Biden-Harris administration announces nearly US$200 million to replace ageing gas pipes

In total, this round of funding will support 60 modernisation projects for natural gas pipelines across 20 states.

“Ageing, leak-prone natural gas pipes can be dangerous, drive up energy costs for families, and harm the environment, which is why the Biden-Harris Administration is supporting funds to replace ageing pipelines,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re helping communities across the country carry out projects that will keep people safe while bringing down energy costs for hundreds of thousands of Americans.”

“President Biden and Vice President Harris’s historic investment agenda has enabled the US to aggressively and ambitiously take the actions we need to upgrade ageing infrastructure and reduce pollution in our communities. We are making significant progress in our efforts to cut pollution – including super-pollutants like methane – while creating thousands of good union jobs and lowering energy costs for Americans,” said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “By repairing and replacing ageing natural gas pipes throughout the country, we are taking the necessary action to protect communities and save families and businesses hundreds of dollars on their energy bills.”

Some of the grants awarded include:

• US$40 million to Philadelphia Gas Works to replace 20 miles of high-risk cast-iron pipe; combined with the previous funding, this grant is expected to save households an average of US$250 on their energy bills.
• US$15.7 million to the City of Richmond, Virginia, to upgrade natural gas mains throughout its service system with corrosion resistant materials and new technologies.
• US$6.4 million to Toccoa Natural Gas, which serves ten communities in Georgia and two in North Carolina, to replace 9.3 miles of outdated gas service lines; grant funding is expected to save customers an average of US$915 on their energy bills in the coming years.
• US$6.4 million to Tallahassee, Florida, for major upgrades to the city’s natural gas system, including replacing 49 miles of main and service lines made of high-density polyethylene pipe.
• US$3.0 million to Sterling City, Texas, to replace 11 miles of higher risk bare steel pipe.

The list of awardees includes first-time recipients in Alaska, Montana Arizona, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

“For the first time, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are empowering communities to expedite these critical safety improvements while helping families save money on their energy bills,” said PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown. “On average, businesses, families, and everyday Americans can expect to save hundreds of dollars on their energy bills thanks to these necessary safety improvements funded through this new grant.”

These awards are funded through the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernisation grant programme created by the Biden-Harris Administration’s 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law authorised a nearly US$1 billion investment over five years to modernise community-owned natural gas distribution pipes, helping lower energy costs for ratepayers, reduce methane pollution, and keep communities safe from pipeline failures.

This announcement brings the total amount awarded under the grant program to nearly US$800 million across 227 projects in underserved rural and urban communities across 29 states since the program was created in 2022. Grant recipients are on track to repair, rehabilitate, or replace more than 1000 miles of aging natural gas pipes and reduce nearly 1000 t of methane pollution, annually.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda continues to grow the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out, not the top-down – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will reduce costs for Americans and make our communities safer and more resilient.

Funding these projects also advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s US Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, leveraging all available tools to reduce methane emissions while protecting public health, promoting US 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. Methane pollution has 80 times the global warming potential as carbon dioxide over a 20 year period.

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