Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) personnel said $10 million has been earmarked to initiate a pipeline Research, Development and Testing (RDT) facility.
The funds would address the conceptual study, design and development of a venue at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado.
“The TTC site and its proven business model offers the real potential to improve the safety of the Nation’s 2.8 million miles of gas and liquid pipeline by rapidly expanding the research and innovation capacity of the pipeline industry to a level currently unavailable today,” PHMSA Administrator Skip Elliott said. “We will accelerate pipeline safety innovation as it moves from concept to testing to application.”
The site, which is located on Federal Railroad Administration property, leased from the State of Colorado and managed through a contractor, would support development of new technologies and advance stakeholder knowledge related to pipeline safety issues such as remote sensing and leak detection, damage prevention, small-scale liquefied natural gas and construction.
Officials said the RDT facility serves as PHMSA’s initial substantial investment in a standardized, integrated technology development environment for pipeline safety research — noting the Administration’s mission is to protect people and the environment by advancing safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials.