The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on Tuesday presented a check in the amount of $3.1 million to Lake Apopka Natural Gas District as part of the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program (NGDISM).
The grant provides funding to repair, rehabilitate or replace natural gas distribution pipeline systems, and to acquire new equipment. The program will ultimately help improve public safety, protect public health and reduce methane emissions from natural gas distribution equipment.
The District was selected as one of 37 recipients across 19 states to receive the new grant exclusively for community-owned, not-for-profit natural gas distribution utilities. Lake Apopka Natural Gas District was one of just two utilities in the state of Florida to receive grant money (City of Milton).
PHMSA representatives presented the grant to Lake Apopka Natural Gas District CEO and General Manager, Samuel Davis Jr., as well as the District’s board of directors at The District’s Winter Garden offices.
“The District is thrilled to have been selected for this historic grant,” said Davis. “We look forward to responsibly implementing these funds as we continue to pursue our vision of providing clean, safe and reliable natural gas to our local communities.”
The District plans to replace more than 13 miles of steel pipeline mains and replace more than 150 service lines, in addition to other infrastructure and service improvements.
“This grant will provide Lake Apopka Natural Gas District with the necessary resources to modernize our natural gas distribution system and other infrastructure over the next half-decade,” said Chairman Bill Arrowsmith. “We are grateful to PHMSA for presenting us with this award, which will help us continue to safely maintain and grow our services.”
Established by President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grant provides nearly $1 billion in funding over the course of five years to modernize municipally and community-owned natural gas distribution pipes, helping to keep communities across the country safe from pipeline leaks.
“Investments in pipeline safety are investments in community safety and our shared environment,” noted PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown in an April news release announcing the grant. “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.”
The legislation designated $200 million a year, a total of $1 billion in grant funding, over the next five years. PHSMA representatives visited the LANGD Winter Garden office on May 16 to congratulate the District and present the award. Along with Davis, Lake Apopka Natural Gas District board members were in attendance to accept the award. State Representatives Doug Bankson and U.S. House of Representative Daniel Webster’s Community Relations Representative Pam Jones were also in attendance.
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About Lake Apopka Natural Gas District
Lake Apopka Natural Gas District (LANGD) provides clean, efficient and economical natural gas service to more than 28,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Orange and Lake counties. In 2020, the District was honored with the Gold SOAR Award by the American Public Gas Association, the highest distinction for public natural gas distribution utilities. For more information on natural gas service for your home, business or vehicle, please contact the LANGD Marketing Team at (407) 656-2734 x307 or marketing@langd.org, or visit www.landg.org.
About the Pipeline And Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
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. Please visit www.phmsa.dot.gov for more information.
