Project Grant 693JK32540005HMAT

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) awarded The Center for Rural Development, Inc. a $500,000 Project Grant under the Interagency Hazardous Materials Public Sector Training and Planning Grants program (CFDA 20.703) on October 1, 2025, with a performance period extending through September 30, 2026. Under this Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training (ALERT) grant, the Center for Rural Development will deliver more than 100 mobile, in-person, and instructor-led training courses focused on rail car incident response for crude oil, ethanol, and other flammable liquids. The training initiative is designed to reach an estimated 2,000–2,500 volunteer, tribal, and rural emergency responders across the nation, with the primary beneficiary being the grantee's local area in Kentucky, while web-based training components may extend nationwide benefits.

The project directly supports PHMSA's objective to enhance emergency responder preparedness and transportation safety by strengthening first responder training capabilities in hazardous materials incident response. No subrecipients are identified for this award. The Center for Rural Development, a tax-exempt nonprofit community development corporation headquartered in Somerset, Kentucky, brings substantial federal grant experience in emergency management and hazardous materials training to this initiative, leveraging its established partnerships and delivery infrastructure to provide accessible training across diverse geographic regions and organizational types.