Regulatory
Flint Mayor's Plea to Continue Free Bottled Water Sites Rejected
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The mayor of Flint says Gov. Rick Snyder rejected her face-to-face plea to reverse his decision ending free bottled water. Mayor Karen Weaver met with the governor Monday, 10 days after he said water distribution would end, based on improved water quality. For months, Flint’s l..
Nearly $74 Million Awarded for Texas Water and Sewer Projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved more than $73 million in financial assistance from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for the following pipeline construction projects: $64.69 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to..
Kentucky Lawmakers Approve Broadband Project
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky lawmakers have grudgingly agreed to fund a high-speed internet project that has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. The project, dubbed Kentucky Wired, is supposed to build a network of more than 3,000 miles of fiber optic cables to bring broadband capability to..
Independent Tests Show Flint Water Quality is Improving
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Independent tests are confirming that water quality in Flint has improved. The tests were required under a legal settlement between the state of Michigan and Flint residents. The Natural Resources Defense Council said Friday that tests at 92 homes showed lead levels far below th..
Chair of Oregon Utility Commission Quits in Middle of Term
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The chairwoman of the Oregon Public Utility Commission has resigned less than two years after she was appointed. Lisa Hardie did not provide a reason why in a statement Friday, but said it was an honor to serve in the post. Her four-year term was scheduled to end May 31,..
Duke Energy Moves Ahead with Ohio Gas Pipeline Application
Duke Energy Ohio is moving ahead with its application before the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) to build the proposed Central Corridor Pipeline, a 13 mile, 20-inch natural gas pipeline designed to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to customers in southwest Ohio. Once finished,..
Columbia Gas of Maryland Seeks Rate Increase for Pipeline Replacement Projects
Columbia Gas of Maryland, Inc. (Columbia Gas), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., today filed a request with the Public Service Commission of Maryland (PSC) to adjust its base rates for distribution service so it can continue to replace aging pipeline and adopt pipeline safety upgrades. In total, t..
Application Filed for $405 Million Gas Pipeline Project
Williams Partners L.P. has submitted an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) seeking authorization for the $404.8 million Southeastern Trail Expansion Project, which would provide 296,375 Dth/d of additional firm transportation capacity to markets in the Mid-Atlantic and ..
Michigan Lawmakers Seek Action to Reopen Flint Water Sites
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Two Flint-area lawmakers are urging Attorney General Bill Shuette to take immediate legal action to reverse Gov. Rick Snyder’s decision to close bottled water distribution sites in the city dealing with a lead-tainted drinking water crisis. Democratic Reps. Sheldon Neele..
$25 Million Awarded to Train and Assist Small Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded more than $25 million in grants to help the country’s small drinking and wastewater systems and private well owners better protect public health and the environment. Those receiving grants include: National Rural Water Association ..
Construction Begins on $46 Million Sewer, Water Project in New York City
New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Vincent Sapienza and Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Acting Commissioner Ana Barrio announced that construction has begun on a $46 million project in the Tottenville section of Staten Island. As part of the project,..
New York to Award $15 Million for Electric Grid Modernization Projects
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that up to $15 million is available for projects that will help the state improve the resiliency, efficiency, and overall performance of its electric grid to save on energy and costs to combat climate change. Modernizing the grid supports Gov. Cuomo’..
Water Agency Approves $11B for California Twin Tunnels Plan
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s largest water agency on Tuesday approved a nearly $11 billion plan to help fund two enormous tunnels, breathing new life into Gov. Jerry Brown’s ambitious and controversial plan to remake the state’s water system. The board of the Metropolitan Water District of..
North Carolina Agency Says Chemical Makers Lied
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina should tackle an emerging problem of water and air pollution from little-studied industrial chemicals by beefing up the state’s health and environmental agencies, Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday. Cooper proposed spending $14.5 million to help improve the ability of ..
Pennsylvania Regulators Develop Tool to Improve Chesapeake Bay Water Quality
About 200 leaders from municipal governments, county conservation districts, agriculture, environmental groups, water companies, and other entities today participated in a meeting hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to expand local engagement in Phase 3 of the pla..
Twin Tunnels Considered Again for California Water Project
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A week after Southern California’s largest water agency abandoned a plan to pay for much of the state’s ambitious water project, the funding proposal will be debated again. The Tuesday vote by the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California could put bac..
