Business
NASSCO Standard Bearers: Mark Metcalf
This month, NASSCO honors Mark Metcalf who epitomizes the association’s commitment to serving the industry in a positive manner. My original career plan was to get into real estate. I received my bachelor’s of science degree in business administration from Arizona State University in 1973, but inst..
Illinois American Water Acquires Forest Homes-Maple Park Public Water District
Illinois American Water has acquired the Forest Homes-Maple Park Public Water District. The purchase of the system adds approximately 500 customers to the company’s customer base in the Alton District. In a public referendum on Nov. 3, 2016, residents of Forest Homes-Maple Park Public Water Distric..
AEM Names New Senior VP of AG Services
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers has named Curt Blades as senior vice president, AG services, replacing Charlie O’Brien, who announced his retirement from AEM earlier this year. In this role, Blades will be responsible for strategic direction of agriculture programs and services for the A..
INGAA Foundation Names Incoming Executive Director
Industry-veteran Jason M. Goldstein will formally assume the role of executive director of the INGAA Foundation, upon the August 31 retirement of Richard Hoffmann. As executive director, Goldstein will be responsible for managing the Foundation’s technical and economic studies, implementing its str..
DCA, AGA Joint Workshop Engages New Subjects, Expands Existing Efforts
The Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) and American Gas Association (AGA) held their third annual Utility Contractor Workshop at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago on April 18-19. Since the first joint workshop, the event has expanded both in attendance, as well as the scope of issues address..
IES Holdings Acquires NEXT Electric
IES Holdings, Inc. has acquired 80% of the membership interests in NEXT Electric, LLC, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based electrical contractor specializing in the design, installation and maintenance of electrical systems for commercial, industrial, healthcare, water treatment and education markets. NEX..
DTE Energy Names Robert Skaggs to Board of Directors
DTE Energy has named Robert Skaggs to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. For more than a decade, Skaggs served as chief executive for both the Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc. and NiSource Inc., a Fortune 500 energy holding company engaged in natural gas and electric utilities and the ..
PPI Division’s New Name Reflects Expanding Use Of HDPE Conduit
The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI), the major trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry, has renamed its Conduit Division as the Power & Communications Division (PCD). This change was prompted by growth within the division, uses of conduit in rapidly developing applica..
Trump Selects Lawyer as FERC's Chairman
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has nominated energy lawyer Kevin McIntyre to chair the vacancy-plagued commission that oversees the nation’s power grid and natural gas pipelines. Only one commissioner currently serves on the five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, leaving it wit..
Fluke Networks' LinkWare™ Live Reaches Industry Milestone
Fluke Networks today announced that its cloud-based LinkWare Live service has reached a significant milestone – contractors and cable installers have uploaded more than five million test results to date. “In developing LinkWare Live, we looked closely at the daily challenges that installers were fa..
Water Research Foundation Launches Project on Resilient Water Infrastructure
The Water Research Foundation has launched a new project to improve the resiliency of water utilities, specifically around infrastructure needs. The project, Resilient Water Infrastructure: Improving Understanding and Assessing Needs, will gather information from regions and municipalities (both sma..
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company Wins Safety Excellence Award
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation has been awarded the Western Dredging Association’s (WEDA) 2017 Annual Safety Excellence Award for a Dredging Project. The company received the award for its work on the John Redmond Dredging Project, which was performed by its Rivers and Lakes Division under c..
Illinois American Water’s Cairo District Earns National Safety Award for a Second Time
Illinois American Water’s Cairo District received the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Wendell R. LaDue Utility Safety Award for excellence in safety. The award recognizes distinguished safety programs by water utilities and requires excellent safety records for five consecutive years, as wel..
PLCA Asks for Short-Haul Exemption from ELD Mandate
The Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA) has requested a short-haul exemption from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic logging device mandate set to take effect on Dec. 18 for all pipeline contractor vehicle drivers. According to the PLCA, drivers mostly utilize the sho..
CommScope to Acquire Cable Exchange
CommScope, a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks, has agreed to acquire Cable Exchange, a privately held quick-turn supplier of fiber optic and copper assemblies for data, voice and video communications. Cable Exchange, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., manufactu..
Utility Wins Sixth Straight J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Award
PPL Electric Utilities today announced J.D. Power has ranked the company highest for residential customer satisfaction in its class in the eastern United States for the sixth consecutive year. “PPL employees come to work each day with a mindset that puts customers first,” said Greg Dud..
