Regulatory
Virginia Regulators Weigh Key Approval for Atlantic Coast Pipeline
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — State regulators will soon decide whether to grant a key approval to the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The Virginia State Water Control Board will meet for a second day Tuesday to consider whether to issue a water quality certification for the natural gas pipeline that woul..
Environmental Groups File Lawsuit to Try to Block Pipeline
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A coalition of environmental groups has filed a federal lawsuit to try to block a natural gas pipeline planned for southwestern Virginia. The Mountain Valley Pipeline cleared its last regulatory hurdle and won state water permits Thursday. The lawsuit was filed Friday in the ..
New York Making Millions Available to Sewer, Water Districts in Push for Geothermal Systems
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state is making $3.8 million available in a clean energy challenge to push for more geothermal systems. The initiative by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and New York Power Authority is aimed at helping stimulate financing and installation o..
INGAA Announces Leadership Changes
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) today announced the retirement of Terry Boss, senior vice president of environment, safety and operations, after a distinguished 33-year career in the pipeline industry, including 23 years with INGAA. Boss, who has led INGAA’s efforts on pip..
California Water Districts Don't Need Voter Approval on Fees
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The state’s water conservation districts don’t need the approval of property owners or voters to charge their customers fees to fund programs aimed at protecting groundwater, the California Supreme Court ruled on Monday. But the justices in a unanimous decision also said the ..
Virginia Water Board Certifies Mountain Valley Pipeline
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s Water Control Board has issued a certification for a proposed natural gas pipeline that will run through six counties in the state. The board voted 5-2 Thursday to issue a water quality certification for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Roanoke Times reports that at..
North Carolina Regulators Want More Information on Pipeline
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Another state permit needed for a proposed natural gas pipeline in eastern North Carolina is being slowed. The state Department of Environmental Quality asked Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers this week for more information for an air quality permit for a compressor station to..
West Virginia Weighs Permit for Atlantic Coast Pipeline
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia environmental regulators Wednesday announced two public hearings on issuing a construction stormwater permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would carry natural gas southeast from the center of the state. The 600-mile (965-kilometer) pipeline would exte..
FERC Officially Has New Chairman
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today swore in Kevin J. McIntyre as chairman. McIntyre was nominated to the commission by President Donald J. Trump in August 2017 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 2, 2017. Previously, McIntyre was the co-leader of the global Energy Practice a..
Idaho County Issues Disaster Declaration for Town Without Water
GRANGEVILLE, Idaho (AP) — County officials approved a disaster declaration for a western Idaho town so it can apply for emergency state funding after losing its water wells. The Lewiston Tribune reports the water wells in the town of White Bird stopped working late last month, causing Idaho C..
Minnesota Lacks Funding to Update Aging Infrastructure
LITTLE FALLS, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota doesn’t have enough funding to update all of its aging underground infrastructure. Minnesota Public Radio reports that water and sewer pipes are reaching the end of their expected life spans in many areas across the state. Jeff Freeman is the executiv..
Toxic Chemicals Found in Water of Some New Hampshire Fire Departments
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A majority of drinking water wells at fire departments in New Hampshire have some level of toxic chemicals in the first batch of 10 tests by the state. The chemicals – perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate – were used in industrial coatings, such as Teflon. They ..
Milwaukee Alderman: Armed Sewer Subcontractors Won't be Tolerated
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee alderman says a sewer subcontracting company doing business with the city has been asked to explain why three of its workers were apparently armed with handguns while working on the north side. A photo of the three American Sewer Services employees got some traction on ..
Mountain Valley Pipeline Receives Forest Service Approval
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service has given the Mountain Valley Pipeline its approval to cross federal forestland in Virginia and West Virginia. The authorization marks another milestone for the proposed 303-mile underground natural gas pipeline, which was approved by the Federal Energy R..
ACWA Elects New President
Members of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today announced the election of Brent Hastey, chairman of the Yuba County Water District, to a two-year term as president of the statewide association. Steven LaMar, a director for Irvine Ranch Water District, was elected vice president...
