Regulatory
Colorado Revising Pipeline Regulations After Fatal Gas Explosion
DENVER (AP) — Colorado regulators are starting work on new rules for thousands of pipelines that crisscross oil and gas fields in the aftermath of a fatal home explosion blamed on a gas leak. The state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will hold the first of two meetings with industry repre..
Ohio Increases Fines to $2.3 Million Against Pipeline Developer
TOLEDO (AP) – Ohio’s environmental agency has more than doubled the fines against a company building a natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Michigan. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says the fines against Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners stemming from water and air pollution vio..
Tennessee Accepting Proposals for Water Quality Grants
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee officials are accepting grant proposals for projects that will improve water quality and reduce or eliminate certain types of pollution. A state Department of Agriculture news release Tuesday says the grants target pollution from soil, urban runoff, fertilizers, ch..
North Dakota Settles with Dakota Access Pipeline Builder
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators have approved an agreement settling allegations that the Texas-based builder of the Dakota Access pipeline violated state rules during construction.North Dakota’s Public Service Commission last year accused Energy Transfer Partners of improperly reportin..
New York Invests $69M in Upgrades for Local Water Systems
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state is making a $69 million investment in local water and sewer projects. The state announced the funding on Tuesday. It will support projects in 12 towns, cities and towns as part of a state program that aims to help local governments complete water projects they cou..
New York City DEP, Water Research Foundation Release New Stormwater Report
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in partnership with the Water Research Foundation, today released Innovative and Integrated Stormwater Management, a new report highlighting challenges faced by stormwater programs worldwide, including flood mitigation programs, integra..
New Jersey American Water Files for Rate Increase Due to Infrastructure Improvements
New Jersey American Water has filed a petition with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to increase rates by approximately $129.3 million in response to the significant investment the company has made into its water and wastewater infrastructure since its last rate adjustment in 2015. “In less..
Key Farm District Considers Backing California Water Project
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Farmers in the nation’s largest irrigation district on Tuesday will consider whether to sign on to Gov. Jerry Brown’s $16 billion plans to build two giant tunnels to re-engineer California’s north-south water delivery system. The biggest water project proposed for California i..
Whistleblower Complaint Targets California Utility Regulator
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The former chief administrative law judge at California’s powerful utility regulator said Tuesday she was fired for cooperating with investigators looking into collusion between regulators and executives from Pacific Gas & Electric. Karen Valentia Clopton announced that sh..
West Virginia National Guard Chief: Protect Infrastructure From Flooding
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The head of the West Virginia National Guard says the state needs to set standards to make sure water and sewer plants located in flood plains can withstand flooding. According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail , Adj. Gen James Hoyer told state lawmakers meeting in interim ses..
All Rover Pipeline HDD Activities Can Resume
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved Energy Transfer Partners request to resume Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) operations along the Rover Pipeline Project. Drilling operations at nine HDD locations approved by FERC are expected to begin within the week, with an emphas..
Delaware Town Loses Building Permit Fee Case to Sewer and Water Authority
DOVER, Del. (AP) – A judge has ruled that a central Delaware town cannot collect $27,000 from a local water and sewer authority as a building permit fee for a million-gallon water storage tank. The judge ruled Monday that the purported building fee demanded by the town of Camden is actually a tax, ..
FERC Nominees Advanced by Senate Committee
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today advanced two of President Trump’s nominees to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Richard Glick, a Democratic attorney and Kevin McIntyre, FERC’s chairman-in-waiting. Glick and McIntyre will now receive a vote before the entire Senate...
Water District Chief: Gold Butte Boundary Change Could Be Good Thing
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Reports that U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is proposing to cut the size of Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada drew condemnation from environmentalist advocates and Democratic elected officials, but a measured cheer from the head of a southern Nevada water district with spri..
Regulators Give Atlantic Sunrise OK to Build Pipeline
CONESTOGA, Pa. (AP) — Federal regulators have given final approval to a company planning a contested $3 billion pipeline to carry natural gas from northeastern Pennsylvania to Southern states. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the notice on Friday for 197-mile stretch of the Atl..
Millions of Californians on Hook for Water Plan
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Water districts and households across California could be compelled to help pay for Gov. Jerry Brown’s plans to build two giant tunnels to ferry water to cities and farms mainly in central and Southern California, under newly disclosed plans to shore up funding for the strugglin..
