Business
Judge Denies Water Crisis Legal Settlement
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal judge has declined to grant preliminary approval to a $151 million settlement stemming from a 2014 chemical spill that sparked a water crisis in West Virginia. Local news outlets report Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. said in an order Thursday that he wants changes t..
Berkshire Hathaway to Buy Oncor
NEW YORK (AP) — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is buying the Texas power transmitter Oncor for $9 billion, one of his biggest acquisitions. Last year, Berkshire completed its biggest acquisition in its history, a $32.36 billion deal for aviation parts maker Precision Castparts. Oncor se..
Lane Construction, Salini Impregilo Win $580 Million Sewer Tunnel Project
The Lane Construction Corporation and its parent company Salini Impregilo have been awarded a $580-million contract for the Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT) project in Washington, D.C. The NEBT will be a large, deep sewer tunnel that will increase the capacity of the District’s sewer system, signifi..
Teleste and Antronix JV to Bring Next Gen Cable Technology to North American Markets
Antronix, a manufacturer of broadband products in the United States, and Teleste, a provider of video and broadband technologies and related services in Europe, have entered a joint venture to offer Next Generation Gigabit cable access network solutions to North American broadband markets. The joint..
NASSCO Joins UESI as Charter Organizational Member
The National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) was recently announced as a Charter Organizational Member of the Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). This partnership furthers UESI’s mission to foster a collaborative and gr..
Another Lewis & Clark Water Pipeline Construction Contract Awarded
S.J. Louis Construction of Rockville, Minn., has been awarded a $10,785,600 contract for construction of Minnesota – Segment 4 of the Lewis & Clark Water Pipeline. The Minnesota – Segment 4 is a 15-mile section of pipe between the Worthington and Lincoln Pipestone RWS connection near Adrian. ..
Peak Utility Services Group Acquires Kelly Cable
Peak Utility Services Group, a utility services provider serving natural gas, telecom, and electric utility markets in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West regions of the United States, has acquired Kelly Cable of New Mexico. As part of the transaction, Mike Ford, the President of Kelly Cab..
Connecticut Water Acquires the Avon Water Company
Connecticut Water Service, Inc. (CTWS) has completed the acquisition of The Avon Water Company (AWC). AWC serves approximately 4,800 water customers in the Connecticut communities of Avon, Farmington, and Simsbury. The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority approved the acquisition on Apr..
Vermont Utility Regulator Officially Changes Name
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont’s newly named Public Utility Commission says it’s going paperless. The commission, formerly known as the Public Service Board, which regulates utilities, starting using its new name on July 1. On Wednesday, it announced its “declaration of independence” from paper as..
Sabal Trail Pipeline Officially Operational
Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC (Sabal Trail), a joint venture of Spectra Energy Partners, LP NextEra Energy, Inc., and Duke Energy, has placed into commercial service its pipeline system and facilities from Alexander City, Alabama, to the Central Florida Hub in Kissimmee, Florida. “Sabal Trail has s..
Subsite Electronics Acquires R.S. Technical Services
Subsite Electronics, a Charles Machine Works Company, has acquired the assets of R.S. Technical Services, Inc., an innovator in the design and manufacture of closed-circuit television remote inspection and monitoring cameras. The deal adds proven camera inspection capabilities to Subsite’s line of U..
West Virginia Water Agency Head to Retire After Ethics Probe
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The head of a West Virginia water agency will retire after an ethics investigation. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that a letter from Gov. Jim Justice’s office says West Virginia Water Development Authority Executive Director Chris Jarrett will step down and reti..
Water, Sewer Infrastructure Investment Drives Utility's Proposed Rate Increase
Missouri American Water has filed an application with the Missouri Public Service Commission (MOPSC) requesting a change in the rates for the company’s water and sewer customers, including an annual revenue increase of $73.9 million for water customers and $800,000 for sewer customers. The main dri..
CMS Energy and Consumers Energy Announce Leadership Change
CMS Energy and Consumers Energy have announced Jean-Francois (JF) Brossoit, currently senior vice president of transformation and shared services, will succeed Dan Malone, senior vice president of engineering, effective when Malone retires Nov. 1, 2017. Brossoit will assume the new role..
Louisville Gas and Electric Nearing Completion of 20-year Gas Main Replacement Project
Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) has announced it is completing the final steps in a gas main replacement project in Louisville, Kentucky that began more than two decades ago. As part of the project, LG&E upgraded 540 miles of cast iron, wrought iron and bare steel pipes with more durable..