Michigan to Close Flint's Free Bottled Water Sites
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Four remaining free bottled water stations will close in Flint, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced Friday, more than two years after the state opened them in response to a man-made, lead-tainted drinking water crisis that threatened the health of its residents. The statement ..
$138,000 Awarded for Texas Water Pipeline Replacement Project
The Texas Water Development Board has approved, by resolution, financial assistance in the amount of $138,780 in loan forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to Patterson Water Supply. The company will use the assistance to finance the planning, design, and construction costs assoc..
New York City Releases Stormwater Management Plan
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection released the city’s draft Stormwater Management Plan as required by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to help further improve the health of New York Harbor. The goal of the plan is to reduce or remove pollutants in st..
Broadband in Jeopardy Without State Funding, Kentucky Companies Warn
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Private companies building a high-speed internet network in Kentucky warned Thursday that the project will fall apart if state lawmakers don’t pay for it, potentially forcing taxpayers to pay back hundreds of millions of dollars in loans. State lawmakers sent a two-year operat..
New Jersey Governor Names Former Democratic State Senator to Utility Board
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he’s naming a recently retired Democratic state senator to the board that oversees the state’s utilities. Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement Thursday that he is nominating Bob Gordon to serve as a commissioner on the Board of Public Utiliti..
Trump has Confidence in EPA Chief as White House Probes His Ethics
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Thursday he has confidence in Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, even as the White House investigates whether a condo rental by Pruitt was ethical. The EPA’s ethics office suggested there still could be questions abou..
Vermont Regulators Order Review of Gas Pipeline
COLCHESTER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont utility regulators are asking for an investigation into the construction of a 41-mile natural gas pipeline. In an order issued on Wednesday, the Public Utilities Commission noted that Vermont Gas Systems has already agreed to an outside review of its construction prac..
EPA Announces New Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the availability of funding that could provide as much as $5.5 billion in loans for water infrastructure projects through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. Prospective borrowers seeking WIFIA credit ass..
Virginia Regulators Raise Constitutional Questions About New Utility Law
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – State regulators are questioning whether a new electric utility overhaul recently approved by lawmakers may be unconstitutional. The State Corporation Commission issued a ruling Monday raising the possibility that a new utility-backed law may unfairly disadvantage out-of-state ..
EPA Chief Draws Trump Praise — and Ire
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is offering measured support for Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency chief whose deregulatory efforts make him one of the most consequential Cabinet members. But Pruitt, who is at the center of swirling ethics questions over his travel spending ..
Could Enemies Target Undersea Cables that Link the World?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian ships are skulking around underwater communications cables, causing the U.S. and its allies to worry the Kremlin might be taking information warfare to new depths. Is Moscow interested in cutting or tapping the cables? Does it want the West to worry it might? Is there a mo..
Water Resources Plan for Southeastern Michigan Adopted
DETROIT (AP) – The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments general assembly has adopted a plan aimed at protecting the region’s water resources. The plan emphasizes the importance of integrated management of water resources to advance tourism, recreation, economic development, protection of natur..
Michigan City Works to Deal with Disinfection Byproduct in Water
CASEVILLE (AP) — Michigan officials say a community along Lake Huron is working to make its drinking water meet government standards. WNEM-TV reports recent tests found that the city of Caseville’s water system had levels of a disinfection byproduct called trihalomethane that slightly exceeded st..
New York Municipalities Receive $615,000 in in Lake Ontario Flood Relief Funds
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the Town of Newfane and the Village of Barker in Niagara County have been awarded $615,083 in Lake Ontario Flood Relief funds to support restoration resiliency efforts following last year’s flooding and to protect the community from the damage of fut..
- PHMSA warns of heat risks in aging plastic gas distribution pipelines following deadly Pennsylvania explosion
- OSHA seeks $1.2 million fine after fatal trench collapse in Connecticut
- Phase 1 Alaska LNG pipeline advances with construction awards, pipe supply agreements
- OSHA issues 16 citations following fatal sewer confined space incident
- Gateway Tunnel construction faces shutdown next week as Trump withholds federal funding
- T-Mobile to expand fiber broadband infrastructure footprint with $4.9 billion Metronet acquisition
- First tunnel boring machines complete testing for Hudson Tunnel Project
- NWPX grows water infrastructure portfolio with Colorado precast facility
- Cityside launches $100 million fiber build in Corona, Calif.
- FiberLight to build 1,400-mile West Texas dark fiber network in $350 million expansion