Regulatory
Texas Water Development Board OK's More than $1 Billion in SWIFT Assistance
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved $1,052,915,000 in financial assistance from the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) program. The SWIFT financing will be distributed to 10 project sponsors across the state. “Texas communities understand the importance of proactive..
Nearly $16 Million Approved for Water Projects in Texas
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved financial assistance of more than $15.9 million for water and wastewater construction projects across the state. The projects approved include: $12 million to the city of Justin for water system improvements, including the replacement of 38..
Lawmakers Seek to Reauthorize Northern Border Regional Commission
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – A bipartisan group of seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives from northern New England and upstate New York is working together to reauthorize a program that provides economic development funds across the region. Since 2008, the Northern Border Regional Commission..
US Lawsuit: Ohio City let Sewage into Lake Erie Tributaries
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department have sued the Ohio city of Cleveland Heights, saying it allowed raw sewage to flow into Lake Erie tributaries. The Plain Dealer reports (http://bit.ly/2vmjBiH ) that Cleveland Heights denies any liability ..
Michigan’s Flint Campus Gets $400,000 for Water Expenses
FLINT, Mich. (AP) – The Flint campus of the University of Michigan is getting $400,000 from the state for costs related to the city’s water crisis. The money is part of the new budget signed last week by Gov. Rick Snyder. University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald says the money is partial reimbursement..
EPA Promoting Millions in Funding for Water, Sewer Programs
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Environmental Protection Agency is considering a dozen proposed water and sewer projects for a program that uses $25 million in federal funds to help secure billions in additional public and private financing. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt highlighted the Water Infrastructure..
Months Needed for Extra Study of Dakota Access Pipeline
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers says additional environmental review of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline is likely to take the rest of the year. The federal agency, Texas-based pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners and energy trade groups also are advocating for keepi..
North Carolina Gets $3M to Enforce Safe Drinking Water Act
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina has received $3 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help the state enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act. The grant, announced Monday, was made under the Public Water System Supervision program and goes to the state Division of Environmental Qu..
Rhode Island Town to Replace Lead Water Lines in Flint-Inspired Program
NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island town is teaming up with a utility to replace lead drinking water lines in a pilot program inspired by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The Providence Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2tWGBEG ) that North Providence is committing $270,000 in federal gra..
Ohio Village Receives $500,000 for Sanitary Sewer Expansion
The Ohio EPA is providing a $532,464 loan to the village of Apple Creek to extend sanitary sewers to Waynedale High School on Dover Road. The loan, along with a grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission, will cover the entire cost of the project. Apple Creek will extend sanitary sewers nearly a m..
Ohio Sewer District Receives Nearly $5 Million for Collection System Upgrades
The Ohio EPA is providing a $4,774,375 loan to the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) to fund upgrades to the Kingsbury Run sewer collection system. Kingsbury Run serves as a drainage outlet for the central portion of Cleveland, east of the Cuyahoga River, and the west end of Shaker Hei..
Trump Selects Lawyer as FERC's Chairman
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has nominated energy lawyer Kevin McIntyre to chair the vacancy-plagued commission that oversees the nation’s power grid and natural gas pipelines. Only one commissioner currently serves on the five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, leaving it wit..
Effort to Bring Water to Eastern New Mexico Inches Along
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. government is funneling another $5 million to a pipeline project aimed at bringing billions of gallons of water a year to parts of eastern New Mexico. One of six congressionally approved rural water projects underway nationwide, the Ute pipeline project has b..
New Jersey Governor Again Blocks Attempt to Rejoin Environmental Pact
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Republican Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday again blocked Democratic lawmakers’ attempt to have the state rejoin a regional environmental pact. Christie vetoed a measure approved in the Legislature that would require the state to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, sa..
California County Uses Eminent Domain in Water Fight with LA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A century after Los Angeles stealthily bought up rural land 200 miles north to secure valuable water rights, officials in the Owens Valley are fighting back. Inyo County has launched eminent domain proceedings in an effort to take property acquired by Los Angeles in the early 190..
