On July 01, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation have announced more than $49 million in Pipeline Safety Base Grants. This reimbursement will be used as a portion of the operating costs for the state pipeline safety programs.

According to Anthony Foxx, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, the partnership between the Federal and the state is the national pipeline safety program’s foundation. “State pipeline inspectors oversee more than 80 percent of the nation’s 2.6 million-mile pipeline network, and we want to make sure they have the resources needed to ensure the safety of the American people,” he added.

Up to 80% operating cost reimbursement is provided by PHMSA’s base grants for the state programs that include inspection of intrastate distribution and transmission pipelines for transporting energy products within the boundaries of the state.

PHMSA Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez said, “PHMSA’s base grants ensures funding for state programs that employ 340+ inspectors on the front lines of pipeline safety. This is a performance-based grant and is awarded based on the state’s estimated program costs and recent performance scores."