Biden-Harris Administration Awards More than $40 Million to Support Firefighters, First Responders

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced today that it is awarding over $41 million in grants to states, territories, tribes, unions, and non-profits to support first responders and help enhance pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs at the community level for 11 different safety programs.  This includes a more than 50 percent increase in funding for a grant to firefighters that will aim to double hazmat training for firefighters.

“These funds are focused on supporting the people and organizations that keep us safe from pipeline and hazardous material accidents,” said PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown. “Whether it’s training firefighters on how to deal with hazardous materials emergencies or encouraging the use of calling 811 to prevent injuries from encounters with underground infrastructure, these grants are essential for equipping communities and everyday citizens with the necessary tools to protect themselves from potentially dangerous accidents.” 
The awards provide over $32 million in grants to support state and local hazardous materials programs nationwide. This includes approximately:   

• $21.9 million in Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grants for states, territories, and tribes to aid in the development, implementation, and improvement of emergency plans for local and tribal communities and first-responder hazardous materials training.  
• $4 million in Hazardous Materials Instructor Training grants to support the training of hazardous materials instructors and for such instructors to train hazardous materials employees. 
• $2.7 million in Supplemental Public Sector Training grants to support the training of hazardous materials instructors that conduct hazardous materials training programs for first responders.   
• $2.6 million in Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training grants to support the training of volunteer or remote emergency responders to respond to incidents involving hazardous materials shipments by rail.  
• $1 million in Community Safety grants to support projects that enhance the capabilities of communities to respond to hazardous materials emergencies and the training of state and local enforcement personnel responsible for enforcing the safe transport of hazardous materials.
• $179,000 in Hazardous Materials State Inspection grants, including a new partnership with Vermont’s Department of Motor Vehicle Enforcement and Safety to support the costs for state-run hazardous materials shipper inspections.

To help carry out the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on helping underserved rural and urban communities, these grants focus on preparing and training heroic first responders that are often first on scene to hazardous materials-related emergencies. This includes a nearly 50% increase in grants from the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grants for Federally Recognized Indian tribes, including new recipients in Alaska, Oklahoma, California, and the Dakotas (Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes, Choctaw Nation of Indians, Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, and Standing Rock Sioux). Additionally, the Supplemental Public Sector Training grants include nearly $2 million for a grant to the International Association of Fire Fighters that aims to increase hazmat training for firefighters by nearly 170% and for the second year in a row also provides support to the National Volunteer Fire Council to support volunteer firefighters.

In addition to its hazardous materials grants, PHMSA also announced it is providing over $9.2 million in grant funding for five different pipeline safety grant programs, including approximately:  

• $2.4 million in Pipeline Emergency Response grants to support incident response activities related to the transportation of gas or hazardous liquids by pipelines, including the training of emergency responders to respond to pipeline incidents.
• $2.2 million in Competitive Academic Agreement Program awards to spur and utilize university research to advance pipeline safety technologies, innovation, and knowledge dissemination.  
• $2 million in Pipeline Safety Technical Assistance grants to support local community involvement in pipeline safety issues. 
• $1.5 million in State Damage Prevention Program grants to support and strengthen states’ efforts in addressing pipeline failures attributed to activities such as excavation damage. 
• $1.1 million in One-Call grants to help improve state one-call notification systems and enhance damage prevention education and enforcement efforts. 

Award recipients for PHMSA pipeline safety grants include an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution—a first-time recipient of an award through PHMSA’s Competitive Academic Agreement Program. Additionally, PHMSA’s Pipeline Emergency Response grant has seen an increase in the number of grant recipients in fiscal year 2024. PHMSA is awarding grants to nine more entities than were awarded in 2023; this includes recipients in four states not previously provided funding under this program—New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Missouri. Funding for these new entities will provide additional training and emergency response capabilities to emergency responders of pipeline incidents and demonstrates PHMSA’s commitment to expanding its outreach efforts and encouraging new partnerships to advance its mission.

The grants announced today also come on the heels of PHMSA’s comprehensive new requirements for all of the nation’s freight railroads to provide real-time information regarding hazardous materials involved in train derailments—which first responder organizations have noted will help save lives, protect firefighters, and improve public safety.

Additional information regarding today’s awards, including grant descriptions and a listing of recipients, can be accessed here.