Photo Provided Monroe County Commissioners Carl Davis, left, and Mick Schumacher stand outside he U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., in August after visiting with legislators and transportation department staff.

HANNIBAL — A $20 million federal grant will help Monroe County increase its energy exports and encourage industrial development in the local region.

U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced grant award last week. The federal funding will be directed toward the village of Hannibal as an investment in its rail transloading project. This funding, released through the U.S. Department of Transportation, will allow the Ohio Rail Development Commission to construct a railyard and pipeline facility in order to increase the Long Ridge Energy Terminal’s capacity and connect it to existing rail infrastructure.

According to information provided by Brown, this project will give the area’s energy exports, including natural gas, better access to global markets. The funding for the project was made available through the DOT’s Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development Transportation Discretionary Grants, also known as the BUILD program.

“When our rural communities have up-to-date infrastructure, it helps them grow and support local jobs,” said Brown. “This project will have a significant economic impact on Hannibal and across Southeast Ohio.”

Portman said this funding will encourage future growth in Monroe County — and it will be good for the entire nation.

The BUILD grant will be used to fund Monroe County’s Appalachia NGL Hub–Rail Transloading Project. This multi-modal, project will construct the rail yard and pipeline transloading facility to transfer propane and butane from pipeline to rail to be sent for export in the most efficient and safest way possible, according to Portman, who sent a letter of support for the project to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in July.

“This is great news for Monroe County and its economy,” Portman said upon receiving word that the grant application had been successful. “By increasing energy exports from the Marcellus and Utica shale, this project will create more jobs in Southeast Ohio and help make America less dependent on foreign energy sources.”

Monroe County Commissioner Mick Schumacher said the county applied for the grant to help construct and improve infrastructure along the Ohio River. He traveled to Washington, D.C., in August with Commissioner Carl Davis and county Economic Developer Jason Hamann to visit with federal lawmakers and DOT officials. During those meetings, the local leaders discussed the benefits of getting the grant and sought support for their efforts.

“It is not only for transportation, but it is also for energy. That’s how we had sold the thing and we got it,” Schumacher said. “I am really excited about this, and we really worked to get it. It will be a great thing for the county.”