrastate pipelines on PHMSA’s behalf. Participating states and territories account for more than 300 inspectors who are responsible for over 90 percent of the country’s intrastate natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. More than 2.6 million miles of pipeline transport oil and gas to homes and businesses throughout the country.
“Pipeline Safety Base Grants are a great collaboration between State and Federal safety regulators,” said PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman. “These funds enable us to triple the number of inspectors that we have out in the field enforcing regulations, and a strong local presence is vital to effectively monitor pipelines and help protect the public from pipeline incidents.”
Final grant amounts are awarded based on State expenses and annual performance scores.
The 2013 Natural Gas Pipeline State Base Grant recipients are:
• Alabama – $1,222,239
• Arizona – $1,346,317
• Arkansas – $579,747
• California – $3,811,560
• Colorado – $455,561
• Connecticut – $801,472
• Delaware – $87,460
• District of Columbia – $258,277
• Georgia – $1,569,097
• Idaho – $197,987
• Illinois – $2,156,965
• Indiana – $1,178,078
• Iowa – $877,513
• Kansas – $636,693
• Kentucky – $370,621
• Louisiana – $1,007,285
• Maine – $275,199
• Maryland – $436,419
• Massachusetts – $951,597
• Michigan – $982,881
• Minnesota – $1,463,227
• Mississippi – $437,910
• Missouri – $685,875
• Montana – $174,853
• Nebraska – $302,170
• Nevada – $622,543
• New Hampshire – $596,020
• New Jersey – $821,294
• New Mexico – $666,513
• New York – $2,962,152
• North Carolina – $501,308
• North Dakota – $145,294
• Ohio – $1,268,707
• Oklahoma – $1,109,069
• Oregon – $437,879
• Pennsylvania – $1,775,954
• Puerto Rico – $255,124
• Rhode Island – $97,628
• South Dakota – $283,725
• Tennessee – $550,933
• Texas – $3,672,454
• Utah – $315,199
• Vermont – $149,027
• Virginia – $1,529,562
• Washington – $1,655,315
• West Virginia – $482,452
• Wisconsin – $403,150
• Wyoming – $204,903
The 2013 Hazardous Liquid Pipeline State Base Grant recipients are:
• Alabama – $91,997
• Arizona – $70,859
• California – $1,462,235
• Indiana – $23,061
• Louisiana – $288,082
• Maryland – $19,001
• Minnesota – $386,897
• New Mexico – $41,014
• New York – $228,399
• Oklahoma – $310,812
• Texas – $548,757
• Virginia – $109,532
• Washington – $183,743
• West Virginia – $14,491
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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