PCUD receives $4 million safety grant

From left: Rob Neil, PCUD president; Emily McCaul, representative for Sen. Bill Hagerty; Madeline Lewen, intern for Senator Bill Hagerty; Damond Smith, U.S. Department of Transportation; Tammy Merritt; John Stair, PCUD board chairman; Greg Leach, board secretary; Steve Croley, vice president of finance; Stephen Harris, vice president of operations; and Parker Willsey, Rebekah Linn and Shawn Aiken of Southern Cathodic Protection.
The grant supports projects aimed at improving the safety and modernization of natural gas distribution systems to meet high standards of safety and efficiency.
“This award will enable PCUD to continue implementing critical infrastructure improvements that will enhance the safety, reliability and environmental performance of our natural gas distribution network,” said Stephen Harris, PCUD’s vice president of operations.
“As a nonprofit governmental utility, PCUD is grateful that Congress and the president are prioritizing investments to modernize gas distribution pipelines across the nation through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said Rob Neil, president of PCUD.
“This investment in infrastructure not only enhances safety, it also assists our ratepayers as the significant cost of these improvements are covered by the grant,” Neil said.
PCUD also recognized U.S. Reps. Tim Burchett and Chuck Fleischmann, U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, and their staffs for supporting the utility’s grant request.
With support from policymakers, public gas utilities can continue to help fuel the nation’s energy future by providing affordable, reliable and clean-burning natural gas to millions of homes and businesses across the country, PCUD said.