NineStar Connect Achieves Fiber Optic Milestone in Indiana
NineStar Connect, a smart utility based in Hancock County, Ind., has achieved a milestone of providing high-speed fiber optic broadband service to 100 percent of businesses and homes in McCordsville, Ind. “Reliable, high speed internet is no longer a nice-to-have for businesses; it’s an absolute ne..
Nokia to Provide Communications Network for California Utility
Nokia today announced it will provide an advanced communications network to the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) in Northern California to support its hydro-electric power generation and water distribution services in the area. PCWA is the primary water resource agency for Placer County, California..
NRG Energy Plans up to $4 Billion in Asset Sales
NEW YORK (AP) — NRG Energy, the money-losing Northeast electric utility, will attempt raise up to $4 billion through asset sales as it tries lower debt by $13 billion, cut costs and generate profit. The power company, based in Princeton, New Jersey, said Wednesday that the sale could include the en..
DTE Energy Names New State Government Affairs Director
DTE Energy has named Rodney Cole to the position of director, State Government Affairs, leading the company’s policy and advocacy efforts in Lansing, Mich. In his new role, Cole will lead DTE’s Lansing office and will continue strengthening relationships with Michigan’s public sector leaders to crea..
Infinera Completes Successful Fiber-Optic Field Test on Trans-Atlantic Route
Infinera has successfully completed a subsea field test on a modern trans-Atlantic route. The field test was conducted with the Infinera XTS-3300 meshponder and demonstrated the potential of 19 terabits per second (19T) per fiber pair, delivering the highest spectral efficiency on a major trans-Atla..
Sunoco to Connect Homes With Tainted Wells to Public Water
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Sunoco Pipeline LP is paying to connect municipal water to about 30 Pennsylvania residences whose well water was contaminated while the company built its Mariner East 2 Pipeline. Sunoco says the residents in West Whiteland Township are being connected to Aqua Pennsylv..
Authorities ID Man Killed in Pipe Cleaning Accident
BROWNSVILLE, Wis. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 20-year-old man killed in an industrial accident in Brownsville. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office identifies the victim as Treston Isham of Fond du Lac. Authorities say Isham was cleaning pipes at utility contractor Michels Corp. wh..
i3 Broadband to Expand Fiber-Optic Network in Illinois
i3 Broadband today announced it will start construction in multiple neighborhoods to continue its multi-year, multi-million dollar investment in extending the company’s fiber network throughout Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. “We are extremely excited to provide residents and businesses of Champaign-Ur..
Axalta Releases New Internal Pipe Coating Solution
Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, has released Nap-Gard® 7-0016, a thermosetting epoxy powder that is designed to provide excellent chemical resistance in temperatures up to 150 degrees Celsius (302 degrees Fahrenheit). “Axalta is excited to bring another inn..
Jersey Central Power & Light Announces Changes to Leadership Team
Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary, announced today that Mark A. Jones, has been named vice president of Operations and John Anderson has been named vice president of External Affairs. In his new position, Jones is responsible for the operation and maintenance of J..
Pennsylvania American Water Unveils Interactive Map to Spotlight Pipeline Projects
Pennsylvania American Water has launched an interactive web-based map of its 2017 infrastructure upgrade projects, enabling customers to view details about water and wastewater pipe projects across the company’s service areas. “Often, customers do not see their water bills at work because we may no..
New Mexico Utility Ordered to Release Documents in Rate Case
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s largest electric utility has been told to publicly release documents that were sealed as it pursues approval from state regulators for a rate increase. Two hearing officers for the Public Regulation Commission ruled this week that the utility failed to show the in..
Westar, Great Plains Announce New Plans for $14B Merger
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy have announced a revamped plan to merge after Kansas regulators scuttled an earlier deal. The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/2u9t3IX ) reports that the deal announced Monday morning would form a utility with a combined equity value of..
Ohio EPA Orders Company to Clean up HDD Spills
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s environmental agency is ordering a company building a natural gas pipeline across Ohio to come up with a plan to clean up its spills from drilling and get rid of diesel-soaked mud. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency also wants the state to pursue a proposed fine of ..
- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Two workers rescued after hours trapped in Mich. trench collapse
- Trump calls for Keystone XL pipeline revival, but developer has moved on
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes
- Ameren Illinois to invest $140 million in natural gas pipeline replacement program
- Charlottesville, Va., to begin work on 24-inch water line for Rivanna River crossing
- Mass. governor slams Trump for ‘dangerous delay’ of $50 million in lead pipe replacement funds