Over the weekend, the House of Representatives voted to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This is the same bill that passed the Senate in August and includes a $1 billion grant program to support investments in natural gas distribution infrastructure. Once the President signs the legislation, it will become law, and the grant program will be established.
The grants will be administered by the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) over the course of five years. The program is exclusively open to municipal or community-owned gas systems. The funds can be used for pipeline replacement, repair, or rehabilitation projects, as well as other efforts that could reduce incidents and fatalities and avoid economic loss.
The money should become available immediately, but PHMSA will need time to prepare to administer the program and roll out the application process. The statute gives PHMSA 180 days to prepare the notice of funding opportunity that will launch the first application cycle. APGA will be working with PHMSA and members to facilitate this process and help ensure its success.
This legislation also provides $500 million in additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and invests in hydrogen research, fuel-neutral programs to promote energy efficiency, and infrastructure for alternative fuel vehicles.
APGA is pleased by the passage of this legislation, which makes such important investments in the work the public natural gas industry is doing. APGA looks forward to making sure members benefit from these important programs as they are rolled out.
For questions about this article, please contact Emily Wong of APGA staff by phone at 202-470-4262 or by email at
ewong@apga.org.