The City of Alma, Neb., is among the latest recipients of federal grant funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to replace aging natural gas pipelines.
The City was awarded $216,274 as part of the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization grant program. This is the second round of funding for the grant program, which will provide nearly $1 billion in funding over five years to modernize municipally and community-owned natural gas distribution pipes. The award is part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The grant award will fund a portion of the City’s Natural Gas Pipeline Resiliency Project, which includes three priority projects:
- Project Priority 1: Replacing .3 miles of cast iron pipe in the northwest part of the City
- Project Priority 2: Replacing 5.83 miles of PVC main pipe
- Project Priority 3: Replacing outdated and inefficient gas meters with new, more efficient meters for high gas consumption users/facilities.
The federal grant funds will be used to complete Project Priority 1. Total projected cost for the overall Pipeline Resiliency project is $2.489 million. Construction start date is expected in June 2025 with a completion date of December 2027.
The project will also include adding a gas technician position which will assist the gas superintendent with installation and monitoring of the gas services for the project.
The City of Alma is a member of the National Public Gas Agency (NPGA), the wholesale natural gas supply organization of NMPP Energy.
Alma was among several NPGA members that applied for grants under the PHMSA program. The Village of Stuart, Neb., and the City of Trinidad, Colo., were the other NPGA members that were previously awarded grants.