Regulatory
Judge Refuses to Delay Hearing on Pipeline Land Acquisition
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has refused to postpone a hearing in a lawsuit brought by developers seeking possession of land in several Virginia counties for a controversial pipeline project. Atlantic Coast Pipeline is seeking possession of several properties in Augusta, Bath, Buckingha..
$50M Massachusetts Sewer Project to Benefit Connecticut River
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission has qualified for a $50 million low-interest loan that could help the Connecticut River run cleaner. The money, in the form of loans at 2 percent interest, will be used to upgrade sewer facilities and dramatically reduce occasiona..
West Virginia Jury Sides with Contractor in Sewer Dispute
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia jury has ruled that the Charleston Sanitary Board must pay an Upshur County contractor more than $1 million for breaching its contract with the firm. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the jury recently awarded J.F. Allen Corporation $1.3 million in damages..
Installation of New Transmission Cables Beneath Lake Champlain Completed
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the completion and energization of a $68.7 million major power system infrastructure project involving the placement of new underwater transmission cables, spanning 1.7 miles, across Lake Champlain. The new power cables, laid as much as 195 feet belo..
Nexus Gas Transmission HDD Activities Get Green Light
FERC has approved Enbridge’s request to move forward with construction at the following eleven horizontal directional drill (HDD) locations associated with the Nexus Gas Transmission Project: • Wetland (milepost 7.84 – 8.40) • Nimisila Reservoir (milepost 40.87 – 41.20) • East Branch Black River ..
Florida Utility Wants to Buy South Carolina-Owned Utility
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A Florida power company is suggesting it might buy a South Carolina state-owned utility for nearly $16 billion. Media outlets reported that NextEra Energy is one of several groups interested in buying Santee Cooper after the state-owned utility and South Carolina Electric & Ga..
Water Use Climbs in California Enclaves as Drought Returns
TUSTIN, Calif. (AP) — Overall water use is climbing in Southern California as that part of the state plunges back into drought, driving state and regional water managers as they consider permanently reinstating some watering bans and conservation programs. Gov. Jerry Brown lifted California’s droug..
HDD Activities Can Resume at One Mariner East 2 Site
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) has satisfied requirements under the July 24, 2017 Consent Order and Agreement (COA), which suspended horizontal direction drilling at Shoen Road Drill 360 (Shoen Road drill) as part of ..
Maryland Official Weighs Special Conditions on Natural Gas Pipeline
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland official says special conditions may be justified for a proposed natural gas pipeline, as opponents to the project are set to rally at the governor’s residence. Ben Grumbles, head of the Maryland Department of the Environment, sent a letter Thursday to the U.S. Army..
Nearly $500 Million Awarded for North Texas Water Reservoir
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved more than $499 million in financial assistance from the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) program to the North Texas Municipal Water District (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains, and Rockwall counties). ..
More than $13 Million Awarded for Texas Water, Sewer Projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved more than $13 million in financial assistance from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for the following pipeline construction projects: $5.46 million to the city of Arlington. The city will use t..
$75 Million Approved to Replace Septic Systems Across New York
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a comprehensive $75 million program to improve water quality through the targeted replacement of aging septic systems in communities across New York. Through a collaboration between the State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Health..
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..
- HDD industry faces challenges as cities push back on fiber drilling disruptions
- 2 workers killed, 1 injured while working on sewer line in Mobile, Ala.
- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico
- Tunnel boring continues under Chesapeake Bay for $3.9 billion HRBT Expansion project
- Judge approves construction for key portion of $485 million pipeline in Larimer County, Colo.
- New products: Latest industry developments
- 31 workers rescued after LA tunnel partially collapses
- Ohio Supreme Court rules sewer line location isn’t a ‘defect’ in property dispute
- Faulconer Construction begins rock blasting for water pipeline project in Charlottesville, Va.
- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico