Pipeline Construction
FERC Officially Has New Chairman
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today swore in Kevin J. McIntyre as chairman. McIntyre was nominated to the commission by President Donald J. Trump in August 2017 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 2, 2017. Previously, McIntyre was the co-leader of the global Energy Practice a..
Company: Cause of New Mexico Natural Gas Pipeline Rupture Unknown
LOVING, N.M. (AP) – A Houston-based energy company says it’s investigating what caused one of its natural gas pipelines to rupture, explode and catch fire in southeastern New Mexico’s oil patch. Spokesman Rick Rainey of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. says the incident early Wednesday morning in ..
Father, Son Killed in Northern Illinois Pipeline Explosion
NACHUSA, Ill. (AP) — Authorities in northern Illinois say a father and son were killed in a natural gas pipeline explosion while working on a farm field. Officials on Wednesday said 59-year-old father Rory Miller of Amboy and 30-year-old son Ryan Miller of Oregon died in the Tuesday morning explosi..
Natural Gas Pipeline Ruptured, Explodes in Northern Illinois
NACHUSA, Ill. (AP) — Authorities in northern Illinois say two men working on a farm field were killed and two others seriously injured in a natural gas pipeline explosion. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department says the explosion happened at about 9 a.m. Tuesday at a farm near Nachusa. Saukvalley.com ..
Natural Gas Pipeline Explodes in New Mexico
LOVING, N.M. (AP) — A pipeline exploded in southeastern New Mexico’s oil patch, closing two highways but causing no reported injuries. Eddy County Emergency Manager Jennifer Armendariz says the pipeline that exploded early Wednesday morning is in a sparsely populated area about 10 miles (16 k..
Harvey Leaves Thousands Still Waiting on Clean Water
ROSE CITY, Texas (AP) — Thousands of people are still waiting on access to safe drinking water in parts of Texas more than three months after Hurricane Harvey. The storm and the heavy rains that followed overflowed drainage districts, cut off water and prompted hundreds of boil-water notices across..
Minnesota Lacks Funding to Update Aging Infrastructure
LITTLE FALLS, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota doesn’t have enough funding to update all of its aging underground infrastructure. Minnesota Public Radio reports that water and sewer pipes are reaching the end of their expected life spans in many areas across the state. Jeff Freeman is the executiv..
Roadway Reopening at Site of Massive Michigan Sinkhole
FRASER, Mich. (AP) — A roadway that was closed after a sewer line collapse caused a massive suburban Detroit sinkhole has reopened to traffic. A ribbon-cutting took place for 15 Mile Road in Fraser at the site of the Christmas Eve collapse before it reopened Tuesday morning. Macomb County Public Wo..
Milwaukee Alderman: Armed Sewer Subcontractors Won't be Tolerated
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee alderman says a sewer subcontracting company doing business with the city has been asked to explain why three of its workers were apparently armed with handguns while working on the north side. A photo of the three American Sewer Services employees got some traction on ..
Mountain Valley Pipeline Receives Forest Service Approval
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service has given the Mountain Valley Pipeline its approval to cross federal forestland in Virginia and West Virginia. The authorization marks another milestone for the proposed 303-mile underground natural gas pipeline, which was approved by the Federal Energy R..
New Hampshire Pipeline Would Bring in More Natural Gas
LONDONDERRY, N.H. (AP) — Liberty Utilities is working on a new project designed to bring more natural gas to New Hampshire residents and businesses. The project, called Granite Bridge, would bring in natural gas from existing infrastructure in the Seacoast to the central part of the state through a..
Water Main Break Causes I-694 Sinkhole in East Twin Cities
OAKDALE, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say a large water main break has caused a giant sinkhole under Interstate 694 in Oakdale and is slowing water pressure for residents of the eastern Twin Cities suburb. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says the freeway was temporarily closed for two miles in b..
Global Energy, Pipeline Outlook
By Jeff Awalt Executive Editor Despite ongoing challenges, there is growing confidence among analysts that 2017 marks a turning point in several key areas that drive long-term demand for natural gas development and pipeline construction. A Barclays survey projected global exploration and productio..
FERC Sets Precedent For Overriding State Blockage Of New Pipelines
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), under new Chairman Neil Chatterjee, wasted no time making clear that it would use the exemption authority given to it recently by a U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia in order to approve pipeline construction where states balk at issuin..
