Regulatory
Vermont Utility Regulators Give Final Nod to FairPoint Deal
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Vermont utility regulators have given final approval to a deal that will allow the state’s largest landline telecommunications company to be acquired by an Illinois Company. The Vermont Public Service Board decision that was released Monday says the combined company that wi..
Flint Extends Contract for Detroit-area Water Supply
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Flint has extended its water contract with the Great Lakes Water Authority to September as the impoverished Michigan city struggles to recover from a lead-tainted water crisis. The Flint Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2teV69f ) that the city council approved the short-term..
Vermont Public Service Board Is Changing Its Name
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Public Service Board is changing its name to the Vermont Public Utility Commission. The board announced on its website that the new name will go into effect on July 1. The panel will continue its mission of approving the siting of energy project and ove..
California's Giant Water Tunnels Win First Crucial Approval
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — U.S. wildlife officials gave crucial first approval Monday to California Gov. Jerry Brown’s decades-old ambitions to build two massive tunnels that would re-engineer the water system in the nation’s most populous state. The National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wi..
Feds To Give Update On California’s Big Water Tunnels
The federal regulators evaluating Gov. Jerry Brown’s decades-old ambitions to re-engineer the water supplies from California’s largest river are promising a status update Monday, as Brown’s $16 billion proposal to shunt part of the Sacramento through two mammoth tunnels awaits a crucial yes or no fr..
Maine Regulators, FairPoint Agree on $175K Settlement
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine utility regulators and FairPoint Communications are in agreement on a $175,000 settlement after the company failed to meet performance benchmarks from 2014 to last year. The state Public Utilities Commission’s staff had recommended $500,000 in fines after FairPoint..
Florida DEP Approves Nearly $39 Million for Water Pipeline Projects
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs recently selected seven clean water and drinking water pipeline projects around the state for $38.6 million in low-interest loans and grants. Both programs provide l..
PHMSA Seeks Pipeline Advisory Committee Nominations
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has announced it is seeking nominations for personnel, preferably executive-level leadership, from the federal government and industry to fill vacancies on its Gas and Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committees. ..
Montana City Takes Ownership of Water Utility
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — The city of Missoula has taken ownership of the water utility that serves its residents after a three-year court battle. The city bought Mountain Water Co. for $83.86 million and paid another $6.8 million to developers who had a claim against the company. Those amounts ..
Underground Construction Industry Applauds Proposed Sewer, Water Infrastructure Legislation
Legislation that would open the door to private investment in water and wastewater infrastructure investment was introduced today by U.S. Reps. John “Jimmy” Duncan (R-Tenn.) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.). The Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act, which would remove water and wastewater..
Mountain Valley Review Finds Limited Environmental Impacts
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — An environmental assessment of the proposed Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline finds the project would have “significant” impacts on forests in Virginia and West Virginia but “limited” other adverse effects. The analysis was published Friday by the Federal Energy Regulatory Co..
Contract Awarded for Lewis and Clark Water Pipeline Project
TEA, S.D. (AP) — The organization responsible for a system that delivers water to towns and rural water systems in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota has awarded a contract to construct a pipeline. The Lewis and Clark Regional Water System board of directors said Thursday that a roughly $2.2 mi..
Ruling on Dakota Access Pipeline Shutdown Months Away
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge won’t decide until later this year whether to shut down the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline while federal officials conduct a more thorough environmental review. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Wednesday approved a schedule under which both sides in a..
Trade Associations Send Letter Urging Senate to Approve FERC Nominees
30 trade associations have sent a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Chuck Schemer imploring them to act promptly to restore a quorum at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In the letter, the associations claim that because FERC has lacked a quorum for..
Settlement Approved in 2016 Seattle Natural Gas Explosion
SEATTLE (AP) — The state’s largest energy utility will pay at least $1.5 million for a natural gas explosion in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood last year. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Monday approved a settlement between Puget Sound Energy and commission staff reached ..