Application for $3.2 Billion Gas Pipeline Withdrawn
BOSTON (AP) — Two of Massachusetts’ largest utility companies have halted a $3.2 billion natural gas pipeline project, citing funding uncertainty. Pipeline operator Enbridge Inc., a partner in the Access Northeast project along with Eversource and National Grid, informed the Federal Energy Regulato..
Trump Announces Another FERC Nominee
President Donald J. Trump has announced his intent to nominate Richard Glick of Virginia to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the remainder of a 5-year term expiring June 30, 2022. Glick currently serves as General Counsel for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Comm..
Artesian Resources Acquires Cantwell Water Company
Artesian Resources Corporation’s principal subsidiary, Artesian Water Company, Inc., has acquired the water assets of the Cantwell Water Company of Odessa. The purchase leverages Artesian’s newly expanded franchise area in southern New Castle County and allows the 40 customers previously on the Cant..
American Water Makes Leadership Change
American Water today announced Loyd “Aldie” Warnock, currently senior vice president of External Affairs, Communications and Public Policy, will expand his role and also oversee the company’s Corporate Business Development department, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Warnock will replace Mark Strauss, who is..
$14 Million Pipeline Construction Contract Awarded
Crossfire, LLC has been awarded a $14 million contract from New Mexico Gas Company to reroute approximately six miles of natural gas pipeline in the Río Grande Gorge along State Road 68. The project consists of replacing 8-inch-diameter natural gas pipe with a larger 12-inch-diameter pipe to accomm..
AECOM Names New Chief Operating Officer
AECOM has named Randall A. Wotring chief operating officer, effective July 1, 2017. With more than 30 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry, Wotring was named group president, Technical and Operational Services in September 2016. At AECOM, he has led the growth of the com..
Atlas API Training Launches New Pipeline Courses
Atlas API Training has launched scheduled classroom API Exam Prep Courses to complement the company’s extensive on-site and online training options. The first scheduled classroom training will occur in the greater Houston area with additional cities to be added over the next several months. The cou..
Chicago Utilities Celebrate Grand Opening of New Training Center
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel yesterday joined Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas President and CEO Charles Matthews, Alderman Ricardo Muñoz (22nd), Illinois State Senator Martin Sandoval and other community leaders in celebrating the grand opening of Peoples Energy Training Center, a new utilities tr..
Comcast Completes $1.7 Million Fiber Optic Expansion
Comcast Business has completed a nearly $1.7 million fiber optic network expansion project in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. As a result, Comcast’s high-performance network is now delivering up to 10 Gigabits-per-second of Ethernet capacity to more than seven businesses located between Tower ..
Thompson Pipe Group to Acquire U.S. Pipe Assets
Thompson Pipe Group has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the concrete and steel pressure pipe assets of U.S. Pipe, a division of Forterra. The new entity will operate under the name Thompson Pipe Group and provide the water and wastewater infrastructure, power, and industrial markets w..
Georgia Utility Awards Sewer Contract
The Walker County Water & Sewerage Authority (WCWSA) has awarded a $297,000 contract to Insituform, an Aegion Company, to combat millions of gallons of stormwater infiltrating its system. The project involves renewing and extending the life of 11,000 feet of sewer line, utilizing a cured in place p..
Welty Energy & Infrastructure Makes Leadership Changes
Welty Energy & Infrastructure has appointed Bill Paolillo to Group President and Eric Payne to VP of Energy Operations. As Group President, Paolillo will be responsible for creating and executing a strategic plan, overseeing the company and securing national projects. Prior to his current role, Pao..
Frontier Integrity Solutions Makes Leadership Changes
Frontier Integrity Solutions (FIS) has named Keyth Pengal as CEO and oil and gas industry veteran Bill Boyer to its Board of Directors. These appointments are effective immediately. “FIS has an over-40-year history of quality, trust, and honesty with its customers, employees, and communities it ser..
Water Utility Nears Safety Milestone
Mesa Water District has announced it is approaching four years without a lost time accident due to a robust environmental health and safety program that has helped the district achieve a “gold standard” of safety performance. Mesa Water’s overall safety rating improved 15 percent between 2014 and 2..
Artesian Water Completes Infrastructure Project
Artesian Resources Corporation’s principal subsidiary, Artesian Water Company, Inc. has achieved full regionalization of drinking water throughout its growing southern New Castle County service area. In June 2017, Artesian’s transmission and distribution teams completed several critical service con..
- 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