Rep. Carter Hosts PHMSA Deputy Administrator to Discuss Aging Gas Pipes
DONALDSONVILLE, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.) hosted Deputy Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Tristan Brown in Donaldsonville, Louisiana to announce historic investments in Louisiana’s energy infrastructure.
The Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) grant program is aimed at mitigating safety risk and methane emissions from the highest-risk, legacy natural gas distribution pipes. The grant program was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Rep. Carter strongly supported, and will improve high risk, legacy pipes, create hundreds of good-paying pipeline jobs, and modernize infrastructure that has been around for decades and in some cases even nearly two centuries old. The City of Donaldsonville will receive $10,000,000 from this federal grant.
Rep. Carter also secured $4,000,000 for Donaldsonville through Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations funding. This money will be used to complete phase two of necessary improvements and allow the city to move forward toward fully replacing the pipes which will protect the community from potential gas leaks.
“When I learned about this need, I committed to doing everything in my power to help fix this problem in the interest of public safety,” said Rep. Carter. “Donaldsonville’s current infrastructure consists of old cast iron distribution mains for the city’s natural gas system. We must work toward changing out all the cast-iron lines because it's a first and foremost a safety issue, and secondly, we don't want this to be a hindrance down the road to any development. This funding is crucial to make the city’s natural gas pipeline infrastructure safer, create good jobs, and reduce the risks to Donaldsonville residents and businesses.”
“Investments in pipeline safety are investments in community safety and our shared environment,” said PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown. “For far too long, underserved communities have had to bear the brunt of aging and dangerous pipelines. This funding will finally give communities the resources they need to replace legacy pipelines— improving safety, protecting the environment, and creating jobs.”
Background
These grants are projected to create hundreds of jobs in rural and urban communities around the U.S. Grant funding recipients will repair, replace, or rehabilitate nearly 270 miles of pipe, thereby reducing methane emissions by approximately 212 metric tons, annually. Ultimately, these projects enable the United States to leverage all available tools to reduce methane emissions while protecting public health, promoting U.S. innovation in new technologies, lowering energy costs for families by reducing inefficiency and waste, and supporting good-paying jobs for thousands of skilled workers across the country.
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