Report: New York Should Do More to Protect Drinking Water
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A new report from New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli concludes that state officials can do more to protect residents from drinking water contamination. The findings are part of an analysis released by DiNapoli’s office on Monday. They come after potentially harmful industrial ..
Agencies Issue Public Advisory Due to Sewer Bypass
The United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have jointly issued an Advisory for the Missouri River downstream from the confluence of Papillion Creek and the Missouri River south of Omaha. The..
Michigan Governor Defends Cabinet Members Charged in Flint Water Crisis
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – An apologetic Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was largely silent last year when criminal charges were brought against state officials over Flint’s man-made drinking water crisis, except to say some “bureaucrats” had failed residents and that he was focused on the city’s recovery. No..
Republicans Ready Regulatory Relief for Pipelines
It looks like, based on two recent hearings, that GOP members of the House are focused on providing the pipeline industry with regulatory relief as part of any infrastructure bill which comes before Congress. One House committee held hearings in May on a discussion draft of legislation containing ch..
Plastics Pipe Institute Shows Support for Trump's “Construction of American Pipelines” Memorandum
The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc., the major trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry, today released a statement echoing comments made by several national associations representing the oil and gas pipeline industry in support of President Trump’s objective to increas..
Official Hopes Charges in Flint Water Crisis Help Return Trust
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — In a battered city where many still refuse to bathe in tap water, much less drink it, the prosecution of officials accused of letting Flint’s public supply become contaminated with toxic lead and failing to warn of deadly bacteria represents a tentative step toward restoring trus..
California to Require Utilities to Plug Gas Leaks Big and Small
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California regulators adopted a stricter rule Thursday that requires utilities to plug leaks in natural gas lines. The rule adopted by California Public Utilities Commission aims to cut 40 percent of the potent greenhouse gases emitted from leaking pipes and gas distribution syst..
Agencies Delay Methane Rules Opposed by Oil, Gas Industry
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is delaying two Obama-era regulations aimed at restricting harmful methane emissions from oil and gas production. The Environmental Protection Agency said it is seeking a two-year delay for oil and gas companies to follow a new rule requiring them to monit..
West Virginia American Water Seeks Infrastructure Rate Hike
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia American Water Co. has asked state regulators to endorse infrastructure improvements that would boost the average residential customer’s bill by $1.04 per month. The company’s application was filed Thursday with the Public Service Commission. The company says..
Utility Earns National Safety Award
For the second straight year, Florida Public Utilities Company, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, has received a Safety Achievement Award from the American Gas Association for excellence in employee safety. The selection was based on criteria that included professional and person..
Nearly 600 Rural Organizations Sign Letter Opposing Elimination of USDA Sewer, Water Programs
Nearly 600 organizations have signed a letter to Congress opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate the Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The letter also criticizes the elimination of the Rural Water and Wastewater Loans and Grant..
Judge: Redo Part of Analysis for Dakota Access Pipeline
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge has handed a lifeline to efforts to block the Dakota Access pipeline, ruling Wednesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers didn’t adequately consider the possible impacts of an oil spill where the pipeline passes under the Missouri River. U.S. District Judge Jam..
Regulators to Investigate Water Utility in Bribery Scheme
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Corporation Commission has voted to review the rates, operations and finances of a San Tan Valley water utility company connected with an alleged bribery scheme. The commission will also have a consultant look at a 2013 policy change that allowed 28 utilities officials ..
New Mexico Utility Executive Elected to Lead Industry Group
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A national association that represents investor-owned electric companies has elected its first woman to serve as chairman of the board. The Edison Electric Institute announced the election of Pat Vincent-Collawn on Tuesday during its annual convention in Boston. Vincent-Col..
Wisconsin Lawmakers Scale Back Lead Pipe Replacement Program
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Legislators have scaled back a bill that would create grants and loans to help people replace lead water pipes. The bill would allow water utilities to provide grants or loans to people subject to local government and state regulators approval. The utilities would be allowed to..
- 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