Regulatory
Ex-Energy Regulators Denounce Trump Bid to Boost Coal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight former federal energy regulators — including five former commission chairs — oppose a Trump administration plan to bolster nuclear and coal-fired power plants, arguing it would raise prices and disrupt electricity markets. The former officials, who served under presidents fr..
Energy Associations File Comments Opposing Proposed Electric Grid Resiliency Pricing Rule
12 associations representing oil, natural gas, wind, solar, efficiency, and other energy technologies today submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in response to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed rulemaking on grid resiliency pricing. In joint comments, the ass..
Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Approves Settlement in Rate Case
Hawaii Water Service, a subsidiary of California Water Service Group has received approval from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to increase annual revenues by approximately $771,000 in its Pukalani wastewater system for improvements made over recent years. The increase will become effective a..
Houston Receives $47 Million to Address Brays Bayou Flooding
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved more than $47 million in financial assistance from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to the city of Houston. The city will use the assistance to finance design and construction costs associated with a stormwater management project to address f..
Texas Water Development Board Makes $90 Million Available for Hurricane Harvey Recovery
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved amendments to the State Fiscal Year 2018 State Revolving Funds Intended Use Plans making $90 million in financial assistance available for disaster recovery. The approval will enable the TWDB to provide immediate funding options to communities im..
Frontier Communications to Help Bridge California's Digital Divide
Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) and Frontier Communications have joined together to expand broadband Internet services to digitally unserved and underserved areas in California. Representative Ruiz serves on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and has ..
Lawsuit Filed over North Carolina Water Contamination
The national law firm of Baron & Budd has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Brunswick County in the United States Eastern District of North Carolina against Chemours and DuPont for their role in contaminating the Cape Fear River. The firm is pursuing legal action on the county’s behalf to recover costs r..
Nevada County Combating Flushable Wipes in Sewer Campaign
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Clark County Water Reclamation District is working to educate the public to keep flushable wipes out of toilets in effort to curb the buildup the product can create. The Las Vegas Sun reports the district spends tens of thousands of dollars annually to clear out buildup of it..
Milwaukee Wins Waukesha Water Contract
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee, not Oak Creek, will sell Lake Michigan water to the City of Waukesha under a new deal. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly announced the 40-year water supply agreement on Monday. Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak says for Waukes..
Kansas Gas Companies Told to Expedite Pipeline Replacement
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Corporation Commission has rejected a request from three gas companies, sticking to its original ruling that they need to speed up the replacement of obsolete pipeline deemed a safety risk. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the commission ruled in September for ..
Sewer and Septic Repair Loan Program Expanded in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) are expanding a program intended to help homeowners with repairs and connections to septic and sewer systems. The goals are to help homeowners deal with the unexpected expenses rela..
Puerto Rico Utility to Scrap $300M Power Contract
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The head of Puerto Rico’s power company said Sunday the agency is cancelling its $300 million contract with Whitefish Energy Holdings amid scrutiny of the tiny Montana company’s role in restoring the island’s power system. The announcement by Ricardo Ramos came hours af..
Lawmaker Blasts Video Game Allowing Fantasy Pipeline Attacks
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota lawmaker wants to impose new restrictions on state funding of the arts after learning about a video game that lets players zap imaginary oil pipelines with lightning bolts. Elizabeth LaPensee received nearly $3,300 from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to c..
Wisconsin Senate to Vote on Lead Pipe Replacement Loans
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin state Senate is expected to vote on a bill that would allow a public water utility and municipalities to finance property owners’ efforts to replace lead pipes. Under the bill, public water utilities, cities, villages, towns or counties could provide grants, loans..
Judge Dismayed by Flint’s Refusal to Follow Water Order
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A judge says the Flint City Council again has failed to come up with a long-term water source and may be pushing the troubled community toward bankruptcy. In a sweeping decision Friday, federal Judge David Lawson says the council’s proposed two-year extension with the Great Lake..
