{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=5728DC71-9983-4237-87B4-870A5F9DCAA5", "Heitkamp Announces Federal Funds to Improve Safety of First Responders, Energy Infrastructure", "2016-10-03", "2016", "2016-10", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a subcommittee ranking member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, today announced two federal grants totaling over $490,000 to boost energy infrastructure safety research and development at North Dakota State University (NDSU), and to make sure our first responders are prepared with the resources and protection they need to respond to emergencies.\r\n\u201cKeeping our first responders and communities safe is a top priority of mine as North Dakota continues to lead the nation in energy production,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cBy encouraging NDSU\u2019s critical research through today\u2019s federal funding, we can find new technologies that will improve the lifetime performance and safety of our energy infrastructure. Protecting our first responders who answer the call to emergencies brought on by energy transport like crude oil train derailments is another key element of safe energy production. Today\u2019s federal support will help make sure North Dakota first response teams have the right training and resources to respond to emergencies while keeping themselves and our communities safe.\u201d\r\nThe federal funds are distributed as follows:\r\n \r\nNorth Dakota State University: $300,000 in federal funding to design and implement new materials that can prevent or mitigate pipeline corrosion that can keep our energy infrastructure safe. This federal funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\u2019s (PHMSA) Competitive Academic Agreement Program Awards that provides funding to universities to research and develop new technologies that will help to improve energy infrastructure.\r\n \r\n \r\nNorth Dakota: $194,331 in federal funding to improve the safety of crude by rail or road through improved emergency response strategies, monitoring of the frequency of hazardous material being transported near communities, and making sure first responders have the equipment and training to stay safe while responding to emergencies. This federal funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\u2019s (PHMSA) Hazardous Material Emergency Preparedness Grants that provide federal funding to states and tribal governments to response to emergencies caused by transporting hazardous materials.\r\n \r\nHeitkamp recently released her Strong & Safe Communities Report that seeks to address emerging challenges through a comprehensive set of proposals. The report includes a summary of the economic and safety challenges North Dakota faces, such as the increase of oil trains going through communities, crime, human trafficking, economic development, and other issues.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=5728DC71-9983-4237-87B4-870A5F9DCAA5"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.849838998168707, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}