Pipelines
New DIRT Report Estimates Damage to Buried Utilities Cost Society at Least $1.5 Billion in 2016
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) today announced findings from its comprehensive 2016 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report. The report, which is the sum of all 2016 data submitted anonymously and voluntarily by facility operators, utility locating companies, one call centers,..
B.C. Seeks To Block Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline Extension
The new government of British Columbia has announced that it stands firmly against the extension of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline and will seek ways to block its construction despite a green light from the federal government, Canadian media report. The Globe and Mail quoted the provin..
Federal Judge Clears Way for Completion of Water Project
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge has cleared the way for completion of a $244 million project to bring Missouri River water to residents of northwestern North Dakota, though the state of Missouri and the Canadian province of Manitoba can appeal. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer in Washingt..
Mexico Experts: Outdated Drain Caused July's Deadly Sinkhole
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A panel of experts in Mexico has determined that an old drainage pipe was to blame for a sinkhole on a major highway that killed two men last month when their car plunged into it. The 34-year-old drain was not replaced as suggested before an expanded highway was built on top of i..
Local Lawmakers: Probe Niagara Falls Black Water Discharge
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Local lawmakers are asking for a criminal investigation into the discharge of wastewater that turned the water below Niagara Falls black. The Niagara County Legislature passed resolutions Thursday night that request investigations by the New York state attorney general, t..
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..
- 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