Pipelines
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Cost Expected to Rise by $1.5B
(AP) — The cost of a controversial natural gas pipeline planned to run through Virginia is expected to increase by more than $1 billon. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports Duke Energy is a 47 percent partner in the 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) Dominion Energy-led Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Duke CEO Lyn..
Wisconsin Governor Signs Bill to Cover Lead Pipe Replacement
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill designed to help Wisconsin homeowners cover the cost of replacing lead pipes. The measure would allow public water utilities and local governments to provide grants, loans or both to property owners to help them replace portions of lead water..
Minnesota Governor Pushes Public Works Package for Water Quality Efforts
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton is doubling down on his call to fund hundreds of millions of dollars in water infrastructure projects. That funding is an integral part of the Democratic governor’s $1.5 billion package of public works construction. But Dayton and other public officials said ..
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..
Pro Pipe Partners with Perma-Liner Industries to Expand Lateral Lining Services
Professional Pipe Services, Inc. (Pro Pipe) today announced a partnership with Perma-Liner Industries (Perma-Liner) to provide main/lateral connection lining services nationwide. As municipalities seek to reduce the impact of inflow and infiltration (I&I) on the broader wastewater collection system..
New Pipeline Regulation Announced in Canada
The National Energy Board (NEB) in Canada has finalized an Order that requires all regulated companies to report any identified pipe or components – received, installed, or in service – that do not meet mechanical properties identified in industry standards or company specifications. This Order bui..
Colorado’s Top Oil, Gas Regulator Joining Energy Consultancy
DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s top oil and gas regulator is stepping down to take a job with an energy consulting company. The Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said Tuesday Director Matt Lepore is resigning on March 4 after more than five years in the job. He’ll become legal counsel and strategic adv..
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..
$50M Massachusetts Sewer Project to Benefit Connecticut River
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission has qualified for a $50 million low-interest loan that could help the Connecticut River run cleaner. The money, in the form of loans at 2 percent interest, will be used to upgrade sewer facilities and dramatically reduce occasiona..
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..
Nexus Gas Transmission HDD Activities Get Green Light
FERC has approved Enbridge’s request to move forward with construction at the following eleven horizontal directional drill (HDD) locations associated with the Nexus Gas Transmission Project: • Wetland (milepost 7.84 – 8.40) • Nimisila Reservoir (milepost 40.87 – 41.20) • East Branch Black River ..
Water Use Climbs in California Enclaves as Drought Returns
TUSTIN, Calif. (AP) — Overall water use is climbing in Southern California as that part of the state plunges back into drought, driving state and regional water managers as they consider permanently reinstating some watering bans and conservation programs. Gov. Jerry Brown lifted California’s droug..
HDD Activities Can Resume at One Mariner East 2 Site
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) has satisfied requirements under the July 24, 2017 Consent Order and Agreement (COA), which suspended horizontal direction drilling at Shoen Road Drill 360 (Shoen Road drill) as part of ..
Maryland Official Weighs Special Conditions on Natural Gas Pipeline
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland official says special conditions may be justified for a proposed natural gas pipeline, as opponents to the project are set to rally at the governor’s residence. Ben Grumbles, head of the Maryland Department of the Environment, sent a letter Thursday to the U.S. Army..
More than $13 Million Awarded for Texas Water, Sewer Projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved more than $13 million in financial assistance from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for the following pipeline construction projects: $5.46 million to the city of Arlington. The city will use t..
Broken Pipes Cause Hundreds to Lose Water on Montana Reservation
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Nearly 200 homes are without running water on the Rocky Boy Reservation after a cold snap broke pipes last week. Yellowstone Public Media reported Wednesday that the reservation has been plagued by water shortages because federal funding for a much-needed water project ..
Wastewater Mixed with Rainwater Overflows in Baltimore
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore City Department of Public Works estimates that approximately 5.7 million gallons of wastewater mixed with rainwater overflowed into the Jones Falls. A department news release says the gallons of wastewater mixed with rainwater overflowed into the Jones Falls on Sunday..
TransCanada to Move Ahead with $2.4 Billion Pipeline Extension
TransCanada Corporation today announced that it will proceed with a $2.4 billion expansion of its NGTL System to connect incremental supply and expand basin export capacity by one Bcf/d of natural gas at the interconnection with its Canadian Mainline. The company recently completed an open season f..
2 Injured When Natural Gas Blast Rips Through Iowa House
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Two people have been injured by a natural gas explosion at their home in central Iowa. The Messenger reports that the four residents had just been told to leave the Fort Dodge house Wednesday afternoon when the blast erupted. Two of the residents were unharmed. The two other..
Blackeagle Energy Services Receives DCA Safety Award for 2nd Consecutive Year
Blackeagle Energy Services (Blackeagle) has been awarded the Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) Arthur T. Everham Safety Award for the second year in a row. DCA established the award in 1986 to recognize contractors with exceptional safety programs. In 2017, among companies that worked 6..
Colorado Petroleum Council Backs New Pipeline Regulations
The Colorado Petroleum Council released a statement supporting the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) rulemaking that will strengthen flowline regulations and update the 811 “one-call” safety program. The 811 program gives property owners one number to call to notify all utilities ..
North Carolina Republicans Seek Answers About $58M Pipeline Fund
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former Gov. Pat McCrory and other North Carolina Republicans want more answers about an agreement between Democratic successor Roy Cooper and Atlantic Coast Pipeline builders over a $58 million fund. McCrory has criticized the mitigation fund negotiated between utilities creati..
West Virginia Sewer Project Paused Until EPA Releases Contamination Report
MINDEN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has paused the construction of a sewer line in the Minden area until a contamination report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is released. A statement said Justice made the decision after a meeting Monday between representatives of his a..
Colorado OKs New Rules for Oil, Gas Pipelines After Fatal Blast
DENVER (AP) — Colorado regulators approved new rules for thousands of oil and gas pipelines Tuesday, 10 months after investigators blamed a leaking pipeline for a fatal gas explosion. The regulations set requirements for installing, testing and shutting down flow lines, which carry oil and gas from..
Agencies Praise Trump’s Infrastructure Plan
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (DIPRA) today issued their support of the Trump administration’s Infrastructure Initiative designed to address the needs of the nation’s aging water infrastructure. According to the USACE, the traditional civil ..
Red Hen Systems Creates Pipeline Leak Detection System
Red Hen Systems, a Colorado geospatial company with 21 years of experience locating infrastructure using video mapping technology, today announced it has developed Pipeline Leak Detection Services (PLDS). PLDS utilizes a multi-sensor detection system to locate, and quantify in real-time fugitive met..
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 ..
Obama-Era Methane Emissions Rule to be Replaced
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department is replacing an Obama-era regulation aimed at restricting harmful methane emissions from oil and gas production on federal lands. A rule being published in the Federal Register this week will replace the 2016 rule with requirements similar to those in force..
West Blue River Interceptor Project Wins ACEC Award
Burns & McDonnell and Leath & Sons’ West Blue River Interceptor Sewer Project, a 72-inch aerial sewer crossing Brush Creek, recently received an Honor Award from the Missouri chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies. The chapter presented its 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards during..
- 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