File photo.
Long Beach’s Gas and Oil Department received the American Public Gas Association’s (APGA) System Operational Achievement Recognition Award, the city announced Monday.
According to a release issued Monday morning, Long Beach is one of nine utility organizations across the U.S. to receive the honor, bestowed annually by the APGA. Long Beach is one of two municipalities to receive the award two years in a row out of 997 utilities nationwide, according to officials at the APGA.
“I am very proud that our City has been recognized for our strong commitment to maintaining this critical infrastructure and for making safety a top priority,” said Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement.
Award recipients are required to demonstrate a “commitment to excellence in four areas: system integrity, system improvement, workforce development and employee safety,” the release stated.
APGA announced the winners at its annual conference in July.
“Since our employees in the field work with this potentially explosive product on a daily basis, it is important that we provide them the proper training and equipment to accomplish this in a safe and productive manner,” said Chris Garner, director of Long Beach Gas and Oil in a statement.
More than 1,900 miles of pipeline are maintained by Long Beach Gas and Oil, and the department reinvests about $8 million to $10 million into pipeline replacement to ensure safe delivery of natural gas without service interruptions.