DOT grants help to non-profits with hazmat training

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has awarded $1 million to two non-profit organizations as part of its new Community Safety Grant program to improve the nation’s response to transportation incidents involving hazardous materials.    The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has awarded $1 million to two non-profit organizations as part of its new Community Safety Grant program to improve the nation’s response to transportation incidents involving hazardous materials.
   The grants were given to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), a non-profit association comprised of local, state and federal commercial motor vehicle safety officials and industry representatives; and the Sustainable Workplace Alliance (SWA), a not-for-profit that provides workers environmental, health and safety training.
   The new grant program, authorized by the FAST Act, provides funding to non-profit groups to conduct national outreach and training programs to help communities enforce hazardous materials regulations and be able to respond to transportation accidents involving hazmat, including Class 3 flammable liquids.
   “Local law enforcement personnel perform a critical role in ensuring that hazardous materials are moved safely, and this grant will provide them with the training and education they need to continue to serve and protect our communities,” PHMSA Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez said in a statement.