On Thursday, November 7, the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) presented a second check – this time in the amount of $132,470.80 – to Lake Apopka Natural Gas District as part of its ongoing Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program (NGDISM).
The grant follows $3.1 million in initial funding the District received from PHMSA in May 2023 and will further support the repair, rehabilitation and/or replacement of natural gas distribution pipeline systems. The NGDISM program will ultimately help improve public safety, protect public health and reduce methane emissions from natural gas distribution equipment. In total, this round of funding will support 60 modernization projects for natural gas pipelines across 20 statess
PHMSA representatives presented the grant to Lake Apopka Natural Gas District CEO and General Manager Brent E. Haywood, as well as the District’s board of directors at the District’s Winter Garden offices.
“We’re incredibly honored to receive a second round of grant funding from PHMSA, which reinforces our commitment to advancing the safety and reliability of our natural gas infrastructure,” said Haywood. “This additional funding will allow us to further enhance our system and reinforce the secure delivery of natural gas across our growing communities. We’re grateful to PHMSA for its continued support in helping us realize our mission of providing clean, safe and reliable natural gas service.”
PHSMA representatives visited the LANGD Winter Garden office on November 7 to congratulate the District and present the award. GM/CEO Brent E. Haywood, Lake Apopka Natural Gas District Board of Directors, U.S. Representative Daniel Webster, State Representative Doug Bankson, Winter Garden Mayor John Rees and City of Apopka Commissioners Diane Velazquez, Nadia Anderson and Alexander Smith were in attendance.
Established by President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – which was signed into law on November 15, 2021 – the grant provides nearly $1 billion in funding to modernize municipally and community-owned natural gas distribution pipes, helping to keep communities across the country safe from pipeline leaks. It designated $200 million a year, a total of $1 billion in grant funding, over its first five years.
“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,” noted U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in an October news release announcing the round of grant funding. “By repairing and replacing aging 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.”
The latest round of funding brings the total amount awarded under the grant program to nearly $800 million across 227 projects in underserved rural and urban communities across 29 states since the program was created in 2022.
Since 1959, Lake Apopka Natural Gas District (LANGD) has provided clean, efficient and economical natural gas service to more than 29,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Orange and Lake counties.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration develops and enforces regulations for the safe, reliable and environmentally sound operation of the nation’s 3.4 million-mile pipeline transportation system and the nearly 1.2 million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea and air.
The Apopka Chief and The Planter are weekly community newspapers, independently owned and family operated, that have served the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923 and 1965 respectively.
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