State Damage Prevention (SDP) Grant – FY2020 | 693JK320NF0006

Opportunity Information: Apply for 693JK320NF0006

The State Damage Prevention (SDP) Grant - FY2020 is a discretionary federal grant opportunity offered by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to help states strengthen pipeline safety by reducing excavation-related damage to underground pipeline facilities. The core goal is straightforward: fund the creation of comprehensive state damage prevention programs where they do not yet exist, and fund upgrades or expansions to programs that are already in place. The program frames pipeline safety as a shared responsibility, emphasizing that preventing strikes to buried pipelines protects the public, reduces service disruptions, and supports safer transportation of energy and hazardous materials.

This grant opportunity sits within a broader transportation safety and economic context. The notice connects effective infrastructure and safety programs to national economic performance, pointing out that reliable transportation networks lower the cost of doing business, support access to jobs, and improve quality of life. It also places special emphasis on rural needs. Consistent with the U.S. Department of Transportation's R.O.U.T.E.S. Initiative, applicants are encouraged to describe how their proposed work will address the distinct safety and infrastructure challenges rural areas face, particularly in improving pipeline and hazardous materials transportation safety where resources, staffing, and coverage can be more limited.

Legally, the SDP program is authorized under the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-468), codified at 49 U.S.C. 60134, and later amended by the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-90). The statute allows the Secretary of Transportation to award grants to a "state authority" (including a municipality in the case of intrastate gas pipeline transportation) to improve the overall quality and effectiveness of that authority's damage prevention program. A key program requirement is that states use grant funding to implement at least one of the nine statutory elements of an effective damage prevention program described in 49 U.S.C. 60134(b). In practice, that means grant-funded projects must tie clearly to recognized, program-level improvements rather than ad hoc activities.

Eligibility is described as "unrestricted" in the listing, but the actual gatekeeper is state designation. Multiple types of entities may be potentially eligible, yet they can only receive SDP funding if the governor of an eligible state has formally designated the entity to act on the state's behalf. The state must also have authority to participate in pipeline transportation oversight through either an annual certification under 49 U.S.C. 60105 or an agreement under 49 U.S.C. 60106 with PHMSA. Without that gubernatorial designation and proof of it, an applicant is not eligible for SDP funds, even if it otherwise appears to fit the broad applicant categories.

The FY2020 opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number 693JK320NF0006 under CFDA 20.720, with Transportation listed as the funding activity category. The award ceiling is listed as $100,000. PHMSA notes that, since the program began, it has awarded more than $18 million in SDP grant funds to more than 40 state organizations, and it provides a public resource where prospective applicants can review prior awards and final reports from completed projects to see what has been funded before (https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/sdp). The original application closing date for this FY2020 notice was March 19, 2020, and the opportunity was created on February 4, 2020.

• The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Admin in the transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "State Damage Prevention (SDP) Grant – FY2020" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 20.720.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-02-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-03-19. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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