U.S. Department of Transportation
Office of Public Affairs
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
www.dot.gov/briefing-room.html
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U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Public Affairs 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 www.dot.gov/briefing-room.html |
PHMSA 07-11
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Contact: Julia P. Valentine
Tel: 202-366-4831
U.S. Department of Transportation Gives Over $2 Million to Help States Improve Pipeline Safety and Prevent Damage
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Transportations Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today announced $2.010 million in grants for
24 states to improve pipeline safety. The grants will help states establish or improve
underground pipeline damage prevention programs.
Accidents caused by digging are 100 percent preventable, said Secretary LaHood.
These grants will help states save lives and prevent damage to pipelines by creating or
improving existing state safety programs.
The Department is providing grants to projects that involve the key elements of effective
pipeline damage prevention programs, including increased communication between
pipeline operators and stakeholders, the use of technology in locating pipelines, and
partnerships in employee training and public education.
On April 4, 2011, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood launched a national
pipeline safety initiative to repair and replace aging pipelines to prevent potentially
catastrophic incidents. Secretary LaHood called upon U.S. pipeline owners and operators
to conduct a comprehensive review of their oil and gas pipelines to identify areas of high
risk and accelerate critical repair and replacement work.
Secretary LaHood also announced support for federal legislation aimed at strengthening
oversight on pipeline safety, as well as plans to convene a Pipeline Safety Forum on April
18th in Washington, DC, to gather state officials, industry leaders, and other pipeline
safety stakeholders in order to discuss steps for improving the safety and efficiency of the
nations pipeline infrastructure.
These grants will help states minimize risks and enforce State laws dealing with damage
prevention, said PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman.
The State Damage Prevention (SDP) grants were established by the Pipeline Inspection,
Protection, Enforcement, and Safety (PIPES) Act of 2006. The award recipients are:
Utility Notification Center of Colorado - $100,000;
Call Before You Dig, Incorporated in Connecticut - $57,885:
Georgia Public Service Commission - $100,000;
Idaho Public Utilities Commission - $100,000;
Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission - $100,000;
Iowa Utilities Board - $100,000;
Kansas Corporation Commission - $82,920;
Kentucky Underground Protection Inc - $95,738;
Michigan Public Service Commission - $83,600;
Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety - $100,000;
Mississippi Public Service Commission - $100,000;
Missouri Public Service Commission - $32,000;
Nebraska Pipeline Safety Division - $65,757;
Public Utilities Commission of Nevada - $94,500;
New Mexico Pipeline Safety Bureau - $100,000;
Dig Safely New York - $99,771;
North Carolina Utilities Commission - $30,300;
Pennsylvania One Call System - $100,000;
Palmetto Utility Protection Service in South Carolina - $38,900;
South Dakota Public Utilities Commission - $28,337;
Railroad Commission of Texas - $100,000;
Vermont Department of Public Service - $99,926;
Virginia Utility Protection Service - $100,000; and
Miss Utility of West Virginia - $100,000.
Grant recipients under the SDP grant program must provide mid-term and final progress
and financial reports to PHMSA that demonstrate completion of their work as outlined in
the grant agreements. PHMSA will thoroughly oversee this process to evaluate the
expected outcomes of each grant project.
These grants complement National Safe Digging Month, held during the month of
April. As spring gardening and landscaping projects get underway, the U.S. Department
of Transportation works to raise awareness about the need to call 811 before starting
digging projects. Calling 811 can save not only lives, but protect homeowners from
property damage and injuries. Toll-free state 811 call centers work with pipeline
operators and utility companies to mark pipelines before excavators and do-it-yourselfers
begin digging projects.
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U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Public Affairs 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 www.dot.gov/briefing-room.html |
PHMSA 06-11
Monday, April 11, 2011
Contact: Julia P. Valentine
Tel: 202-366-4831
U.S. Department of Transportation Grants Over $1 Million to Improve State Pipeline Safety Programs
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Transportations Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today announced the release of $1.06 million
in One Call grants to help improve state pipeline safety programs. The grants are
intended to minimize risks to excavators, protect the environment and reduce the
incidence of excavation damage to underground facilities.
Failure to call before digging can result in property damage, tragic accidents and even
fatalities, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. These One Call grants will
help state utility commissions save lives and prevent damage to pipelines and the
environment. It is especially fitting that we are releasing them now, during National Safe
Digging Month.
On April 4, 2011, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood also launched a national
pipeline safety initiative to repair and replace aging pipelines to prevent potentially
catastrophic incidents. Secretary LaHood called upon U.S. pipeline owners and operators
to conduct a comprehensive review of their oil and gas pipelines to identify areas of high
risk and accelerate critical repair and replacement work.
Secretary LaHood also announced federal legislation aimed at strengthening oversight on
pipeline safety, as well as plans to convene a Pipeline Safety Forum on April 18th in
Washington, DC, to gather state officials, industry leaders, and other pipeline safety
stakeholders in order to discuss steps for improving the safety and efficiency of the
nations pipeline infrastructure.
The grants announced today will help support the work done at state One Call centers.
Call centers respond to people doing home improvement projects as well as professional
excavators, then notify local utility companies and send locators to mark the locations of
underground lines, pipes and cables before any digging begins. One Call grants were first
authorized in 1995 in response to several serious accidents caused by excavation.
The number of gas distribution leaks caused by excavation damage has dropped by more
than 45 percent thanks to an aggressive public awareness campaign and the introduction
of the 811 number for One Call centers, which was established in 2007.
These grants will help fund important One Call centers that make the excavation process
safer, said PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman
The grants were awarded based on the recommendations made by six National
Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives and four representatives from PHMSA.
The award recipients are listed below:
Alabama - $24,312;
Colorado - $42,979;
Connecticut - $42,979;
Delaware - $11,007;
Georgia - $42,979;
Illinois - $42,979;
Indiana - $33,831;
Iowa - $31,503;
Kansas - $42,979;
Louisiana - $42,979;
Maine - $42,979;
Maryland - $9,500;
Michigan - $10,450;
Minnesota - $ 42,979;
Mississippi - $42,820;
Missouri - $9,500;
Nebraska - $28,602;
Nevada - $42,979;
New Jersey - $42,979;
New Mexico - $42,979;
New York - $42,941;
North Carolina - $ 9,500;
North Dakota - $9,500;
Ohio - $18,996;
Oregon - $40,018;
Puerto Rico - $9,500;
Rhode Island - $42,979;
South Carolina - $9,500;
South Dakota - $42,927;
Texas - $42,979;
Vermont - $42,979;
Virginia - $ 25,064;
Washington, DC - $42,979; and
Wyoming - $7,832.
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