Regulatory
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..
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..
- PHMSA warns of heat risks in aging plastic gas distribution pipelines following deadly Pennsylvania explosion
- OSHA seeks $1.2 million fine after fatal trench collapse in Connecticut
- Phase 1 Alaska LNG pipeline advances with construction awards, pipe supply agreements
- OSHA issues 16 citations following fatal sewer confined space incident
- Gateway Tunnel construction faces shutdown next week as Trump withholds federal funding
- T-Mobile to expand fiber broadband infrastructure footprint with $4.9 billion Metronet acquisition
- First tunnel boring machines complete testing for Hudson Tunnel Project
- NWPX grows water infrastructure portfolio with Colorado precast facility
- Cityside launches $100 million fiber build in Corona, Calif.
- FiberLight to build 1,400-mile West Texas dark fiber network in $350 million expansion