Officials Say Delaware County Needs $10M Sewer Repair
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — A main sewer line in Delaware’s New Castle County needs $10 million in emergency repairs. The News Journal reports (http://delonline.us/2y72xOy ) that officials briefed the county council on the need for repairs to an underground stretch of concrete and steel pipe known as t..
Feds Announce $62 Million for Navajo Water Pipeline
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Interior says it’s awarded a nearly $62 million contract for construction of a water pipeline between two northwestern New Mexico communities. The pipeline is part of the greater Navajo-Gallup Water Supply project, which has been in the works for several y..
Regulators Need More Time for Pipeline Review
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Environmental regulators in North Carolina say they need more information and more time to evaluate the water quality implications of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Officials with the Department of Environmental Quality sent a letter Thursday to developers of the proposed natural..
Kinder Morgan Fails Pre-Construction Audit for Pipeline Project
The National Energy Board (NEB) has released its pre-construction audit of Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC (Trans Mountain), a Kinder Morgan subsidiary. The audit evaluated Trans Mountain’s preparedness to manage construction of its Trans Mountain Expansion Project in a way that assures worker safety an..
Feds Overrule New York’s Natural Gas Pipeline Permit Denial
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Federal regulators have overruled New York state’s denial of a key permit for a pipeline expansion fueling a $900 million power plant under construction. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined Friday that the state Department of Environmental Conservation took too l..
Niagara Falls Water Board Fined $50K for Black Discharge
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state is fining the Niagara Falls Water Board $50,000 for discharging black and smelly water near the falls during a busy tourist weekend. Gov. Andrew Cuomo traveled to the falls Thursday to announce the penalty. The Democrat says the Water Board will also be required t..
South Carolina Consumer Groups Demand Lawmakers Watch Utilities Closer
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A group of small businesses and community leaders say South Carolina lawmakers must take several steps to more closely watch utilities after $10 billion was spent on the abandoned construction of two nuclear reactors. The group called Stop the Blank Check said Wednesday that l..
Florida Senator Asks Telecom Companies to Provide Irma Rebates
(AP) — Florida Sen. Bill Nelson has asked the nation’s largest cable, telephone and internet providers for rebates to Hurricane Irma victims for service interruptions. The Democratic U.S. senator also asked them Thursday for a 60-day moratorium on late fees and other penalties. Nelson wrote to the..
Natural Gas Pipeline Construction Project Approved
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A government panel has approved a plan to construct part of a natural gas pipeline in New Jersey’s Pinelands. Thursday’s Pinelands Commission vote was 8 to 4, with one abstention. The panel’s director in 2015 unilaterally approved the application, but the courts ruled the full ..
Plan to Continue Flint Residents' Access to Bottled Water
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — About 2,100 Flint residents with mobility issues or limited access to transportation are expected to continue receiving bottled water at home as part of a plan to help the Michigan city recover from its lead-tainted water crisis. Mayor Karen Weaver’s office says bottled water, f..
Arizona Utility Regulator to Join Trump Administration
PHOENIX (AP) — A member of the state commission that regulates utilities is resigning to take a job with the Trump Administration in Washington. Commissioner Doug Little announced Wednesday that he has accepted a job with the U.S. Department of Energy and will step down Sept. 29. Little is one of ..
Feds Agree to Build Pipeline to Prevent New Jersey Beach Flooding
MARGATE, N.J. (AP) — The federal government has agreed to clean up the mess it created on a New Jersey beach, where flooding from a dune construction project forced beachgoers to wade through vile water or take blocks-long detours to reach the ocean. Jordan Rand, the lawyer for Margate, told The As..
NV5 Global Wins $60 Million Infrastructure Design Contract in New York City
NV5 Global, Inc. has been awarded a $60 million contract by the New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC) to perform engineering design services for city-funded infrastructure projects. The projects will be driven by mayoral initiatives, community needs, and infrastructure rehabil..
Colorado Releases New Pipeline Regulation Outline
DENVER (AP) — Colorado regulators have released an outline for new rules governing oil and gas pipelines after a fatal house explosion blamed on a gas leak. The outline calls for new standards for designing, testing and shutting down flow lines, which carry oil or gas from wells to tanks or other g..
- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- 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