Legal
Group to Sue New Jersey Town over Lead in Water
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — An environmental group has filed a notice of its intent to sue the city of Newark over what it says are elevated levels of lead in the city’s drinking water. The Natural Resources Defense Council has 60 days to file a lawsuit. In its notice filed this week, the group cited a fe..
Eyeglass Lens Maker Fined $750K for Illegal Sewer Discharges
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has fined an eyeglass lens manufacturer $750,000 for repeatedly discharging hazardous waste into Clackamas County’s sewer system in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon fined Carl ..
Workers Admit Taking Bribes to Lower Water, Sewer Bills
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — Two municipal water department workers have admitted taking bribes in return for reducing the water and sewer bills of numerous customers. Joseph DeBonis and William Ortiz both pleaded guilty Friday to official misconduct. Both had been suspended from their jobs with the ..
Former Water Superintendent Charged with Taking $300K
ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A former water department superintendent in Tennessee has been charged with using the position to steal more than $300,000 from the department. A Hawkins County grand jury this week indicted 49-year-old Shawn Hatchett, who is the former superintendent of the Rogersvi..
Court Denies Hawaiian County's Plea to Reverse Wastewater Ruling
WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — An appeals court denied Maui County’s request for a full-panel review of its Feb. 1 decision that the county pumped treated wastewater into injection wells at its Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility for more than three decades, thereby violating the Clean Water Act. “We’r..
Judge Lifts Restraining Order Against Pipeline Protesters
UNION, W.Va. (AP) — A judge has lifted the restraining order against natural gas pipeline protesters sitting in trees in West Virginia. News outlets report Judge Robert Irons denied the injunction, reversing course less than two weeks after granting Mountain Valley Pipeline a 10-day restraining ord..
API NY: Valley Lateral Pipeline Critical To New York’s Consumers, Workers
The New York branch of the American Petroleum Institute (API New York) today issued a statement applauding the federal district court decision to reject attempts by New York state regulators to block Millennium Pipeline’s Valley Lateral Project – a natural gas pipeline project in Orange County that ..
New York Loses Appeal to Block Millennium Natgas Pipeline
(Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Monday denied New York State’s petition to review orders from federal energy regulators that authorized Millennium Pipeline Co to build a natural gas line to a power plant in Orange County, New York. “We certainly disagree with the decision, and are reviewing ..
Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Could Soon Start on Private Land in Virginia
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — Work on a natural gas pipeline in southwestern Virginia could soon begin on private land despite property owners’ objections. The Roanoke Times reports that a federal judge on Friday granted Mountain Valley Pipeline access to the areas. The company gained access through the laws..
Water Districts Challenge Judge in Navajo Settlement
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Water districts in northern New Mexico sought to disqualify a state judge Tuesday and overturn a major settlement with the Navajo Nation in a simmering dispute about rights to water from the San Juan River. A motion filed with the New Mexico state Court of Appeals seeks to dis..
Plumber Gets Probation in Trench Collapse that Killed Worker
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pennsylvania plumber who pleaded guilty to violating federal workplace regulations before a trench collapse that killed a man has been placed on probation for two years. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that 67-year-old Wayne George, of Hookstown, apologized in court Wednesda..
3M, Minnesota Settle Lawsuit, Establish Environmental Partnership
3M and the State of Minnesota today announced they have reached a resolution concerning the state’s lawsuit against the company related to certain PFCs present in the environment. Under the terms of the settlement, 3M and the state will partner to invest in the environment and community. 3M will pr..
$5 Billion Case over 3M Chemicals Halted in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge halted jury selection Tuesday in the trial of Minnesota’s $5 billion lawsuit against manufacturer 3M Co., and both sides planned an afternoon announcement signaling a possible settlement. The lawsuit, filed in 2010, focuses on the company’s disposal of chemicals once used..
Judge Stops Village from Cutting Water to Mobile Home Park
MALVERN, Ohio (AP) — A judge has issued a temporary restraining order to stop an Ohio village from cutting off water to residents of a mobile home park. The Canton Repository reports the village of Malvern was about to stop water service at Sandy Creek Estates Mobile Home Park because those respons..
Judge Refuses to Delay Hearing on Pipeline Land Acquisition
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has refused to postpone a hearing in a lawsuit brought by developers seeking possession of land in several Virginia counties for a controversial pipeline project. Atlantic Coast Pipeline is seeking possession of several properties in Augusta, Bath, Buckingha..
