Regulatory
NSF International and National Science Foundation to Host Groundbreaking Water Contamination Conference
NSF International, a global public health and safety organization, today announced it will host the Legionella Conference 2018 – Managing Legionella and Other Pathogens in Building Water Systems on May 9-11, 2018, in Baltimore, Maryland. The three-day conference is sponsored by the National Scie..
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..
Water Tunnel Project Moves Forward in New York
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced an eight-week shutdown of the tunnel that carries water from Schoharie Reservoir to the Esopus Creek and Ashokan Reservoir. The shutdown, which is scheduled to last from March 1 – April 30, will allow divers to safely ent..
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..
Virginia House Changes Utility Rewrite Bill to Prevent Double Dipping
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia House Democrats and a handful of Republicans have forced a change in a proposed utility-backed rewrite of the state’s electric regulation laws that could save customers billions. The House voted Monday to amend the legislation over the objections of allies of Dominion ..
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 ..
NV5 Global Awarded Stormwater Assessment Contract in New Jersey
NV5 Global, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a contract with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to provide identification, assessment and analysis of all NJDOT stormwater basins and roadway drainage outfalls within Region North, an area encompassing eight of New Jersey’..
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..
Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Would Study Sale of Federal Utility’s Assets
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The infrastructure plan outlined by President Donald Trump on Monday suggests studying whether the nation’s largest public utility should sell its transmission assets, which Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander called “a looney idea” with “zero chance of becoming law.” ..
Trump Infrastructure Plan Relies on State, Local Funding
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday launched what he calls a “big week” for his infrastructure plan, which envisions $1.5 trillion in spending over a decade to rebuild roads and highways. The plan would fulfill a key campaign goal but rely heavily on state and local government budgets..
Mississippi City to Extend Water and Sewer to Area Annexed 10 Years Ago
BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (AP) — A southwest Mississippi city is finally getting around to extending services to some neighborhoods that it annexed a decade ago. The Daily Leader reports that Brookhaven aldermen are agreeing to borrow $8.5 million from two state loan funds to extend water and sewer lines t..
Virginia Senate Passes Dominion-Backed Regulation Rewrite
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Senate has passed legislation putting new limits on regulators’ ability to lower utilities’ electric rates that are currently earning excessive profits. The Senate voted Friday for the bill, which also providing some rebates for past overearnings. The vo..
National Guard Helping After Chemicals Found in Delaware Town's Water
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Gov. John Carney has authorized the National Guard to assist residents of a Delaware town after high levels of toxic chemicals were discovered in municipal wells. Authorities said Friday that the Guard has provided two 400-gallon portable water tanks and coordinated troops to ens..
Missouri Senate Advances Utility Rates Bill After Daylong Filibuster
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Senate on Thursday advanced legislation that could reward utilities making improvements to their infrastructure with more consistent rate increases on their customers, a move that came after a more than 20-hour, overnight filibuster finally ended. The legisla..
Agencies Praise Introduction of Bill to Address America's Water Infrastructure Crisis
Water agencies across America today announced their support for the introduction of bipartisan legislation that will modernize investment in water infrastructure by empowering states to invest in multiple water infrastructure projects. The Securing Required Funding for Water Infrastructure Now (SRF..
New Hampshire Town to Get Nearly $1.2M for Water, Sewer Repairs
COLEBROOK, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire Executive Council has voted to send nearly $1.2 million in funding to the town of Colebrook for water and sewer improvements. The money comes from the state Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund. Senate President Chuck Morse said the community is in cri..
OSHA Fines Company After 2 Employees Die at Sewer Station
PETAL, Miss. (AP) – A federal workplace safety agency has fined a Mississippi business nearly $28,000 after two men died while working on a sewer lift station. The Hattiesburg American reports that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration initially proposed fines of $43,000 against Sc..
Sweeping Changes to Canadian Pipeline Regulations Proposed
Following a 14-month investigation, the Government of Canada has proposed extensive changes that would drastically change how oil and gas pipeline projects will be reviewed moving forward. The proposed changes include: Increased public participation in project reviews: A new early engagement pha..
Missouri Senate Endures Filibuster on Utility Rates Bill
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sleepy Missouri senators worked through the night into a new day Thursday as a small group of lawmakers filibustered a bill that could reward utilities making improvements to their infrastructure with more consistent rate increases on their customers. The legislation chan..
Virginia Regulators: Utility Bill Could Mean Billions of New Charges
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Regulators say legislation proposing a major rewrite of the Virginia’s oversight of electric monopolies could result in billions of new charges “paid by customers in higher rates.” The State Corporation Commission sent a letter to lawmakers Wednesday contradicting many of the..
California Governor Trims Giant Water Tunnels Project
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration scaled back the latest version of his four-decade effort to redo California’s north-south water system Wednesday, cutting plans to build giant water tunnels from two to one. Reducing the number of tunnels — at least for now — would help C..
Plan Would Send More Tax Money to Mississippi Cities for Roads, Water
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Cities would receive a slightly larger share of Mississippi sales tax collections under a plan that lawmakers are debating. Senators voted 42-9 Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 2455 . It would require cities to spend the extra money on infrastructure projects such as roads,..
Pennsylvania Pipeline Work Resumes After $12M Fine, Changes
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania regulators are fining Sunoco more than $12 million for problems with a massive natural gas pipeline project, but letting work resume under a consent agreement. The Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday that Sunoco Pipeline has made changes sinc..
Regulators OK Discharge Permit for Pipeline Expansion Plan
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Regulators have approved a construction stormwater discharge permit for Mountaineer Gas Co.’s proposed natural gas distribution line expansion in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. The Department of Environmental Protection said in a news release Wednesday the permit gives ..
State Regulators Approve Deal in Arizona Water Service Dispute
PHOENIX (AP) — State utility regulators have approved a settlement to a long-lingering dispute between two Arizona water companies over a section of service territory south of Phoenix. The Arizona Corporation Commission on Tuesday approved the settlement, allowing the Arizona Water Co. to kee..
Trump to Nominate Memphis Attorney to Federal Utility Board
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to nominate Memphis attorney John L. Ryder to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board. A news release from the White House says Ryder would serve a term expiring in May of 2020 if he’s confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Ryder previously..
- 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