Funding aims to strengthen pipeline, hazardous materials safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is making more than $25 million available in grant funding through its pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs.

PHMSA says the grants are for projects that will train first responders, strengthen safety programs, improve safety, reduce environmental impacts and educate the public on local safety initiatives. This includes projects that provide support to state inspectors for hazardous material shipments and pipeline inspections, safety training and educational programs for emergency response, and safety technologies.

The funding announcement comes after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Responders nationwide previously received training through the Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training grant program. In addition, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on Congress to increase funding to expand hazardous materials training for first responders. Additional funding for first responders is part of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023.

The funding will go toward the following grants:

Pipeline safety

• Pipeline emergency response grants
• Competitive academic agreement program grants
• Technical assistance grants
• State damage prevention grants
• One-call grants

Hazardous materials safety

• Hazardous materials instructor training grants
• Hazardous materials state inspection grants
• Assistance for local emergency response training grants
• Hazardous materials emergency preparedness tribal grants
• Supplemental public sector training grants
• Community safety grants

Since 2021, PHMSA has awarded more than $206 million in grants to eligible recipients for projects, research and development activities that work to enhance the safety of America’s energy pipeline network and hazardous materials transportation, according to the agency.

For fiscal year 2024, PHMSA requested a $21.5 million increase for its state pipeline safety grants to reimburse states for up to 80 percent of their inspection costs, an $18.5 million increase in funding for its emergency preparedness grants that train emergency responders and volunteers and a $3 million increase in community safety grant funding to better prepare underserved communities for the transportation of hazmat and crude oil through communities.

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