LOCAL

PHMSA, officials to announce $1 billion grant over five years April 6 in Donaldsonville

Staff Report

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will hold an in-person press briefing 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, according to a news release.

The Ascension Parish Courthouse in the parish seat, Donaldsonville, is shown in a file photo.

The grant program, established by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides nearly $200 million a year for a total of nearly $1 billion over five years for the modernization of municipality- and community-owned (not including for-profit entities) high-risk natural gas distribution pipes - as well as equipment to detect and mitigate leaks.  

Recipients of funding include: City of Donaldsonville, City of Carencro, City of Morgan City, Gas Utility District #2 of East Feliciana, Town of Woodworth, and Village of Montpelier. 

These grants aim to improve high risk, legacy pipes, creating hundreds of good-paying pipeline jobs and modernizing infrastructure that has been around for decades and in some cases even nearly two centuries old, the release stated.

PHMSA officials will visit Louisiana to announce funding for the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization grant program to several municipalities within the state.  

Participants scheduled to attend include: PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, U.S. Representative Garret Graves, U.S. Representative Troy Carter, Carencro Mayor Charlotte Stemmans Clavier, Donaldsonville Mayor Leroy Sullivan, Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna, Woodworth Mayor David Butler II, and American Public Gas Association officials.

The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. April 6 at Crescent Park, 314 Mississippi St., Donaldsonville.

If there is inclement weather, an alert will be sent out and the event will be moved to the Lemann Center, 1100 Clay St., Donaldsonville.

Gonzales Weekly Citizen and Donaldsonville Chief, part of the USA Today Network of Louisiana, cover Ascension Parish and the greater Baton Rouge area. Follow at facebook.com/WeeklyCitizen and facebook.com/DonaldsonvilleChief.