Agenda

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TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	02/08/2021
Subject: ACCEPT recommendation of Hazardous Materials Commission that Board of Supervisors write letter of support for Alamo Improvement Association.
Submitted For:	TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
Department:	Conservation & Development
Referral No.:	16
Referral Name:	Monitor the Iron Horse Corridor Management Program.
Presenter:	Michael Kent, CCCHS	Contact:	Michael Kent (925)250-3227

Information

Referral History:

The Alamo Improvement Association has applied for two previous grants from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in 2017 and 2018 to examine pipeline safety issues in Contra Costa County, and to provide professional response training and public education about pipeline safety. The grants also commissioned two reports from the Pipeline Safety Trust on pipeline safety issues in Contra Costa County.

The Hazardous Materials Commission has previously brought forward recommendations from these reports to TWIC and the Board of Supervisors for consideration.

Referral Update:

The Hazardous Materials Commission voted unanimously at their meeting on January 28, 2021 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors write a letter of support for a Technical Assistance grant proposal being submitted to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) by the Alamo Improvement Association concerning pipeline safety information and education. The Hazardous Materials Commission worked successfully with the Alamo Improvement Association on implementing two previous grants it received from PHMSA, primarily by co-sponsoring public workshops on pipeline safety. The Commission also supported many of the recommendations that were in the two reports the previous grants commissioned from the Pipeline Safety Trust concerning pipeline safety.

The scope of work that the Alamo Improvement Association is proposing for the grant application will focus on preparing a survey, a needs assessment and a report:

1) Needs survey based on the Pipeline Information Center website Stakeholders Needs Survey;
2) Assessment and Analysis of the Needs Survey data;
3) Development of a website template that would address identified needs;
4) A summary report for presentation, review and determination of follow-up.

For the needs assessment, a County Department staff person(s) will be requested to complete an on-line survey. Once other stakeholders, including Industry and Community Organizations staff person(s), have completed the survey as well, the analysis and assessment of the data will be completed. The survey results, assessment and template would then be presented to the County Hazardous Materials Commission, TWIC and then the Board of Supervisors for the review.

If there is support, a second grant will be applied for to create a Pipeline Information Center website or other identified needed public information and education platforms or materials.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

RECOMMEND that the Board of Supervisors provide a letter of support for the Alamo Improvement Association Technical Assistance grant application to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to assess the need for a pipeline safety information center website for Contra Costa County.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

No financial impact. Required County staff time to support the AIA's grant could be absorbed in to existing work plans and budgets.

Attachments
HMC TWIC AIA memo 2.8.21