Regulatory
Court Orders Pause in Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Construction
COLUMBIA, Pa. (AP) — A federal appeals court has temporarily halted construction of a natural gas pipeline in Pennsylvania. LNP reports the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., stopped work on the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline. Environmental groups are asking for a comprehensive environmental re..
Michigan Environmental Agency Gives Deadline for Plume Model
ROCKFORD, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has given a shoe manufacturer until later this month to handle the scope of a toxic chemical plume leaking through the groundwater from the company’s landfill. The department sent a letter to Wolverine World Wide on Friday rega..
EPA Head Names Oil and Gas, Utility Executives to Science Advisory Boards
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency has named a slate of new members to federal science advisory boards, including several who work for chemical and fossil-fuel interests. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced his appointments Friday, after saying he would block sci..
Water Woes Bubble Below the Surface in Flint Recall Election
DETROIT (AP) — Karen Weaver was elected mayor of Flint two years ago arguing that her predecessor had bungled the response to the city’s lead-contaminated water crisis. Seventeen other people now believe they can do a better job and are seeking to oust her Tuesday in a recall election. The ballot ..
Key Court Hearing for State Official in Flint Water Scandal
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s chief medical executive is facing the start of an important court hearing tied to a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak during the Flint water crisis. Prosecutors will try to persuade a judge to send Dr. Eden Wells to trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter, obstructi..
White Mountain Apache Ask for Tweak to Allow Water Project
WASHINGTON (AP) — A White Mountain Apache leader told House members Thursday that the tribe desperately needs to “replace the failing and terminal groundwater well system,” but that current Interior Department regulations are preventing the tribe from moving forward on the project. Tribe Vice Cha..
As Election Looms, Michigan Wants Flint Water Deal Soon
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Michigan officials want the mayor of Flint to quickly sign a 30-year deal with a regional water agency after the City Council failed to come up with a long-term solution following the city’s lead-tainted water crisis. The state asked a judge on Friday to grant the signing power ..
Ohio Sues Gas Pipeline Developer over Pollution Violations
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio is suing the company building a $4.2 billion natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Michigan over what it says are numerous water pollution violations during construction. The lawsuit filed Friday says work on the Rover Pipeline flooded a protected wetland with drilling..
Gas Pipeline Developers Suing Hundreds of Landowners
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Developers of a proposed natural gas pipeline are suing hundreds of landowners in two states to gain rights of way granted by federal regulations. Mountain Valley Pipeline lawyers filed federal court complaints in Charleston, West Virginia and Roanoke, Virginia to obtain ea..
New York City DEP Completes Sewer Line Expansion Project
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has completed work on a $2.2 million sewer line extension project in the Town of Shandaken. The project will provide centralized wastewater collection and treatment to additional homes and businesses that currently rely on individual sep..
Electric Utilities Band Together to Support Power Restoration in Puerto Rico
Following Tuesday’s request for assistance from Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) CEO Ricardo Ramos, senior executives from the electric power industry and federal government convened a call last night to discuss next steps for this new phase in the power restoration effort. ..
New Hampshire Drinking Water Commission Approves $35M in State Projects
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A state advisory commission on drinking water and groundwater has approved $35 million in grants and loans for communities across New Hampshire. One of the projects approved for funding Thursday was a statewide assessment of drinking and groundwater contamination. Others involv..
Lead in Portland Water Exceeded Federal Limits at Some Homes
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Water Bureau has found that lead levels at high-risk homes in the city exceeded federal limits. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Thursday the city tested water from a sampling of 134 homes deemed at high risk for lead exposure because they contain plumbing manufa..
Senate Confirms McIntyre, Glick to FERC
The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nominations of Kevin McIntyre and Richard Glick to join the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). McIntyre will serve as Chairman. McIntyre, co-leader of the global Energy Practice at the law firm Jones Day, will serve out the remainder of a term that ends J..
Texas Residents Sue over Water Release During Harvey
VIDOR, Texas — More than 120 Southeast Texas residents have signed on to a federal lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers illegally took their property when it released water from a reservoir and a dam during Hurricane Harvey flooding their homes. The residents of Orange County, abo..
