The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced that it is awarding over $97 million in grants through its pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs.

The awards will be distributed to states, local communities, tribal entities, universities, and non-profit organizations to support state pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs.  Award recipients will use the funds for projects such as training first responders, educating the public on local safety initiatives, and encouraging the development of new pipeline technologies.

The funding includes $61 million in Pipeline State Base Formula Grants to 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to support their participation in the federal-state pipeline safety program, as well as $20 million in Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness or HMEP grants to all 50 states, five U.S. territories, and three federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations.

Other grant awards include:

$5.4 million in Underground Natural Gas Storage grants.
$2 million in Competitive Academic Agreement Program awards.
$1.25 million in State Damage Prevention Program grants.
$1.2 million in Technical Assistance grants.
$1.05 million in One Call grants.
$3.4 million in Hazardous Materials Instructor Training grants.
$941,000 in Supplemental Public Sector Training grants.
$750,000 in Community Safety grants.