Pipelines
Big Easy on Edge as City Scrambles to Fix Pumping System
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Flood-weary residents remained on edge as Louisiana’s governor declared a state of emergency in New Orleans, but this time the threat wasn’t churning in the Gulf of Mexico. The city’s malfunctioning water-pumping system and the threat of more rain have left some neighborhoods at ..
Project to Fix Baltimore Sewer Backups Gets Underway
BALTIMORE — Officials have kicked off a $430 million Baltimore-area sewer project intended to fix backups that lead to overflows. The Baltimore Sun reported Thursday that the so-called “headworks project” at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Dundalk will add pumps to move backed-up sewag..
Trump Names ex-McConnell Aide to Lead Energy Agency for Now
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday named a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as interim leader of the commission that oversees the U.S. power grid. Trump elevated Neil Chatterjee, McConnell’s longtime energy adviser, to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commis..
Emergency Declared in New Orleans as Flood Threat Looms
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana’s governor declared a state of emergency in New Orleans on Thursday as the city’s malfunctioning water-pumping system and the threat of more rain left some neighborhoods at greater risk of flooding. The city scrambled to repair fire-damaged equipment at a power plant an..
Pipeline Construction Project Gets Favorable Ruling
CLEVELAND (AP) — A federal magistrate in Akron has dealt a significant blow to efforts by some Ohio property owners to stop a high-pressure natural gas pipeline from being built. U.S. Magistrate Kathleen Burke in a written recommendation filed Monday said the U.S. District Court in northern Ohio la..
Flushable Wipes Class Action Lawsuit Dropped
INDA, the Association of Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, today announced the settlement of the class action lawsuit brought by the City of Perry, Iowa, in which the city alleged damages from flushable wipes manufactured by a number of flushable wipes producers. In dropping the lawsuit, Perry admitted tha..
Utility Stresses Calling 811 Before Digging
In honor of National Safe Digging Day on Friday, August 11, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is asking all Californians to help prevent damage to gas pipelines and other underground utilities. With a free call to 811 or submission on 811express.com at least two working days ahead of any diggi..
Quorum Officially Established at FERC
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has sworn in Robert F. Powelson and Neil Chatterjee as commissioners, officially establishing a quorum. Powelson was sworn in today, Aug. 10, while Chatterjee was sworn in on Aug. 8. Both Powelson and Chatterjee were nominated by President Donald J. ..
Sinkhole Develops on Louisiana Street
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Authorities have barricaded a sinkhole that was discovered on a Louisiana street. Nola.com/The Times-Picayune reports the Jefferson Parish Streets Department was notified about the 12-foot by 12-foot hole Wednesday around 9 a.m. There were no injuries and no additional da..
Amid Pumping Failures, New Orleans Warns People to Move Cars
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As New Orleans’ water-pumping system continues to malfunction, the mayor is urging residents in some of the city’s already-soaked neighborhoods to move their vehicles to higher ground as more rain is in the forecast. Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s office said in a news release early Th..
Vermont Senator, Governor to Announce New Border Grants
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Vermont’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and Republican Gov. Phil Scott plan to announce $2.25 million in development grants through the Northern Border Regional Commission. Leahy and Scott will announce the grants for 10 projects Thursday in Hardwick. ..
Hot Words After New Orleans Flood, Pump Problems Revealed
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As volunteers hauled soggy insulation out of a flooded store that belongs to a prominent New Orleans social club Wednesday, the group’s president said city pumping problems implicated in weekend flooding were unacceptable. “It just doesn’t make sense. We are too close to help, su..
West Virginia Regulators Stop Construction Halt on Rover Pipeline Segments
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – State environmental authorities lifted their order halting Rover Pipeline construction on two segments where it found permit violations damaging streams in northern West Virginia. Inspectors in April, May, June and July found erosion-control failures that left sediment depo..
Sunoco Reaches Settlement on Natural Gas Pipeline
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — State officials, environmental groups and the owners of a natural gas pipeline in Pennsylvania have reached an agreement to allow drilling to continue while providing protections to the public. In the settlement released Tuesday, Sunoco has agreed to re-evaluate high-risk sit..
Keystone XL Foes Question Proposed Route Through Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline questioned its proposed pathway through Nebraska on Tuesday in hopes that state regulators will reject or reroute it, a decision that would create more delays for the 9-year-old project. But pipeline builder TransCanada defended its proposa..