Dakota Access Developer, Corps Object to Tribes’ Proposal
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The builder of the Dakota Access oil pipeline and the federal agency that permitted the project are objecting to an effort by American Indian tribes to bolster protections for their water supply. Lawyers for Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners and the Army Corps of Engineers ..
Clash Emerges over Puerto Rico Power Restoration Time
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Officials in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are clashing over when power will be fully restored to the U.S. territory after Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico officials say Thursday that the state-owned utility is generating 37 percent of its regular output and aims for 95 percent ..
Enbridge Official Testifies Aging Pipeline Needs Replacing
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An official with Enbridge Energy testified Wednesday that the company’s aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota is increasingly subject to corrosion and cracking, and that its maintenance needs are expected to grow rapidly unless the company is allowed to rep..
Dakota Access Developer Sued over Farmland Damage
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota farming family has sued the Dakota Access pipeline company, alleging it reneged on promises to restore farmland damaged during the oil pipeline’s construction. Slack Family Properties accuses Dakota Access LLC of fraud, deceit, breach of contract and taking p..
Rhode Island Town Seeks to Monetize City Water for Pension Solution
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The mayor of Providence says he will again ask state legislators to allow the city to monetize its water supply to fund the pension system. Democratic Mayor Jorge Elorza says he believes the sale or lease of the city water system could generate over $300 million for th..
Michigan Health Chief Back in Court over Flint Water Crisis
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s urban affairs adviser contradicted the governor again Wednesday about when Snyder first learned about a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the Flint area. Harvey Hollins told a judge last month that he told Snyder about the outbreak late in 201..
Audit Urges Changes to Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A state audit is urging changes to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, saying years of mismanagement and lack of leadership have led to financial problems and deteriorating infrastructure. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says the 82,000 city customers are “all too familiar..
West Virginia Approves Mountain Valley Pipeline Again
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia environmental regulators on Wednesday lifted their suspension of the permit for building the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which would carry natural gas down the center of the state. The pipeline would extend south for 195 miles (315 kilometers) in north-central W..
Wisconsin Senate Passes Lead Pipe Replacement Bill
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A proposal designed to make it easier to replace lead pipes has cleared a hurdle in the Wisconsin Legislature. The state Senate on Tuesday passed the bill on a unanimous vote. It would allow a public water utility and municipalities to finance property owners’ efforts to replac..
Pipeline Construction Project Hearing Kicks off in Minnesota
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A hearing opens in St. Paul on Wednesday on whether Enbridge Energy should be allowed to replace a stretch of its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline that crosses northern Minnesota. The 12-day “evidentiary hearing” before an administrative law judge will be a trial-like proceedi..
$2.1 Million Awarded for Ohio Sewer, Water Projects
The Ohio EPA has awarded more than $2.1 million in low-interest loans from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund to improve sewer and water systems across the state. The projects receiving funding include: $92,085 to the village of Mingo Junction to model the village’s sanitary sewer system to s..
Iroquois Pipeline President Jeff Bruner Elected Chairman of INGAA's Board of Directors
The board of directors of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America has elected Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company (IPOC) President Jeffrey Bruner as chairman of the INGAA board of directors for a one‐year term, effective immediately. “As the chairman of INGAA, Jeff will lead our industry’..
Ohio Sewer Projects Receive $3.2 Million
The Ohio EPA has awarded more than $3.2 million in low-interest loans from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund to improve sewer systems across the state. The projects receiving funding include: $300,000 to the Village of Paulding for a combined sewer separation project, which includes the inst..
Pennsylvania DEP Signs Agreement to Regulate, Monitor Water Releases to Delaware River
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has signed a revised multi-state agreement that will continue water releases into the Delaware River from three New York City reservoirs. These releases support a variety of water uses in the portion of the river that forms the eastern bo..
Pennsylvania DEP Orders Water Utility to Make Infrastructure Upgrades
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today issued an Administrative Order requiring the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) to make critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs to its public drinking water system specifically to ensure adequate pressure and volume wi..
- OSHA cites Florida contractors for trench safety violations at sewer and excavation sites
- Biden-Harris administration invests $849 million in aging water infrastructure, drought resilience
- Cadiz to reuse steel from terminated Keystone XL pipeline for California groundwater project
- Texas contractor penalized by OSHA for repeated trench safety violations
- West Virginia approves $67 million for water, sewer projects