Enbridge Knew of Line 5 Damage Years Ago
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The company that operates twin oil pipelines in a Great Lakes waterway says it knew three years ago that protective coating had been damaged but didn’t inform regulatory agencies. Enbridge Inc. says four gaps were opened in enamel coating on one section of Line 5 in Mich..
Water Pipeline to Be Built in Pennsylvania
On behalf of Governor Tom Wolf, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced funding for an Abandoned Mine Land (AML) project to construct a public waterline to serve 148 homes and businesses with public drinking water. “The Pine Grove Waterline Project will eliminate..
San Francisco PUC Awarded $625 Million Water Infrastructure Loan
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $625-million WIFIA (Water Infrastructure and Financing Innovation Act) loan to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). The loan, one of 12 issued nationwide, is expected to save ratepayers over $200 million. The $625-million ..
FEMA Disavows Puerto Rico Power Contract Amid Investigations
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it had no involvement in the decision to award a $300 million contract to help restore Puerto Rico’s power grid to a tiny Montana company in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown. FEMA said in a statement that any language in ..
Water Utility’s Settlement Would Lower Bill Increases
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia water utility has filed a settlement with the state Public Service Commission that’d remove a $5 million proposal which upgrades infrastructure between two communities and raises bills. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported Sunday that independent Commission ..
EPA: Michigan Should Boost Water Safety in Flint, Statewide
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Staff and funding shortages and poor data management are preventing Michigan environmental regulators from making sure that state residents have safe drinking water, federal officials said Thursday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said deficiencies in Michigan’s..
Pipeline Protesters Receive Jail Time
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota man and a Rhode Island woman are the first people to be sent to jail for protesting the Dakota Access pipeline. Sixty-four-year-old Mary Redway and 27-year-old Alexander Simon were convicted Oct. 19 of misdemeanor disorderly conduct during the protests in North ..
Grant to Improve Water Quality for the Maumee River Basin
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A northeastern Indiana county is receiving a $367,000 federal grant to improve the water quality for the Maumee River Basin. The Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council says Allen County will use the funds for improvements in Fort Wayne to capture nearly 500,000 g..
Minnesota Regulators Cancel Pipeline Hearings
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The state Public Utilities Commission has canceled public hearings scheduled this week in St. Cloud on Enbridge Energy’s proposal to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. In a news release, the PUC says the city of St. Cloud advised the commis..
Michigan School’s Water Clear of Chemicals
ROCKFORD, Mich. (AP) — Drinking water tested at a western Michigan middle school has shown no signs of hazardous chemicals from a decades-old tannery waste dump site. Rockford Public Schools turned off drinking fountains at East Rockford Middle School two weeks ago as a precaution after leather and..
Database Seeks to Highlight Pipeline Infrastructure Attacks
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An oil and gas industry group is seeking to highlight what it says is an increase in protester attacks on energy infrastructure such as oil pipelines through an online database cataloguing incidents of “eco-terrorism, sabotage, arson, vandalism and violence.” The Energy Equipm..
Trump Administration Opposes California Water Tunnel Project
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Trump administration said Wednesday that it will not support a massive water project proposed by California, the latest and most serious blow for Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to re-engineer the state’s water system by building two giant water tunnels. “The Trump administration d..
Lawmakers Seek Probe of Puerto Rico Power Contract
WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of Congress from both parties on Tuesday called for an investigation into a $300 million contract awarded to a small company based in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, Montana. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority awarded the contract to Whitefish ..
California Democrats Seek New Federal Probe of Water Project
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Five California Democrats in Congress asked Tuesday for a new federal review of funding for Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed tunnel project. Their request follows a federal audit of Brown’s $16 billion proposal to re-engineer California’s complex north-south water system by building..
Illinois Attorney General Sues Gas Company Over Leak
MAHOMET, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois attorney general is suing a Chicago gas company over an underground natural-gas leak that has affected water wells near the central part of the state. The News-Gazette reports the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan against Peoples Gas is based on a refe..
- 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