Firms Partner to Modernize America's Aging Natural Gas Grid

WENONAH, NJ – April 29, 2026 – A strategic partnership announced today aims to accelerate the modernization of America's aging natural gas pipeline network, offering utilities a less disruptive and more cost-effective path to enhancing safety and reliability. Liberty Sales & Distribution, a leading supplier to the gas industry, has joined forces with Progressive Pipeline Management (PPM), a national specialist in trenchless technology, to expand the deployment of the Starline® Cured-In-Place Liner (CIPL) system across the United States.

The collaboration combines Liberty's established sales network and deep relationships with gas utilities with PPM's two decades of technical expertise and exclusive North American rights to the German-engineered Starline® technology. The partnership signals a significant push to move away from traditional, disruptive pipeline replacement methods toward a more innovative approach to infrastructure management.

The Challenge of Aging Infrastructure

Beneath American streets lies a vast, aging network of natural gas pipelines, with many sections, particularly in the Northeast, dating back 50 to 100 years. This deteriorating infrastructure poses a multifaceted challenge for utilities. Cast iron and bare steel pipes are prone to corrosion and leaks, creating safety hazards and contributing to methane emissions—a potent greenhouse gas. The pressure to address this issue is mounting, driven by federal regulations from bodies like the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and growing public demand for safer, more environmentally responsible energy delivery.

Traditionally, the only solution was to dig up and replace entire sections of pipe. This 'dig-and-replace' approach is not only enormously expensive but also profoundly disruptive, leading to closed roads, snarled traffic, and significant inconvenience for communities and businesses. In dense metropolitan areas, the costs of excavation, paving, and restoration can dwarf the cost of the pipe itself, making large-scale replacement projects a logistical and financial nightmare.

A Trenchless Revolution in Pipeline Repair

Starline® CIPL technology offers a starkly different approach. It is a trenchless rehabilitation solution that restores aging gas mains from within. The process involves inserting a flexible, resin-impregnated liner into the existing pipeline through small access points. The liner is then inflated and cured in place, bonding tightly to the host pipe to form a new, seamless, and structurally sound composite pipeline. This method effectively seals all leaks, cracks, and points of corrosion without major excavation.

The technology has been rigorously validated through more than $15 million in independent testing over 15 years at facilities including Cornell University, the Gas Technology Institute, and Battelle Labs. This research, often supervised by major utilities like National Grid and Con Edison, confirms that the Starline® liner can extend a pipeline's service life by up to 100 years. Crucially, tests show the liner maintains full pressure integrity even if the surrounding host pipe were to suffer significant degradation, including corrosion holes up to 6 inches wide. The system is rated for pipelines from 2 to 48 inches in diameter with operating pressures up to 450 psig, covering a vast portion of the nation's gas distribution network.

The Economic and Community Case for CIPL

The benefits for utilities and the public are substantial. The press release claims CIPL can deliver 30–60% cost savings compared to traditional replacement, a figure that becomes even more compelling in urban environments with high restoration costs. By eliminating the need for extensive trenching, utilities save on paving, traffic control, labor, and material hauling, while also drastically accelerating project timelines. An ambient-cure installation can be completed in about 24 hours, with accelerated methods reducing that time to as little as eight hours.

These operational efficiencies translate directly into community benefits. Residents and businesses are spared the prolonged noise, dust, and disruption of major construction projects. This minimal-impact approach has proven invaluable in sensitive and congested areas. PPM has successfully deployed the technology in record-setting projects, including the rehabilitation of a 42-inch cast iron gas main for PSE&G in East Orange, New Jersey, and a 36-inch main in South Orange—projects where conventional replacement would have been prohibitively expensive and disruptive. Similar successful projects for Baltimore Gas and Electric and National Grid in Queens, New York, have solidified CIPL's reputation as a go-to solution for complex urban infrastructure challenges.

Furthermore, by sealing leaks, CIPL directly supports the industry's critical goal of reducing methane emissions, aligning utility operations with state and federal environmental mandates.

A Strategic Alliance to Scale a Proven Solution

The partnership between Liberty and PPM is structured to leverage the strengths of each company to bring these benefits to a wider market. Liberty Sales & Distribution will act as the tip of the spear, using its extensive network to identify opportunities and engage with utilities on their long-term asset management strategies. PPM will then provide the deep technical support, from initial evaluation and engineering to full-field execution of the CIPL installation.

"This partnership strengthens Liberty's ability to support utilities with a more complete asset management solution," said Wally Armstrong, Partner & Owner of Liberty Sales & Distribution. "By adding Starline® CIPL, we can help customers address pipeline integrity challenges with a proven solution backed by an experienced, field-ready partner."

Progressive Pipeline Management, which has already installed over 1.5 million feet of the liner across 22 states, sees the alliance as a way to scale its impact. "Utilities today are looking for practical ways to address aging infrastructure safely while balancing affordability, minimizing disruption, and maintaining system reliability," noted Dave Wickersham, Founder and CEO of PPM. "Partnering with Liberty allows us to scale that capability and support utilities in executing long-term asset management strategies."

This collaboration reflects a broader industry trend toward adopting comprehensive, turnkey solutions for complex infrastructure problems. By combining a powerful sales channel with proven technical execution, the partnership is poised to make trenchless rehabilitation a mainstream component of natural gas infrastructure management across the country.