Regulatory
Sewer Contractor Punished After Employees Showed Guns and KKK Sticker
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin construction company where employees displayed a Ku Klux Klan sticker and openly brandished firearms at work last month could lose some pending contracts with Milwaukee worth nearly $1 million. A panel of the Milwaukee Common Council on Thursday also considered permanen..
Hundreds of Water Fixtures in Ohio Schools Found With Lead
TOLEDO (AP) — Ohio school districts in the past year and a half have tested drinking fountains and faucets inside hundreds of older buildings, finding that about 10 percent of the fixtures had elevated levels of lead in the water, state records show. About half of the kitchen and classroom faucets ..
4 Flint Schools Found With Elevated Lead Levels in Water
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Only four schools and care facilities in Flint had elevated levels of lead in their water during recent tests, though one school district refused to allow the testing as the Michigan city recovers from a lead-tainted water crisis. State agencies tested water at 63 of 78 schools,..
Wisconsin Utility to Receive Lead Line Replacement Funding
To help “Get the Lead Out” on both the private-side and public side service lines, the Green Bay Water Utility today announced it will receive $300,000 in funding from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. With the funding, the utility hopes to r..
House Panel in North Carolina Backs More Legislation on Unregulated Chemicals
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Some North Carolina legislators want a law passed soon addressing ways to know more about what unregulated chemicals are in drinking water supplies and to better calculate concentrations in the water that appear safe. A House committee voted unanimously Thursday to recommend to..
Agency to Monitor W.Va. Utility Tax Changes in New Law
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The Public Service Commission of West Virginia wants to know how privately owned utilities in the state will be impacted by the new federal tax law. In a release, the commission says it has directed all privately owned electric, gas, water, sewer and solid waste facilitie..
GOP Senator Appointed to Missouri Utility Regulation Board
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Eric Greitens has appointed fellow Republican Sen. Ryan Silvey to the state’s utility regulation board. Greitens announced Silvey’s appointment to the Public Service Commission Tuesday, the day before the start of the 2018 legislative session. The commission regulat..
Flint Schools' Chief Wants State Plan on Water Testing
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The head of Flint schools wants a comprehensive plan from the state that includes multiple rounds of testing of faucet and drinking fountain water for lead. Flint Community Schools Superintendent Bilal Tawwab says Wednesday during a news conference that students will not b..
Appalachia Underground Natural Gas Storage Project Clears 1st Hurdle
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Plans for an underground natural gas liquids storage hub pegged as a major job creator for the chemical industry in struggling Appalachia have cleared their first big hurdle. The Appalachia Storage & Trading Hub initiative got approval Wednesday for the first of two applicat..
Pennsylvania Halts Construction on Sunoco Gas Pipeline
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania environmental officials have ordered Sunoco to halt construction of a natural gas pipeline across the southern part of the state, citing a series of spills and other “egregious and willful violations” of state law. The Department of Environmental Protection annou..
Michigan Scrambles to Address Chemical Contaminants in Water
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – While Flint still recovers from a lead-tainted water crisis, Michigan is scrambling to combat potential health risks in tap water that stem from chemicals long used in firefighting, waterproofing, carpeting and other products. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have..
Greenville Takes Out Short-Term Loan for Sewer Project
GREENVILLE, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi city is borrowing money to help pay for improvements to its sewer system. The Delta Democrat-Times reports that Greenville City Council members voted for the $2 million short-term loan during their final meeting of 2017. The loan is a tax anticipati..
Mayor Says Flint Focused on Replacing Lead Pipes
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Flint’s mayor says city employees are focused first and foremost on replacing lead water pipes but are also working to provide status reports required under a legal settlement. Karen Weaver issued a statement Thursday in response to plaintiffs asking a federal judge to interve..
Michigan: Flint School District not Allowing Water Testing
FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Michigan environmental officials say a Flint school district hasn’t allowed the state to flush lines or test water inside its buildings. The Flint Journal reports that Flint Community Schools officials have declined to comment to the newspaper about the issue. Schools and child ..
Nevada Town Faces $3.6 Million Suit over February Flooding
ELKO, Nev. (AP) — Dozens of northern Nevada residents are suing the city of Elko for more than $3.6 million over damage caused by extensive flooding last February. State Assemblyman John Ellison is among the 60 plaintiffs listed in the negligence suit filed earlier this month in Elko District Court..
Frontier Communications Achieves Rural Broadband Milestone
Frontier Communications announced it has exceeded 2017 milestone requirements for the Connect America Fund program (CAF) in eight additional states: Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. The Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund program requi..
Aqua America Chief Environmental Officer Appointed to Pennsylvania Lead Task Force
Aqua America’s Chief Environmental Officer Chris Crockett has been appointed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Lead Task Force Advisory Committee, established by the Joint State Government Commission, the primary non-partisan research and policy development agency for Pennsylvania’s General Asse..
1st Phase of Chicago Reservoir Project Designed to Reduce Sewer Overflows Completed
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have completed the first phase of the McCook Reservoir Project, a key component of MWRD’s Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) to reduce flood damage and sewer overflow pollution in the Chicago area. A..
Ohio EPA Unveils 2018 Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Program Management Plan
Ohio EPA has finalized the 2018 Program Management Plan for the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF), which provides financial and technical assistance for projects that improve the quality of Ohio’s rivers, streams, lakes and other water bodies. As part of the 2018 plan, the agency is offering..
Virginia Regulator Target of Intimidation Attempt by Pipeline Protesters
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – A member of Virginia’s water board says opponents of two proposed natural gas pipelines are trying to intimidate her. The Virginian-Pilot reports that a banner reading “Stop Poisoning Our Community!” was hung on the front porch of State Water Control Board Vice Chair Heather Woo..
New Jersey: Atlantic City Water Works Won’t be Sold
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey officials say Atlantic City’s water utility will not be privatized. Former U.S. Sen. Jeff Chiesa (Key-EH’-sah) said Wednesday the state will not seek to sell the utility. There had been speculation that the state, which had seized control of Atlantic City’s as..
$20M for Plant that Spewed Black Water near Niagara Falls
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — The aging sewage treatment plant responsible for a stinky black discharge at Niagara Falls over the summer is in line for an overhaul. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday proposed spending $20 million to begin improvements at the Niagara Falls Wastewater Treatment Facil..
Fiber Broadband Association Releases White Paper on Fiber and 5G
The Fiber Broadband Association has released a new white paper, “The Road to 5G is Paved with Fiber,” on the necessity of fiber broadband for 5G networks. The paper explains how more wireline fiber—and a substantial amount of it—will be needed to support the next generation of our wireless networks...
Federal Judge Dismisses Legal Effort to Halt Gas Pipeline
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge has delivered a blow to some Ohio property owners’ efforts to stop construction of a high-pressure natural gas pipeline. U.S. District Judge John Adams in Akron on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed in May by more than 60 property owners. They want the Federal Ener..
Indiana Utility Commission Chairman to Retire in January
NDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The chairman of the Indiana commission that oversees utility companies is retiring after less than a year on the job. Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Monday that Jim Atterholt will retire on Jan. 12 as chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Holcomb had appointed Atte..
Portland Water Bureau Proposes Settlement with Ratepayers
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The city of Portland has reached a proposed $10 million settlement with water and sewer ratepayers who questioned spending ratepayer money on non-water-related programs. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the Portland Water Bureau and an attorney for ratepayers on Friday an..
Troubled New Orleans Sewer and Water Agency Facing Federal Audit
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The agency that oversees drainage, sewer and water systems in New Orleans faces an audit of its spending of federal money received following Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans news outlets report that the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General notified the Sewe..
Iowa City May Raise Sewer User Fees for Infrastructure Upgrades
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A city in central Iowa has approved a plan to spend $73 million over 15 years to improve the city’s sewer system, a move that could lead to rate increases. The Waterloo City Council unanimously approved a sanitary sewer improvement plan Tuesday in order to comply with a ..
Phase 1B of the Rover Pipeline Can Begin Operations
Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. has received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to place Phase 1B of the Rover Pipeline project into service. With the addition of the Phase 1B facilities, the Rover Pipeline is now capable of transporting up to 1.7 billion cubic feet per da..
Regulators Approve Utility's Rate Increase to Recoup Infrastructure Costs
The Maine Water Company (Maine Water), a subsidiary of Connecticut Water Service, Inc. (Connecticut Water), today announced that the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) has approved a water rate increase for customers of Maine Water’s Biddeford and Saco Division, which serves 16,500 customers i..
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