Thousands of miles of underground pipelines buried underneath Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier present new challenges to area first responders. COGENT, a locally-based organization proactive in pursuing productive partnerships among those involved in and affected by the natural gas industry, will receive funds from the state to provide specialized training for local first responders through their respective EMAs.
(Mehoopany) Connection for Oil, Gas & Environment in the Northern Tier, Inc. (COGENT) is pleased to announce a $50,000 grant award from the US Department of Transportation, Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for pipeline emergencies training. These funds will be used for training first responders in Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming Counties.
The Technical Assistance Grant will provide pipeline emergency training opportunities for approximately 1,500 first responders within the five-county Northern Tier Region.
The DOT PHMSA TAG program assists communities with grants specifically relating to pipeline safety.
“We are so excited to be a recipient of the grant,” noted Emily Krafjack, President of COGENT “We are coordinating with each respective county’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) in order to provide training opportunities for every Northern Tier first responder with a National Association of State Fire Marshals pipeline emergencies trainer.”
Annually, The PHMSA awards $1,000,000 in technical assistance grants through a competitive application and review process. As part of the grant project, COGENT reached out to industry for sponsorships in order to provide more first responders with training.
“We are very pleased to announce that UGI Services, Access Midstream and Williams have joined with us in our grant project, noted Emily Krafjack. “We work better when we all work together.”
Training sessions will be scheduled during 2014 within the respective counties on a schedule coordinated with each county’s EMA.
Connection for Oil, Gas & Environment in the Northern Tier, COGENT is a resource for those seeking reliable, objective information regarding all aspects relative to the development of unconventional shale resources. COGENT is a resource for landowners and communities alike striving to find and advocate for a balance that supports public health and safety, community and the environment balanced with the needs of industry. COGENT is focused on pipeline safety, and as a natural extension of that issue has a sincere interest in providing pipeline emergencies training for all Northern Tier first responders.
Further information on COGENT and the pipelines emergencies training project can be found on the website www.cogentpa.org.