Attorney Grills Company Officials in Keystone XL Hearing
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The developer of the Keystone XL pipeline and its allies faced a litany of tough questions Monday in front of a Nebraska commission that will decide whether to approve the project’s final leg through the state. The Nebraska Public Service Commission hearing is the last major re..
Pure Technologies Awarded Sewer, Water Inspection Contract in D.C.
The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) has awarded Pure Technologies’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Pure Technologies U.S. Inc., a contract worth up to $10 million over 5 years for condition assessment of their major water and sewer pipelines. Using its proprietary technologies a..
Durham Advises Residents to Close Toilet Lids Due to Sewer Cleaning
DURHAM (AP) — People living downtown in the American Tobacco district should close their toilet lids for the next two months to avoid “blowback” from sewer cleaning work. A news release Monday about the routine cleaning and inspections work in the city’s sanitary sewers said the process of “jetting..
Tribes Want Dakota Pipeline Shut Down, But Offer Fallback Plan
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — American Indian tribes fighting the Dakota Access oil pipeline are asking a judge to shut down the line while more environmental review is conducted, but they’ve also presented a fallback plan should the judge disagree. The “alternative relief” that Standing Rock Sioux attorne..
Virginia Citizens Can Weigh in on Pipeline Water Quality Conditions
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) – Virginia environmental officials are hearing from residents this week about steps the state is taking to protect water quality along the routes of two proposed natural gas pipelines. The Department of Environmental Quality is considering whether to issue what’s called a “40..
Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Gets Favorable Ruling
CONESTOGA, Pa. (AP) – A federal judge in Pennsylvania says authorities can condemn and seize property in order to make way for the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline. U.S. Eastern District Court Judge Jeffrey Schmehl has issued an order that gave Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company the right to condemn a..
Pure Technologies Awarded Sewer Inspection Contract
Pure Technologies Ltd.’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Pure Technologies U.S. Inc, has been awarded a five-year contract extension from the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, worth up to $30 million. Work under the new contract is expected to begin in Q3, 2017. Under the terms of the contract, Pure ..
Buffalo Suburbs Asked to Restrict Use After Water Main Break
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Residents of more than a dozen Buffalo suburbs are being asked to put off washing their cars, watering lawns and filling swimming pools because of a water main break at a treatment plant. The Erie County Water Authority has issued the temporary restrictions through 6 p.m. Tue..
Florida Parcels Out $50 Million To Help Restore Springs
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida has picked 40 projects from across the state that will get a share of $50 million aimed at restoring some of the state’s springs including Silver Springs. The administration of Gov. Rick Scott announced the list of state-funded projects on Monday. The list includes..
$2.9 Million Sewer Construction Contract Awarded in Canada
Pedre Contractors Ltd. has received a six-month contract valued at $2.9 million for the Oakridge Trunk sewer separation project in Vancouver, Canada. The scope of work includes upgrades to the Oakridge Trunk sewer line, originally installed in 1957. As part of the project, two pipes will be install..
Nebraska Commission Begins Hearing on Keystone XL Pipeline
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state commission that will decide whether to approve or deny the Keystone XL pipeline in Nebraska has kicked off the first day of legal hearings on the project. The Nebraska Public Service Commission is scheduled to hear testimony in a series of hearings that could run from M..
Key Eastern New Mexico Water Plan Set to be Released
CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — A key task force in eastern New Mexico is set to unveil its plan to conserve water from a massive groundwater supply that underlies parts of New Mexico, Texas and several other states. The Eastern New Mexico News reports (https://goo.gl/y7LmqU) the Water Policy Advisory Committe..
New Orleans Floods Raise Questions About City Pumping System
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Heavy weekend rainfall in New Orleans overwhelmed the municipal pump stations, leaving parts of the community flooded, and some officials say they’re not satisfied with the city’s response. “Are our city pumps working as they should?” Councilman Jason Williams said, according to ..
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank finances Drinking Water Projects
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank says it has financed $19.2 million in drinking water projects for the town of Cumberland and the Providence Water Supply Board. The infrastructure bank has financed more than $400 million in drinking water projects across Rhode Island to ..
School Blast Investigators Probing Gas Meter Work
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Workers may have been moving a gas meter when an explosion tore through a Minneapolis school building this week, killing two people and injuring at least nine others, according to federal investigators. A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Minneapolis T..
- 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