Commission Seeks Fracking Ban in Watershed Supplying New York City
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A commission that oversees water quality for the watershed that supplies Philadelphia and half of New York City with drinking water is taking another step toward permanently banning natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing. The Delaware River Basin Commission on Thursday..
ACWA Honors Rowland Water District
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has awarded its Huell Howser Best in Blue Award to the Rowland Water District for its innovative OPARC Fire Hydrant Maintenance Program that provides meaningful employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. The maintenance p..
Utility Fined for Gas Pipeline Safety Violations
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Northern Indiana Public Service Co. is paying a $900,000 fine after state regulators found that the utility failed to keep accurate maps and records of its underground natural gas lines. The settlement approved Wednesday by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission instruc..
New Commissioner Sworn in at FERC
On Nov. 29, 2017, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) swore in Richard Glick as Commissioner. Glick was nominated by President Donald J. Trump in August 2017 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 2, 2017. Before to joining the commission, Glick was general counsel for the Democrats o..
Lawsuit Alleges Michigan City Forced Labor on Residents
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A federal lawsuit alleges that Ann Arbor imposed forced labor on 3,000 residents by requiring home owners to maintain mandatory sump pumps in the southeast Michigan city. Attorney Irvin Mermelstein filed the lawsuit against Ann Arbor on behalf of four residents in late Octob..
Michigan Wants All Lead Pipes Replaced Within 20 Years
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration is planning to require the replacement of every underground lead service pipe in Michigan within 20 years while delaying by four years a deadline to implement the nation’s toughest lead limit for drinking water, in the wake of the Flint lead cr..
Agency: US and Canada Need to Do More to Improve Great Lakes Water Quality
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Despite recent improvements, the U.S. and Canada have a long way to go toward ridding the Great Lakes of pollution that endangers human health and the environment, an advisory agency said Tuesday. Inadequately treated sewage, industrial chemicals and farm runoff are stil..
Lawsuit Seeks to Block California Desert Water Project
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Environmental activists sued Tuesday to halt a plan to pump water from under the Mojave Desert and sell it to Southern California cities and counties. The lawsuit takes aim at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for allowing Cadiz Inc. to build a 43-mile pipeline to transfer the w..
Northern Pass Transmission Line Receives Presidential Permit
The U.S. Department of Energy has approved the Presidential permit for the proposed Northern Pass Transmission Line project. The 192-mile above and below ground, alternating and direct current transmission system will deliver up to 1090 megawatts of low-emission, reliable hydropower from Quebec, Can..
New York Sends 72 More Utility Workers to Assist with Power Restoration Efforts in Puerto Rico
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the deployment of 72 additional electric utility experts to Puerto Rico arriving today and tomorrow to assist with the ongoing recovery of the country’s power grid. The deployment coincides with the arrival of a barge loaded with an additional 55 uti..
Flint Utilities Official Pleads No Contest in Water Probe
FLINT, Mich. (AP) – The former utilities director in Flint, Michigan, has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor in an investigation of the city’s lead-tainted water. Daugherty Johnson’s deal Tuesday means two felonies will be dropped. Defense attorney Edwar Zeineh (ZANY) says the misdemeanor also wil..
Nearly $83 Million Awarded for Water Quality Projects in Iowa
The Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have awarded low-interest water quality loans totaling more than $82.8 million to 26 communities through the State Revolving Fund. State Revolving Fund Construction Loans are a low-cost construction financing option avail..
$20 Million Awarded to Replace Lead Service Lines Across New York
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that $20 million dollars will be awarded to replace residential drinking water lead service lines across the state’s Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC) as part of New York’s Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017. The funding is provided ..
Rover Pipeline HDD Activities Halted by Ohio Regulators
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has told the company building the massive Rover natural gas pipeline project to stop horizontal drilling after another spill of clay-based slurry. The Repository reports EPA Director Craig Butler on Wednesday asked Energy Transfer Partn..
Court Stops NEXUS Pipeline Construction in Ohio
CLEVELAND (AP) — A city facing long odds of stopping section of a $2 billion natural gas pipeline from being built there was handed a victory this week when a federal appellate court issued an emergency order that temporarily halts the start of construction. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in..
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- 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