In conjunction with APGA’s Winter Board and Committee Meetings and Legislative Summit in Washington D.C., APGA and four member systems met with leadership from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on Wednesday, February 1. APGA was represented by John Lunde from Watertown Gas Department, Steve Squibb from City Utilities of Springfield, Ben Warren from Citizens Energy Group, John Zuk from Philadelphia Gas Works, Bob Smith from Philadelphia Gas Works, and Erin Kurilla from APGA. PHMSA leadership in attendance were Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator of PHMSA, Alan Mayberry, Associate Administrator of Pipeline Safety, Massoud Tahamtani, Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs, Linda Daugherty, Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations, and Casey Clemmons, Strategic Advisor to the Administrator.
The discussion focused on APGA and PHMSA’s joint pipeline safety priorities including the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization grant program. The members relayed firsthand perspectives on the application process and anticipated industry-wide challenges once the grant funds are distributed (i.e., supply chain lead times, need for skilled workers, etc.). PHMSA stated they are “on schedule to notify provisional winners by February 17, 2023.” To date, no public gas system has been notified of their application status.
Other topics during the discussion included Pipeline Safety Management Systems, the relationship between training and Operator Qualification, the pipeline safety benefits of Anti-Drug and Alcohol programs, and leak detection and repair programs. It was an excellent opportunity for PHMSA’s staff to hear directly from public gas systems.
For questions on this article, please contact Erin Kurilla of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at
ekurilla@apga.org.