West Virginia Jury Sides with Contractor in Sewer Dispute
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia jury has ruled that the Charleston Sanitary Board must pay an Upshur County contractor more than $1 million for breaching its contract with the firm. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the jury recently awarded J.F. Allen Corporation $1.3 million in damages..
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Sues for Eminent Domain in Virginia
ROSELAND, Va. (AP) — The company behind the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is pursuing two eminent domain cases in one Virginia county. The News & Advance of Lynchburg reports ACP LLC officials filed the lawsuit Friday against Nelson County’s Wintergreen Property Owners Association following an inability ..
Ohio Town Accepts $7.5M Settlement in Gas Pipeline Fight
CLEVELAND (AP) — A divided City Council in northeast Ohio on Wednesday voted to accept $7.5 million to settle lawsuits and clear the way for construction of a high-pressure natural gas line through the city. It’s a bargain no one in Green in southern Summit County seems happy about. This solidly mi..
Pipeline Builder Offers $7.5M, Land to Settle Lawsuits
GREEN, Ohio (AP) — A northeast Ohio city is considering whether to accept a $7.5 million offer to settle lawsuits with a company building a high-pressure natural gas pipeline. The Green City Council was expected to vote Wednesday night whether to accept an offer that also includes 20 acres of..
$32K Fine for Ex-Utilities Commissioner Lobbying Colleagues
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s campaign watchdog announced Monday that it is fining a former public utilities commissioner $32,500 for failing to disclose that she was lobbying her former colleagues on behalf of ride-hailing and water companies. The Fair Political Practices Commission annou..
Judge Halts Land Acquisition for Mountain Valley Pipeline
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has halted a company’s plan to take possession of various lands in Virginia for a controversial pipeline project until it can demonstrate that the landowners will be adequately compensated. The judge on Wednesday said Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC is entitled to c..
Ex-Emergency Manager Waives Key Hearing in Flint Water Case
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A former state-appointed emergency manager facing charges in Flint’s lead-contaminated water crisis has waived a key hearing in the case. Gerald Ambrose appeared Thursday in Genesee County District Court and agreed to let the case proceed to Circuit Court, which would hand..
Chicago Sues US Steel over Indiana Plant's Spills
CHICAGO (AP) — The city of Chicago is suing U.S. Steel, alleging it violated federal law with discharges of a potentially carcinogenic chemical last year from a northwest Indiana plant. The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday comes a week after the Surfrider Foundation’s Chicago chapter filed a similar..
Florida Quietly Worked Out Deal to Cap Fees in Water Wars
TALLAHASSEE (AP) — Florida has worked out a deal to cap the amount of money that will be paid to law firms hired to help the state in its long-running water war with Georgia. Some Republican legislators last year complained about the escalating costs — which began to rise sharply after the state to..
Environmental Groups Challenge Key Approval for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A coalition of community and environmental groups has filed a legal challenge to Virginia regulators’ decision to grant a conditional water quality permit for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The groups filed a petition Thursday with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals i..
Massachusetts Police Arrest Man for Stealing Manhole Covers
WEBSTER, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts police say they have arrested a man who stole seven manhole covers and put traffic cones in their place. The Telegram & Gazette reports the 46-year-old Webster man was arrested Friday and charged with larceny. Police say they first received a call around 2:45 p...
Residents with Tainted Water Supplies Plan Statehouse Rally
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Residents of an upstate New York village whose water supply has been contaminated plan to hold a demonstration in Albany to call for a new source of clean drinking water. Organizers say many Hoosick Falls residents will be joined by union members and environmental protection adv..
New York Village Votes to Sue over Tainted Drinking Water
HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Officials in an upstate New York village have voted to sue two companies for costs related to tainted drinking water. An attorney for Hoosick Falls says the village voted Tuesday to sue Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International after failed negotiation..
Michigan Sues Company over Chemical Contaminants in Water
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan environmental regulators on Wednesday sued footwear company Wolverine World Wide over widely used industrial chemical contaminants that were dumped into the ground decades ago and have seeped into drinking water, saying the lawsuit is necessary to lock into place respo..
Contractor Charged With Felony for Death in Trench Collapse
SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle contractor has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of an employee who was killed when a sewer trench collapsed in 2016. The Seattle Times reports Philip Numrich allegedly violated and ignored safety regulations, leading to the collapse of the trench at..
- 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