Regulators Probe Whether Gas Pipeline Buried Deep Enough
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont regulators are investigating whether Vermont Gas Systems failed to bury its new gas pipeline from Colchester to Middlebury deep enough in New Haven. The Vermont Public Utility Commission said Friday that Vermont Gas notified the panel last month that it buried the pip..
PLCA Asks for Short-Haul Exemption from ELD Mandate
The Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA) has requested a short-haul exemption from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic logging device mandate set to take effect on Dec. 18 for all pipeline contractor vehicle drivers. According to the PLCA, drivers mostly utilize the sho..
Lawmakers Announce Plan to Extend California Cap and Trade
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders released a plan Monday to extend through 2030 California’s cap-and-trade program, a key piece of the state’s quest to fight climate change by drastically reducing emissions from greenhouse gases. The deal updates how refineries, uti..
New Mexico Utility Ordered to Release Documents in Rate Case
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s largest electric utility has been told to publicly release documents that were sealed as it pursues approval from state regulators for a rate increase. Two hearing officers for the Public Regulation Commission ruled this week that the utility failed to show the in..
Ohio EPA Orders Company to Clean up HDD Spills
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s environmental agency is ordering a company building a natural gas pipeline across Ohio to come up with a plan to clean up its spills from drilling and get rid of diesel-soaked mud. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency also wants the state to pursue a proposed fine of ..
Newspaper: New York Had Big Sewer Spill, Didn't Report It on Time
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York’s capital city has spilled 4 million gallons (15 million liters) of sewage into the Hudson River in the last two weeks and didn’t meet state requirements for reporting the problem quickly, a newspaper reported. Albany filed notice of the spills with the state ..
Nebraska Wastewater, Water Quality Agencies Joining Forces
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Two state agencies that regulate Nebraska’s water are joining forces in an effort to provide more efficient, streamlined services to the public. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Environmental Quality announced the new partnership on Thursda..
Judge Denies Water Crisis Legal Settlement
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal judge has declined to grant preliminary approval to a $151 million settlement stemming from a 2014 chemical spill that sparked a water crisis in West Virginia. Local news outlets report Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. said in an order Thursday that he wants changes t..
PHMSA Releases Mobile App for Pipeline Regulations
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has released a new online Code of Federal Regulations (oCFR) mobile application that provides first-ever mobile access to PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Regulations in 49 CFR parts 190-199, which highlights the f..
Construction Budget Held up in Dispute over Water Rights
SEATTLE (AP) — The Legislature averted a partial government shutdown last week by passing a two-year operating budget. But $4 billion in new construction projects and money for a few hundred state jobs still hang in the balance while the capital budget has been held up by a dispute over water rights..
Texas Water Development Board Awards $44 Million for Projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved more than $44 million in financial assistance from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for the following construction projects: 32,072 for Bracken Christian School of Bulverde. The school will use the financial assistance to cover costs ..
Vermont Utility Regulator Officially Changes Name
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont’s newly named Public Utility Commission says it’s going paperless. The commission, formerly known as the Public Service Board, which regulates utilities, starting using its new name on July 1. On Wednesday, it announced its “declaration of independence” from paper as..
Indiana Takes Action Against County for Sewer Pollution
NEW CASTLE, Ind. (AP) — The state of Indiana has taken action against Henry County after complaints of sewage polluting a creek, residential properties and the grounds of a swimming pool. The Star Press reports (http://tspne.ws/2sCOuC1 ) the Indiana Department of Environmental Management filed a no..
San Francisco Area Water Agencies Move to Expand Reservoir
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A dozen water agencies preparing for the next California drought are moving ahead with an $800 million expansion of one of the largest reservoirs in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Contra Costa Water District, which owns the Los Vaqueros Reservoir, has scheduled six public meet..
Dispute over Dakota Access Handling of Artifacts to Linger
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A dispute over whether the Texas-based developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline improperly reported the discovery of American Indian artifacts in North Dakota will linger into the fall, as the company continues fighting a relatively minor violation and small fine. Energy Tr..
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- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico