Regulatory
Utah Residents Weigh in on 50-year Water Plan
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah residents had a chance last week to weigh in on Gov. Gary Herbert’s 50-year water-use plan for the state, which drew both praise and criticism from those gathered. The new long-term state water plan shows Utah officials are still considering an expensive Lake Powell pipel..
West Virginia Water Agency Head to Retire After Ethics Probe
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The head of a West Virginia water agency will retire after an ethics investigation. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that a letter from Gov. Jim Justice’s office says West Virginia Water Development Authority Executive Director Chris Jarrett will step down and reti..
Michigan's Legal Bills for Flint Water Crisis Top $14M
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s legal bills for the man-made water crisis in Flint are piling up. At least $14 million has been spent hiring lawyers from at least 33 law firms, according to an Associated Press analysis of state records. Costs are only expected to balloon as Attorney General Bill S..
NTSB Heading Investigation into Fatal Natural Gas Explosion
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into an apparent natural gas explosion that destroyed a Pennsylvania home and killed a utility worker. The UGI Utilities worker was checking out a reported gas odor when the house in Manor Township, near Lan..
Rhode Island Town to Remove Lead Pipes
North Providence, Rhode Island Mayor Charles Lombardi has announced a pilot program to remove lead water pipes from 563,000 residential properties. The Whole Lead Pipe Program is a partnership between the town of North Providence and Providence Water to replace lead pipes with new, lead-free lines...
129,000 Oil, Gas Lines Identified Near Buildings in Colorado
DENVER (AP) — Colorado has nearly 129,000 underground oil and gas pipelines within about 1,000 feet (300 meters) of occupied buildings, according to energy company reports ordered by the state after a fatal house explosion blamed on a severed gas line. Friday was the deadline for companies to test ..
INGAA President Praises FERC Nomination
Don Santa, president and chief executive officer of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, today praised the White House for announcing its plan to nominate Rich Glick as a commissioner to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “INGAA applauds the announcement of President Trum..
Trump Announces Another FERC Nominee
President Donald J. Trump has announced his intent to nominate Richard Glick of Virginia to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the remainder of a 5-year term expiring June 30, 2022. Glick currently serves as General Counsel for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Comm..
Pennsylvania Governor Approves Funding for 17 Municipal Stormwater Projects
On June 29, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced the approval of funding to support to 17 municipal stormwater projects in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. “The convenience we all enjoy with pavement comes with a tangible cost: increased runoff pollution in our local wate..
API Praises Admin Action to Rescind WOTUS Rule
The American Petroleum Institute (API) praised actions taken by the Trump administration earlier this week to rescind the 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “Today’s action by the administration will help spur U.S. job creation by providing the regulatory certainty needed to encourage i..
API Releases 50-State Analysis Of Natural Gas Benefits
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has released a new study on the benefits natural gas brings to the nation in terms of consumer savings, family-sustaining jobs and economic growth. The study shows that all 50 states benefit from natural gas produced domestically, including non-producing states..
Trial Delay Sought for Former Utility Regulator, 3 Others
PHOENIX (AP) — Trial for a former Arizona utility regulator accused of accepting payments from a water company owner in exchange for a boost in rates will likely be delayed. Federal prosecutors and attorneys for former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce and three others agreed to th..
Application for PennEast Pipeline Closed Over Deficiencies
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey regulators have closed an application for a more than $1 billion natural gas pipeline starting in Pennsylvania and ending in New Jersey. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday in a letter to PennEast that its request for a 60-day extensi..
Michigan Sues Flint After Council Refuses to OK Water Deal
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – The state of Michigan sued Flint Wednesday, alleging that the city council’s refusal to approve a broadly backed deal to buy water long term from a Detroit-area system is endangering public health in the wake of a man-made crisis that left the supply contaminated with lead. Th..
Board Orders Review of Vermont Utility Regulation System
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Public Service Board has ordered a review of the state’s utility regulation system saying it wants to make sure it’s equipped to handle modern utilities. The review would include a look at an alternative regulatory model used by Green Mountain Power and Verm..
Trump Administration Moves to Withdraw Obama’s Water Rule
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration moved Tuesday to roll back an Obama administration policy that protected more than half the nation’s streams from pollution but drew attacks from farmers, fossil fuel companies and property-rights groups as federal overreach. The 2015 regulation sought t..
Texas Town Receives $5.5 Million for Water, Wastewater Projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved financial assistance in the amount of $5.5 million, consisting of a $1.6 million loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and a $3.9 million loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, to the city of Gladewater. The assistance provi..
More than $16 Million Awarded for South Dakota Water, Wastewater Projects
The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources has approved more than $16 million for water and wastewater projects. Loans were awarded to the following municipalities: Eagle Butte, $940,000 in two loans, which includes a $670,000 loan for sanitary and storm sewer improv..
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..
- 2 workers killed, 1 injured while working on sewer line in Mobile, Ala.
- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico
- Tunnel boring continues under Chesapeake Bay for $3.9 billion HRBT Expansion project
- Judge approves construction for key portion of $485 million pipeline in Larimer County, Colo.
- 31 workers rescued after LA tunnel partially collapses
- New products: Latest industry developments
- 31 workers rescued after LA tunnel partially collapses
- Ohio Supreme Court rules sewer line location isn’t a ‘defect’ in property dispute
- Faulconer Construction begins rock blasting for water pipeline project in Charlottesville, Va.
- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico