Gas district receives $3.1 million grant

The funds will support repair, replacement and acquisition of equipment for Lake Apopka Natural Gas District, one of the fastest-growing public utility systems in Florida.

By Amy Quesinberry Price
| 6:40 p.m. May 21, 2023

Douglas Bankson, Florida, District 39 representative, left; Pam Jones, community relations representative for Congressman Daniel Webster; Damond Smith, PHMSA grant management officer; Alexander Smith, Lake Apopka Natural Gas board member; Samuel Davis Jr., LANGD CEO and general manager; Bill Arrowsmith, LANGD president and chairman; John Rees, LANGD board member and Winter Garden mayor; and Fred Crabtree (LANGD vice president and board member.

West Orange Times & Observer
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The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration presented a check in the amount of $3.1 million to Lake Apopka Natural Gas District as part of the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program.

The grant provides funding to repair, rehabilitate or replace natural gas distribution pipeline systems and to acquire new equipment. The program will ultimately help improve public safety, protect public health and reduce methane emissions from natural gas distribution equipment.

The district was selected as one of 37 recipients across 19 states to receive the new grant exclusively for community-owned, not-for-profit natural gas distribution utilities. Lake Apopka Natural Gas District was one of just two utilities in the state of Florida to receive grant money. The city of Milton was the other.

"The district is thrilled to have been selected for this historic grant,” said Samuel Davis Jr, LANGD CEO and general manager. “We look forward to responsibly implementing these funds as we continue to pursue our vision of providing clean, safe and reliable natural gas to our local communities.”

The district plans to replace more than 13 miles of steel pipeline mains and replace more than 150 service lines, in addition to other infrastructure and service improvements.

“This grant will provide Lake Apopka Natural Gas District with the necessary resources to modernize our natural gas distribution system and other infrastructure over the next half-decade,” said Chairman Bill Arrowsmith. “We are grateful to PHMSA for presenting us with this award, which will help us continue to safely maintain and grow our services.”

Established by President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grant provides nearly $1 billion in funding over the course of five years to modernize municipally and community-owned natural gas distribution pipes, helping to keep communities across the country safe from pipeline leaks.

LANGD provides natural gas service to more than 28,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Orange and Lake counties.