Regulatory
Pennsylvania Shuts Down Mariner East 1 Pipeline Because of Sinkhole
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – State regulators are temporarily shutting down a major pipeline after sinkholes in the Philadelphia suburbs exposed the 8-inch-diameter pipe, threatening nearby homes and a rail line. The Philadelphia Inquirer says the Public Utility Commission chairwoman ordered an immediate..
Mexico City: Water Cutoffs in Capital Worsened by Sabotage
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexico City officials say intentional sabotage may be contributing to recurrent water shortages that have caused protests on the streets of the city of 9 million people. In recent weeks, officials have blamed dry faucets in many neighborhoods on everything from power shortages..
12 Vermont Towns Agree to Form Internet Municipality
BERLIN, Vt. (AP) — Twelve Vermont towns have agreed to form a new communications district that will bring high speed internet services to the communities via fiber optic cables. Central Vermont Internet will bring publicly run high-speed interest to the member towns. The proposal to create the mun..
$22 Million Sewer and Water Project in New York City Ahead of Schedule
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection today announced a $21.8 million sewer and water infrastructure project in Southeast Queens is on track to be completed three months ahead of schedule. As part of the project, 4,100 feet of new storm sewers, some as large as nine-feet wide and..
Democrats Would Reverse Some Tax Cuts to Fund Infrastructure
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Senate Democrats, voting against the Republican tax cuts that President Donald Trump signed into law wasn’t opposition enough. Now they have a plan to reverse some of the tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest Americans and put the money instead toward a $1 trillion inf..
Ohio County Receives $3.5 Million for Water Projects
Muskingum County has received $3,507,000 from the Ohio EPA for two projects to extend public drinking water service to 124 residences and businesses in two rural areas in the county. The larger project will construct 66,000 feet of water lines and a 93-foot tall water tank in the Rix Mills area of ..
Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Could Soon Start on Private Land in Virginia
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — Work on a natural gas pipeline in southwestern Virginia could soon begin on private land despite property owners’ objections. The Roanoke Times reports that a federal judge on Friday granted Mountain Valley Pipeline access to the areas. The company gained access through the laws..
New York Governor Orders Review Into Power Failures After Winter Storm Riley
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed the New York State Department of Public Service to conduct a full review into power failures after Winter Storm Riley. Four days after Winter Storm Riley, while power has been restored to more than 280,000 New Yorkers, 74,790 customers still remain wi..
Minnesota Governor Updates Plan for Lowering Nitrate Levels in Water
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton has unveiled a revised measure to reduce elevated nitrate levels in water supplies and ensure more Minnesotans have safe drinking water. Dayton and Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson announced the proposal Tuesday after holding 17 public meetings atte..
Great Lakes Advocates to Ask Congress for Water Protections
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – A coalition of Great Lakes advocates is urging Congress to provide funds for cleaning up the region’s waters and strengthening its water infrastructure. Groups representing businesses, industry, environmentalists, cities, states and tribes will make their annual lobbying..
Pennsylvania DEP Sanctions Eurofins QC Lab for Water Testing Violations
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will collect a $600,000 penalty from Eurofins, QC (EQC), for violations related to falsified and mishandled discharge water tests and results at their lab in Southampton, Pennsylvania. “DEP relies on accredited, third-party laboratories ..
Corps Recommends Opening Spillway to Divert Mississippi
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A flood control structure upriver from New Orleans will likely be opened Thursday to keep pressure off the levee system that protects the city, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official said. Col. Mike Clancy, commander of the Corps’ New Orleans district, told reporters Monda..
High Court: Feds Can Intervene in Texas-New Mexico Water Fight
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A lawsuit pitting Texas against New Mexico and Colorado over access to water from the Rio Grande must be sent back to an arbitrator, also known as a special master, to resolve the dispute, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday. Justice Neil Gorsuch noted the federal governmen..
Construction Contract Awarded for Fiber-Optic Network in Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky has awarded MuniNet Fiber Agency a contract to construct part of the KentuckyWired fiber-optic cable project in Caldwell, Muhlenberg and Hopkins counties. Under the terms of the contract, MuniNet will build approximately 66 miles of the 3,400-mile ultra-high speed cable..
Pennsylvania DEP Issues Permits for Construction of New Natural Gas, Water Lines
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced it has awarded to Birdsboro Power LLC, DTE Midstream Appalachia, LLC, and the Reading Area Water Authority the permits necessary for the construction of a 450 mega-watt natural gas fired Birdsboro Power electrical generati..
Nearly $17 Million Awarded for Water Projects in Texas
The Texas Water Development Board today approved more than $16 million in financial assistance from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for the following construction projects: $3.56 million to the city of Lawn. The city will use the assistance to cons..
Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back More Clean Air and Water Rules
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration said Thursday it is rewriting Obama-era rules governing pollution from oil and gas operations and coal ash dumps, moves that opponents say will significantly weaken protections for human health and the environment. The changes proposed by the Environmental..
API Supports EPA Decision to Roll Back Obama-Era Clean Air Standards
The American Petroleum Institute (API) today released the following statement in support of the EPA’s amendments to its oil and gas air emissions standards and the proposed withdrawal of EPA’s 2016 emissions guidance (Control Technique Guidelines). “We welcome EPA’s technical modifications to its N..
HDD Activities OK’d at Another Nexus Gas Transmission Site
FERC has approved Enbridge’s request to move ahead with construction at the Tuscarawas River horizontal directional drill (HDD) site associated with the Nexus Gas Transmission Pipeline. Last month, the commission approved HDD construction activities at the following 11 sites along the project: W..
Public Hearing Set in Ohio Concerning Proposed Lead and Copper Rule Changes
Ohio EPA today announced it will hold a public hearing on March 6, 2018 concerning proposed changes to lead and copper rules for public water systems. These changes incorporate a new law that ensures homeowners get the timely public notice they deserve whenever high levels of lead are found in drink..
New York Awards Nearly $226 Million for Broadband Projects
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $225.5 million in NY Broadband Program Round III grants have been awarded to communities throughout the state. The awards will drive $385.5 million in broadband infrastructure and support connections for nearly 129,000 locations and were awarded as p..
New York Approves New Drinking Water Treatment Technology
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the State’s Department of Health has conditionally approved New York’s first use of a technology known as Advanced Oxidative Process (AOP) to remove 1,4-dioxane from drinking water. This approval was given to the Suffolk County Water Authority t..
Water Districts Challenge Judge in Navajo Settlement
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Water districts in northern New Mexico sought to disqualify a state judge Tuesday and overturn a major settlement with the Navajo Nation in a simmering dispute about rights to water from the San Juan River. A motion filed with the New Mexico state Court of Appeals seeks to dis..
Maine City to Receive Nearly $9M for Sewer Upgrades
BATH, Maine (AP) — A Maine city is slated to receive nearly $9 million in federal money for sorely needed upgrades to its sewer system. The city of Bath is getting a $2.3 million grant and a $6.5 million low interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The city’s sewer department serves m..
Air Quality Permit Issued for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A proposed pipeline to bring fracked natural gas from West Virginia to points east and south has won another North Carolina state permit. The Department of Environmental Quality issued Tuesday an air quality permit to Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers for a Northampton County ..
Kentucky Water District Gets $3.4 Million Project to Solve Supply Issues
U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) and Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin today announced a $3.4 million project to alleviate water supply issues within the Martin County Water District. The project will help secure clean water for the people of Martin County and will be administered by the Kentucky D..
New Filtration System Lowers Contamination in Delaware Town's Water
DOVER, Del. (AP) — State environmental officials say residents of a southern Delaware town where high levels of toxic chemicals were discovered in municipal wells can resume using the water for drinking and cooking. Officials said Thursday that a new carbon filtration system in the town of Blades h..
Wyoming Joins Iowa, Ohio In Anti-Pipeline Protest Legislation
Wyoming has become the third state to introduce a bill targeting pipeline protests, envisaging penalties of up to 10 years in prison for “impeding critical infrastructure” and up to US$1 million in fines for any organization that “aids, abets, solicits, encourages, hires, conspires, commands or proc..
Infrastructure Funding is Next Big Legislative Target
Having passed and signed a major tax reform bill at the end of 2017, the Trump Administration and Congress move on to their next big legislative target in 2018: infrastructure spending. While sewer and drinking water projects may receive additional federal funding as a result, that is not certain. I..
Public Hearings Concerning Wastewater Discharge Permit Scheduled in Iowa
Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced they will hold three public hearings in March concerning a new general permit that addresses wastewater discharges to Iowa soils and streams. At the meetings, the latest information about the new proposed requirement, a National Pollutant..
- 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