With The Stroke Of A Pen, Smiles Return to Pipeline Contractors, Engineers, Owners
By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief For the energy pipeline construction industry, 2015 and 2016 were, to say the least, disappointing in many ways for both contractors and energy companies. Obviously, with the price of oil and natural gas remaining largely depressed in recent years, many pipelin..
Utility Fined for Gas Pipeline Safety Violations
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Northern Indiana Public Service Co. is paying a $900,000 fine after state regulators found that the utility failed to keep accurate maps and records of its underground natural gas lines. The settlement approved Wednesday by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission instruc..
Parked Car Falls into Hole Formed When Old Water Pipe Breaks
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A major water main break has opened up several holes on a New Hampshire street, and a parked car has fallen into one of them. WMUR-TV reports the empty car was lifted out of the hole in Manchester just before 9 a.m. Wednesday. Officials say the water pipe broke just after 5 ..
Texas Cities Partner in $225M Water Pipeline Project
SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) — A coalition of rapidly growing cities in Central and South Texas is proceeding with a more than $225 million deal to create a long-term water supply. The Alliance Regional Water Authority has obtained permits and financing is underway to start construction next year on a ..
New Commissioner Sworn in at FERC
On Nov. 29, 2017, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) swore in Richard Glick as Commissioner. Glick was nominated by President Donald J. Trump in August 2017 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 2, 2017. Before to joining the commission, Glick was general counsel for the Democrats o..
Michigan Wants All Lead Pipes Replaced Within 20 Years
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration is planning to require the replacement of every underground lead service pipe in Michigan within 20 years while delaying by four years a deadline to implement the nation’s toughest lead limit for drinking water, in the wake of the Flint lead cr..
Lawsuit Seeks to Block California Desert Water Project
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Environmental activists sued Tuesday to halt a plan to pump water from under the Mojave Desert and sell it to Southern California cities and counties. The lawsuit takes aim at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for allowing Cadiz Inc. to build a 43-mile pipeline to transfer the w..
LAN Honored for Work on Texas Water Pipeline Project
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Texas has awarded civil engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) a gold medal for its work on the Layne water pipeline and infrastructure project. The award, given under the water and wastewater services category, will be presented ..
Nearly $83 Million Awarded for Water Quality Projects in Iowa
The Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have awarded low-interest water quality loans totaling more than $82.8 million to 26 communities through the State Revolving Fund. State Revolving Fund Construction Loans are a low-cost construction financing option avail..
$20 Million Awarded to Replace Lead Service Lines Across New York
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that $20 million dollars will be awarded to replace residential drinking water lead service lines across the state’s Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC) as part of New York’s Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017. The funding is provided ..
Flint-Area Worker Trapped Under Water in Trench Dies
BURTON, Mich. (AP) — Police say a 33-year-old Flint-area man has died after being trapped underwater for about 20 minutes when a water main burst during construction work. Burton Police Detective Don Schreiber tells The Flint Journal that 33-year-old Curtis Duane Hollingshead of Davisson died..
Town's Water May be Safe to Drink by Mardi Gras
ST. JOSEPH, La. (AP) – By Mardi Gras, a Louisiana town of 1,000 may have a huge reason to celebrate: drinkable tapwater, for the first time in more than a year. New wells, pipes and other equipment have been installed in St. Joseph, and should be hooked up by Christmas, The Advocate reports . But t..
Work Wrapping up on Site of Massive Michigan Sinkhole
FRASER, Mich. (AP) — Officials say repair work prompted by a sewer line that collapsed and caused a football field-sized sinkhole north of Detroit is expected to finish a couple days before the one-year anniversary of the massive mishap. The Macomb Daily reported Wednesday crews have just a f..
Rover Pipeline HDD Activities Halted by Ohio Regulators
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has told the company building the massive Rover natural gas pipeline project to stop horizontal drilling after another spill of clay-based slurry. The Repository reports EPA Director Craig Butler on Wednesday asked Energy Transfer Partn..
Court Stops NEXUS Pipeline Construction in Ohio
CLEVELAND (AP) — A city facing long odds of stopping section of a $2 billion natural gas pipeline from being built there was handed a victory this week when a federal appellate court issued an emergency order that temporarily halts the start of construction. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in..
Council Narrowly Approves Long-Term Flint Water Deal
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The Flint City Council has narrowly approved a 30-year agreement to get drinking water from a regional agency, bringing to end one battle among many in the Michigan city still recovering from a lead-tainted water crisis. The deal was approved Tuesday night by a 5-4 vote after ho..
- 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