CU selected for $10M grant

City Utilities of Springfield was awarded a $10 million grant at a news conference this morning.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, presented the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization grant at CU's training center, according to a news release.

The funds are earmarked for CU to update its pipeline infrastructure. Officials at the news conference pointed to potential project sites in Zone 1, with an area north of Chestnut Expressway identified. The area shown is bordered by West Bypass on the west and just past Glenstone Avenue on the east, and as far north as Interstate 44.

The grant is part of $196 million in funding announced earlier this month by the Biden administration. The PHMSA is awarding funding for 37 projects, according to a separate news release.

“This funding to modernize our gas pipelines will help protect residents from dangerous leaks, create good-paying jobs and reduce methane emissions in communities across the nation, particularly in rural and underserved areas,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release.

The Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization grant program was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.