The TAG program is authorized under the Protecting their Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020, Public Law 116-260 and 49 U.S.C. § 60130, to make grants to local communities and groups of individuals (not including for-profit entities) for technical assistance relating to pipeline safety.
Donor Name: U.S. Department of Transportation
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/04/2023
Size of the Grant: $1,000,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
Pipeline safety and associated environmental protection are a shared responsibility and informed communities play a vital role in the safety and reliability of pipeline operations. The Pipeline Safety Information Grants to Communities: Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) program provides funding to local communities and groups of individuals for technical assistance related to pipeline safety. The program also provides opportunities that strengthen the depth and quality of public participation in the safe operation of pipelines in and around communities. Technical assistance is defined as engineering or other scientific analysis of pipeline safety issues.
A strong transportation network is critical to the functioning and growth of the American economy. The nation’s industries depend on the transportation network to move the goods that it produces and facilitate the movements of the workers who are responsible for that production.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $2,000,626
- Award Ceiling: $1,000,000
- Award Floor: $1,000
Period of Performance
The period of performance is 12 months from the effective date of award for each grant
Criteria
PHMSA will evaluate applications through administrative, technical, and programmatic reviews based on the merit criteria. PHMSA developed merit criteria to rate and select competing applications. Submission of an application is not a guarantee of award. PHMSA may, at its discretion, award a grant based on an application in its entirety, award only portions of a grant based on an application, or not award a grant at all.
Merit Criteria
The application demonstrates that the project will:
- Establish clear goals and objectives that focus on areas where a pipeline failure could pose a significant risk to people or to unusually sensitive environmental areas.
- Identify specific pipeline safety concerns or risks to stakeholders and/or communities to be addressed in affected geographic areas.
- Demonstrate the applicant’s experience with and commitment to foster meaningful public involvement with affected operators and other key members of the community to ensure project success.
- Align with the challenges and strategies for advancing pipeline safety and seek to improve performance and safety over time in areas such as engineering, damage prevention, land use planning, public awareness, education and outreach, emergency response, and community awareness.
- Clearly establish resources, milestones, and estimated project costs that align with project goals and objectives.
- Identify measurable results and deliverables and specify how results will be evaluated and disseminated to affected stakeholders.
- Provide the potential for learning or technology transfer to other groups and communities.
Additional Consideration
- Safety – PHMSA may consider the project’s ability to foster a safe pipeline transportation system for the movement of energy, consistent with the Department’s strategic goal to reduce transportation related fatalities and serious injuries across the pipeline transportation system.
- Equity – PHMSA may consider the project’s ability to encourage equity by investing in projects that proactively mitigate safety risks in underserved communities.
- Climate Change – PHMSA may consider the project’s ability to address the harmful effects of excavation damage to pipeline facilities by considering the extent to which projects can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and polluted waterways.
Eligible Applicants
- City or township governments
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Additional Information on Eligibility
- Applicants for the TAG must be local communities or groups of individuals (not including for-profit entities) related to the safety and associated environmental mitigation of pipeline facilities in local communities, other than facilities regulated under Public Law 93-153 (43 U.S.C. § 1651 et seq.). Eligible applicants include cities, towns, villages, counties, Indian Tribes, parishes, townships, and similar governmental subdivisions, or consortiums of such subdivisions, and groups of individuals; but does not include for-profit entities. States, universities, and for-profit entities are not eligible for TAG funding.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
