Pipeline Construction

Judge Grants Pipeline Easements on Holdout Properties

COLUMBIA, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge in Pennsylvania says a gas pipeline company can seize easements it needs from five final holdout property owners including land owned by nuns on which activists built an outdoor chapel to protest the project. Wednesday’s ruling means Transcontinental Pipe Line C..

Nebraska Town Lifts Restrictions on Drinking Water

SEWARD, Neb. (AP) — Seward has lifted restrictions on drinking water, now that health officials have determined the water is safe. The city made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. The water system lost pressure and integrity after a water main broke under an area flooded by the Big Bl..

Water Agencies Testify Against Bill to Establish California’s First-Ever Water Tax

Yesterday, in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, water agencies from throughout California joined with the Association of California Water Agencies to publicly voice their opposition to a bill that would establish the state’s first-ever tax on drinking water and to pledge their commitment to ens..

Niagara Falls Board Ordered to Halt Black Water Discharges

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — State officials have told a western New York public agency that it must cease the type of wastewater discharges that caused a stretch of the Niagara River below Niagara Falls to turn black and smelly. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the Department of Environmental Conservation has..

New Pollinator Habitats to be Established Along Proposed Pipeline Route

In a video released today, Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC, composed of Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Southern Company Gas, announced an initiative to create new habitats for butterflies, bees and other pollinator insects along the route of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline...

Protesters Briefly Shut Down Line 3 Pipeline Construction

SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — Protesters opposing the replacement of Enbridge Energy’s aging Line 3 oil pipeline shut down construction in northern Wisconsin for a brief time. Enbridge spokeswoman Jennifer Smith says a group of about 20 protesters entered a worksite outside Superior on Monday and van..

Sewage Enters Trench Used to Repair Detroit-Area Sinkhole

FRASER, Mich. (AP) — Officials say about 1.5 million gallons of sewage flowed into a trench used to repair a sewer line that collapsed and created a sinkhole north of Detroit. The Macomb County Public Works Office says no one was in the trench at the time of the incident overnight Monday. There wer..

SoCalGas Streamlines Processes to Support Renewable Gas Projects

Southern California Gas Co. has announced new initiatives that will make it easier for renewable gas production facilities to connect to the company’s natural gas pipeline system. First is the creation of a downloadable toolkit to help renewable gas producers and developers who are interested in in..

Landmark Court Ruling Could Jeopardize this Major Pipeline

U.S. natural gas enjoyed an “eclipse rally” this week. With NYMEX prices jumping nearly 7 cents per MMBtu after the blackout impacted an estimated 12 GW of solar power across America. But elsewhere the news for natgas developers was less rosy. With U.S. courts handing down a critical decision yeste..

NTSB: Worker Urged Evacuation Before Minnesota School Blast

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A maintenance worker at a Minneapolis school that partially collapsed after an explosion earlier this month had smelled natural gas and used a radio to tell others to evacuate less than a minute before the blast, according to preliminary report released Monday by the National Tran..

Sewer Spill Into Georgia Creek Contained

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — Nearly four million gallons of raw sewage that spilled into a Georgia creek has been contained. DeKalb County officials say the spill happened last week along a tributary to Nancy Creek Basin in Brookhaven. County inspectors discovered that a 10-inch diameter pipe, comprom..

Computer Glitch Sends Sewer Spill into Massachusetts Lake

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A computer glitch led to the spill of hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage into a Massachusetts lake. The Telegram & Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/2vosdEo ) that the spill happened in Lake Quinsigamond (kwin-SI’-gah-mond) in Worcester (WUS’-tur) on Tuesday morning..

Company Behind Dakota Access Oil Pipeline Sues Greenpeace

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The company that built the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline is suing Greenpeace and other groups, alleging they disseminated false information about the project and interfered with construction. Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners alleges the groups’ actions interfered wit..

Appeals Court: FERC Missed in Pipeline Review

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Washington appeals court says federal energy regulators fell short in evaluating the environmental impact of a natural gas pipeline that’s carrying gas through Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday agreed with the..

South Dakota Town Removes Last Lead Water Service Line

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Sioux Falls officials say the city’s last lead water service line has been replaced with a copper line. The city says the final lead service line was taken out of service Tuesday. Sioux Falls says it has made a concerted effort to remove all lead water service lines b..

Colorado Won't Put Oil-Gas Pipeline Map Online

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says the state won’t offer an online map of oil and gas pipelines after a fatal house explosion that was blamed on a leaking pipe, citing security concerns. Hickenlooper said Tuesday Colorado will instead expand an existing service that allows people to..

Colorado to Tighten Pipeline Rules After Fatal Gas Explosion

DENVER (AP) — Colorado officials say they will strengthen regulations for oil and gas pipelines to reduce the chances of another home explosion like one that killed two people in April. Gov. John Hickenlooper announced the rule-tightening on Tuesday. It’s one of seven steps recommended by state reg..

Police: Human Remains Found Buried at NYC Construction Site

NEW YORK (AP) — Police in New York City have opened an investigation after human remains were unearthed at a construction site near a psychiatric hospital. Police say workers were doing sewer repair work at the Brooklyn construction site when they found remains 13 feet (4 meters) below the surface ..

Standing Rock Tribe Completes Rural Water Supply Pipeline

FORT YATES, N.D. (AP) – The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has completed a pipeline connecting the North Dakota and South Dakota portions of a rural water delivery system. The tribe completed the pipeline with help from the Bureau of Reclamation. The pipeline is part of the Standing Rock Rural Water Sup..

Iowa Town Agrees to $195k Sinkhole Suit Settlement

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The City Council has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman over sinkholes that formed on her Sioux City property. The Sioux City Journal reports the council voted unanimously Monday for a $195,000 settlement of Joyce Downing’s lawsuit. Downing sued the city in 20..

Southern Nevada Water Authority to Fund Conservation Efforts in Mexico

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Southern Nevada Water Authority is making deals with Arizona and Mexico to ensure enough H20 in the years to come for the Las Vegas area. The authority plans to spend up to $7.5 million in Mexico over the next 10 years in exchange for more Colorado River water. Authority board..

Popular California Beach Closed After Sewer Spill

DANA POINT, Calif. (AP) — Officials have shut down a popular Southern California beach because of elevated bacteria after 900 gallons of sewage spilled into the water. The Orange County Health Care Agency said Sunday that Baby Beach and nearby swimming docks in Dana Point are closed for at least th..

Saginaw Trail Pipeline Construction Begins

Consumers Energy has started construction on the Saginaw Trail Pipeline, a five-year, approximately $610 million project in Saginaw, Genesee and Oakland counties to increase natural gas reliability and safety in Michigan. Crews of about 450 union skilled trades workers from Consumers Energy and con..

Tennessee County's Water Doesn't Taste Right

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) – Officials in one central Tennessee county working to treat an algae bloom affecting the area’s water supply say it will take at least two weeks before the taste returns to normal. The Daily News Journal reports the Consolidated Utilities District in Rutherford County bega..

Vermont Governor Launches Clean Water Week

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and other state officials have launched Vermont Clean Water Week to highlight efforts to clean up water in the state such as Lake Champlain and to celebrate the state’s waterways. Vermont Public Radio reports (http://bit.ly/2vSngaw ) that communities a..

Report: New Mexico Has Yet to Spend All Water Project Money

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico authorized over $83 million in capital outlay funding for dozens of water infrastructure projects across the state in 2014, and more than one third has yet to be spent. A review by analysts with the Legislative Finance Committee shows 119 projects are classified as ..

Kansas City Selects Electro Scan Technology to Assess Sewer Mains

The City of Kansas City, Missouri has selected Electro Scan’s Next Generation leak detection technology for condition assessment of 15-inch and smaller diameter sewer mains as part of a pilot project. The partnership with Electro Scan will include the assessment of 100 pipe segments with an approxim..

Rhode Island Checking Water for Chemical Contamination

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island has begun checking water systems for chemicals that have contaminated water at sites nationwide. Perfluorinated chemicals have been linked to cancer and other illnesses but currently aren’t federally regulated in drinking water. Water has been contaminated near ..

Pressure Mounts on Officials Weighing Pipeline Projects

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Pressure is mounting on Virginia officials to slow or reconsider the water quality certifications they intend to issue for a pair of natural gas pipeline projects. The Richmond Times Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/2weTFJn) that hundreds attended public hearings this month to e..

Water-Damaged Phoenix Library to Stay Closed Until June

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix’s main public library won’t reopen until next June, nearly a year after it was heavily damaged by water from a corroded fire-sprinkler pipe that burst during a July monsoon storm. City Manager Ed Zuercher (ZEHR’-kehr) also says inspection reports from recent years warned of p..