Gas Distribution
Utility Sued for $50 Million Over Fatal House Explosion
A $50 million lawsuit was filed against a utility company over an explosion that killed two people and damaged several homes in Flint, Michigan.
Pennsylvania’s Gas-Well Revenue Down as Price, Drilling Drop
Gas well revenue in Pennsylvania is at its lowest after prices sank during the pandemic.
$56M Settlement Approved in Massachusetts Gas Explosions
A $56 million settlement has been approved in the case regarding a series of natural gas explosions and fires in Massachusetts in 2018.
Illinois Regulators Approve Report on Condition of Chicago Gas Distribution Network
Regulators in Illinois have agreed with the conclusion of a report that found a natural gas distribution network replacement program in Chicago from Peoples Gas will increase public and customer safety.
Investigation into Baltimore Explosion Finds Gas Utility Equipment Not to Blame
An investigation by Baltimore Gas and Electric into a recent fatal gas explosion in the city discovered that the company's pipes and equipment were not responsible for the blast.
Gas Explosion Levels 3 Baltimore Homes, at Least 2 Dead
A natural gas explosion in a Baltimore neighborhood on Monday killed one woman and university student. Firefighters reported at least two people were hospitalized with serious injuries.
North Carolina Utilities Told to Stop Disconnections Through August
Regulators in North Carolina have instructed the state's large, for-profit utility companies to continue delaying disconnections through the month of August.
Utility & Communications Construction Update
The spread of the coronavirus has upended almost every staple of U.S. life, and businesses have no sense of what the next two weeks, much less the next two months, could look like. With these themes as the backdrop, there are some takeaways we can share for planning the next six months, as we consider both oil and the spread of the coronavirus.
Underground Construction and Related Industries Respond to Coronavirus
While much of North America hunkers down to wait out the coronavirus pandemic, essential workers at companies throughout the underground construction industry are continuing to deliver vital services to customers.
Italy's Snam Takes Steps to Guarantee Gas Flows During Coronavirus Outbreak
Italian gas grid operator Snam has put in place emergency measures to ensure it can keep gas flowing during the coronavirus outbreak.
Eversource to Acquire Columbia Gas of Massachusetts Assets for $1.1 Billion
Eversource Energy announced that it has reached an agreement to purchase the Massachusetts natural gas assets of Columbia Gas for $1.1 billion from NiSource.
Utility to Pay $53M for Fatal Gas Line Explosion
A utility company will pay the largest criminal fine ever imposed for breaking a federal pipeline safety law — $53 million — and plead guilty to causing a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts that killed one person and damaged dozens of homes, federal officials said Wednesday.
New Record for Gas Main Relining
With rehabilitation of a 620-foot-long segment of 42-inch-diameter gas main last summer, New Jersey contractor Progressive Pipeline Management (PPM) broke its own world record for the largest size natural gas pipe to be rehabilitated with Starline cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) liner.
Texas Railroad Commission Adopts New Pipeline Safety Rules
The Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas has adopted new natural gas pipeline safety rules regarding the type of natural gas distribution pipelines that are allowed to be installed.
CenterPoint Energy to Sell Miller Pipeline and Minnesota Limited to PowerTeam Services
CenterPoint Energy has announced an agreement to sell Miller Pipeline and Minnesota Limited to PowerTeam Services for $850 million in cash, subject to customary price adjustments.
Ohio Power Siting Board Approves Natural Gas Pipeline Route
The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) has approved a route for Duke Energy’s Central Corridor natural gas pipeline following a review of the company’s application and hearings on the 14-mile project.
U.S. Department of Energy Awards $25 Million to Improve Natural Gas Operations
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 16 projects to receive nearly $25 million in federal funding for cost-shared projects to advance natural gas infrastructure technology development.
FERC Approves Chesapeake Utilities Pipeline Expansion
Chesapeake Utilities has announced that FERC has issued an order approving the Company's proposed Del-Mar Energy pipeline project.
Jesse Jackson Joins Push for Natural Gas Pipeline to Illinois Town
Not all pipeline activists are fighting against more construction. Rev. Jesse Jackson has joined local leaders in calling for extension of natural gas service to a low-income township south of Chicago.
Fed Recommendations Based on 2018 Massachusetts Blasts
Federal officials are recommending stronger nationwide requirements for natural gas systems following last September's natural gas explosions and fires in Massachusetts.
New York Governor Threatens to Revoke National Grid License
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has given gas utility company National Grid 14 days to supply gas to over 1,100 customers or he will revoke the company’s license to operate.
Report Blames R.I. Winter Gas Outage on Low Pipe Pressure
Rhode Island public utilities regulators say a natural gas outage that affected more than 7,000 customers last winter was caused by low pressure in a pipeline.
Family of Teen Killed During Gas Explosions Settles Lawsuit
The family of a high school student who was killed during a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts last year has reached a settlement with the utility involved in the disaster, a lawyer for the family and the company announced.
5 Workers Hurt in Houston-Area Natural Gas Line Explosion
Five workers have been injured when a natural gas line exploded in a residential neighborhood southeast of Houston. The blast occurred as a CenterPoint Energy contractor was working along a line Thursday.
NTSB Probe Yields New Safety Recommendations for Gas Utilities
Federal safety officials are recommending new rules for natural gas leak reporting and installations after investigating the cause of an explosion that killed seven people at a Maryland apartment complex in 2016.
Give Them What They Ask For
When an energy source is extremely economical, much-more environmentally friendly and readily available, common sense would dictate that you encourage development of that source. But sometimes common sense and reality prove to be dramatically different thing..
Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems
Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system. The review was ordered after the Sept. 13 gas explosions that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in the Merrimack Valley.
American Augers/Trencor Launch New Website
American Augers/Trencor, a Charles Machine Works company and leading manufacturer of horizontal directional drills, auger boring machines and large-scale trenchers and surface miners, launched a newly designed website. Bringing together the two brands with the message – “Two Brands. One Commitment” ..
Rise of the Internet and Loss of the Human Touch
Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief I’ve spent some frustrating times both calling companies and getting on their websites the past few years. Now, I’m getting downright infuriated – and that goes for both general markets and underground infrastructure companies. Quick, responsive customer service h..
Energy Web Atlas Launches World Pipeline Dataset
Gulf Energy Information has added the World Pipeline layer to its Energy Web Atlas (EWA), the ESRI-based GIS platform introduced earlier this year that tracks detailed data – including operators, shareholders, pipeline route and pipeline specifications – for more than 3,670 natural gas pipelines glo..
- 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
- Construction worker killed in trench collapse near Prosperity, S.C.
- Two workers rescued after hours trapped in Mich. trench collapse
- WES tunnel boring machine retrieved from Oregon river after seven-month project
- 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