Pipelines
Grand Canyon Pipeline Breaks Prompt More Steps to Save Water
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Grand Canyon National Park is implementing more stringent water use restrictions and conservation measures due to a series of breaks in the pipeline that supplies the South Rim. Park officials say the park will remain in conservation mode until water in stor..
New Pipeline Regulations Approved in Virginia
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam today approved additional powers to expand the state’s ability to protect clean water during the building of pipelines. SB698 and SB699 establish processes in state law to allow the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to issue a stop work order on all o..
ETP Mariner East Liquids Pipe Spills Fluid in Pennsylvania Again
(Reuters) – Pennsylvania environmental regulators on Friday issued another notice of violation to Energy Transfer Partners LP’s Sunoco Mariner East 2 natural gas liquids pipeline for releasing drilling fluids into a stream. The company told the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (D..
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Developer Cited for Tree-Felling Violations in Virginia
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) today issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC (ACP) for failing to maintain adequate limits of disturbance during tree felling operations in violation of Virginia’s State Water Control Law. These limits forbid work wit..
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania Files to Recover Investment in Replacing and Upgrading Aging Infrastructure
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Inc., a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., filed a request today with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to adjust its base rates for distribution service so it can continue to upgrade and replace the company’s underground natural gas distribution pipelines...
Kentucky Utility Fined $395,000 for 2014 Gas Line Rupture
The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) has fined Louisville Gas and Electric Co. (LG&E) $395,000 for a series of violations that led to the September 2014 rupture of a high-pressure natural gas pipeline in Goshen, Oldham County. The penalty is the largest ever assessed by the PSC in a n..
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Developers Seek More Time for Tree Clearing
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Developers of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline say they need more time to cut down trees along the project’s route and likely won’t make the initial deadline designed to protect migrating birds and endangered or threatened bats. Dominion Energy made the request to federal r..
Maryland Natural Gas Pipeline Receives Permit
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland issued a permit Friday for a proposed natural gas pipeline in western Maryland that has brought protesters to the state capital. The wetlands and waterways permit for the proposed Columbia Gas pipeline includes customized conditions specific to the project and its loc..
6 Months After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico Pleads for Help
COROZAL, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Maria shredded the electric poles in this plantain farming town high in the mountains of central Puerto Rico, leaving tens of thousands of people without power or running water. Desperate, residents of the town’s Barrio Mana neighborhood asked federal officials ..
IoT Technology to Help Canadian City Improve Water Leak Detection
Echologics, a Mueller Technologies company, today announced it will deliver an Internet of Things (IoT) Smart City solution over Bell’s broadband wireless network for the City of Medicine Hat, Alberta. The solution will wirelessly monitor the city’s water pipeline network to help reduce water loss a..
Pipe Dream? Hong Kong Architect Proposes Low-Cost Tube Homes
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s notoriously expensive housing makes owning an affordable home a pipe dream for many residents. A local architect has proposed a novel idea to help alleviate that problem: building stylish micro-apartments inside giant concrete drainage pipes. James Law’s OPod Tube Hous..
Canadian Regulators OK Pipeline Abandonment Project
Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) has approved TransCanada’s request to abandon a 266-kilometer section of the Peace River Mainline. The NEB attached 22 conditions to its approval. TransCanada initially applied to the NEB on Aug. 18, 2016 to abandon parts of the Peace River Mainline in Northwest..
FERC Reinstates Certificate for the Southeast Market Pipelines
In a split decision, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has reinstated its authorizations issued to Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Sabal Trail Transmission LLC; and Florida Southeast Connection LLC concerning the Southeast Market Pipelines (SMP) Project. Those dissenting ..
5 Arrested for Protesting Maryland Gas Pipeline
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Five clean-water activists have been arrested at the Maryland State House after protesting a planned pipeline that would carry natural gas under the Potomac River and C & O Canal. They were arrested Wednesday after blocking an entrance to the Capitol. The protesters urged Gov..
Fiber Optic Sensing Association Releases Installation Considerations for Pipelines
The Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA), the world’s premier trade association for distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS), today released FOSA Installation Considerations for Pipelines, which contains guidance on the selection and positioning of fiber optic cables to maximize the benefits of DFOS..
Rover Pipeline Work Stoppage Ordered in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A company building a 713-mile-long natural gas pipeline has been ordered to halt construction after West Virginia inspectors cited 14 violations. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the offenses include leaving trash and construction debris partially buried on site, imprope..
Protest over Infrastructure Turns Violent in Panama's Colon
COLON, Panama (AP) — A protest over infrastructure and insecurity turned into violent clashes with police Tuesday in Panama’s second biggest city, which is home to a strategic port at the northern end of the Panama Canal. Preliminary reports from national police said four officers and one protester..
Timeline Set for Environmental Analysis of Alaska LNG Project
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The federal agency responsible for studying the environmental impact of the Alaska LNG project has released a timeline for completing its review. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced Tuesday that it plans to release a draft of the final Environmental Impact..
Changes to Improve Wetland and Waterway Encroachment Permit Review Times Announced in Pennsylvania
As part of a statewide effort to reduce permit backlogs, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced revisions to the instructions and forms for Chapter 105 General Permit Registrations relating to water obstructions and encroachments. These revisions will improve the..
Shuler Named PLCA's President of Associate Members
The Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA) today announced it has named Jared Shuler President of Associate Members. A PLCA member for the last nine years, Shuler, who previously served as the association’s senior vice president of pipeline contract services, will serve in his new role for a term..
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 ..
API: New Source Review Memorandum Offers Needed Infrastructure Permitting Clarity
The American Petroleum Institute (API) today released a statement praising the release of EPA’s memorandum on existing New Source Review (NSR) regulations. “EPA’s practical clarification to the language in the NSR regulations is a positive step that will help reduce uncertainty in the permitting pr..
North Carolina Republicans Want Pipeline Deal Probed
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republicans continue to attack Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper over a $58 million agreement his office reached with utilities poised to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Now, the GOP hopes their criticism will get the attention of federal prosecutors. State Republica..
ALLU Transformer TS Drum Assembly Improves Profitability in Pipeline Applications
The ALLU Transformer TS Drum Assembly, manufactured for the ALLU Transformer D-Series material processor attachment frames, is an effective tool for pipeline padding and backfilling applications. Because it allows material to be screened onsite and backfilled directly into a trench, it eliminates th..
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 ..
FERC to Review Pipeline Policy Statement
New Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Kevin McIntyre’s announcement that the commission will review its 1999 pipeline policy statement comes in the wake of pressure from the Trump Administration to ease permitting of various infrastructure projects. President Trump issued an Aug. ..
ACEC Recognizes Contractor for Work on New York Natural Gas Pipeline
Ecology and Environment Engineering, P.C. (E & E) has been awarded the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) Platinum Engineering Excellence Award in the Environmental category. The prestigious award recognizes E & E’s pioneering work on Williams Gas Pipelines’ Rockaw..
Parts of National Forest Closed for Mountain Valley Construction
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service says it is closing parts of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia and West Virginia through which the Mountain Valley Pipeline will run. The Roanoke Times reports the closure order “was enacted to protect public safety due to hazards associated with c..
Sewer, Water Projects in Southwestern Alabama to Receive Funding
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A $315 million from the RESTORE Act and the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council will help fund projects in southwestern areas of the state. Fifty projects will be given funding for infrastructure, environmental restoration and economic development, Al.com reported. The biggest i..
Vermont Town Discovers Leak Spewing Raw Sewage into Nearby River
BRANDON, Vt. (AP) — Officials in a Vermont town say a broken sewer pipe has spewed over 1 million gallons of raw sewage into the Neshobe River, which flows into Lake Champlain. Brandon town officials say they don’t know when the pipe broke or how long it was leaking sewage. WPTZ-TV reports the town..
- OSHA cites Florida contractors for trench safety violations at sewer and excavation sites
- Biden-Harris administration invests $849 million in aging water infrastructure, drought resilience
- Cadiz to reuse steel from terminated Keystone XL pipeline for California groundwater project
- Texas contractor penalized by OSHA for repeated trench safety violations
- West Virginia approves $67 million for water, sewer projects