Regulatory
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..
West Virginia's Senators Urge Appalachian Natural Gas Hub
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s U.S. senators have introduced legislation intended to help establish a major natural gas storage and distribution hub in the Appalachian region. Their legislation would designate it a “critical energy infrastructure” project, which they say would make ..
Texas Town Receives Nearly $5 Million for Replacement of Water, Wastewater Pipelines
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved, by resolution, financial assistance in the amount of $4.81 million, consisting of a $2.2 million loan and $200,000 in loan forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and a $2.4 million loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund..
Dallas Gets $330 Million to Finance Water, Wastewater Pipeline Replacement Projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved financial assistance in the amount of $330 million, consisting of a $220 million multi-year loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and a $110 million multi-year loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, to the city of Dallas to h..
INGAA President Urges Quick Confirmation of FERC Nominees
Don Santa, president and chief executive officer of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, yesterday lauded the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s decision to “report out” favorably the nominations of Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson to serve as members of the Federal..
Utility's Water Quality Surpasses Regulatory Standards
According to results published in Illinois American Water’s 2016 Consumer Confidence Report, the company’s water quality surpassed regulatory standards. “The reports show that we continue to supply water to our customers that is of higher quality than required by state and federal standards,” said ..
Lawmakers Tout Plan to Ensure Safe Drinking Water in Schools
HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — Two federal lawmakers from New Jersey are touting legislation that would help schools test water for lead and replace outdated water infrastructure. Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Josh Gottheimer were at Hackensack High School on Monday to discuss the proposed “Get the Lead Out o..
Environmental Groups Sue over Pipeline Permitting Decisions
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Several environmental groups are suing the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality over part of the permitting process for two proposed natural gas pipelines. The Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition, Bold Alliance and Preserve Craig Inc. filed suit this week in Richmond..
No Higher Incidence of Cancer in Village with Tainted Water
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — No higher incidences of certain types of cancer linked to the toxic chemical PFOA were found in an upstate New York village whose water supplies were contaminated by the chemical, state health officials said in a report released Wednesday. The Department of Health said its inves..
Top Virginia Environmental Official Defends Pipeline Reviews
BOLAR, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s top environmental official insists the state is going “above and beyond” in evaluating the water quality impacts of two proposed natural gas pipelines. Department of Environmental Quality Director David Paylor made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press ..
Illinois Town Starts Second Year of Water-loss Reduction Program
ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Rockford has 1.3 billion gallons of water it cannot account for each year. The Rockford Register Star reports (http://bit.ly/2ssgynG ) that city workers will embark this week on the second year of a program to reduce water loss. Rockford’s water division in 2016 pumped and tr..
Ex-Regulator Pleads Not Guilty in Influence-peddling Case
PHOENIX (AP) — A former elected Arizona utility regulator pleaded not guilty Wednesday to bribery and fraud charges accusing him of accepting thousands of dollars in payments from a water company owner in exchange for favorable treatment in a rate case. Former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary ..
Former Utility Regulator to be Arraigned on Bribery Charge
PHOENIX (AP) – Former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce is scheduled to be arraigned on bribery and fraud charges in what prosecutors say was a scheme to accept payments from a water company owner in exchange for favorable treatment in a utility rate case. Arraignments also are scheduled..
Boil-water Advisory Lifted in New Jersey Capital
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Officials in New Jersey’s capital city have lifted a boil-water advisory. A problem with chlorine levels led officials to issue the advisory earlier Tuesday for parts of Trenton. City officials say a technical issue caused a drop in chlorine levels, and federal rules required t..
Officials: $70 Million Bond Sold to Help Fix Sewer Line
FRASER, Mich. (AP) — A $70 million bond has been sold to help pay for repairs to a sewer line that collapsed and caused a sinkhole north of Detroit. Macomb County officials say Wednesday that the bond will cover most of the $75 million cost. About $5 million from the state also will be used f..
Proposed Fine on Pipeline Builder Increased in Wetland Spill
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s environmental watchdog agency has raised the proposed penalty against a company building a high-pressure natural gas pipeline across the state after tests found diesel fuel in samples taken from the 2 million gallons of drilling mud that spilled into a wetland in April. T..
Judge Says Part of Flint Water Crisis Lawsuit Can Proceed
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A judge has refused to dismiss portions of a sweeping lawsuit against state and local officials in the Flint water crisis. Residents who drank lead-tainted water can continue to press ahead with their claim that their right to “bodily integrity” was spoiled by the disastrous dec..
Mississippi Utility Fined for Water Pollution Violations
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A Mississippi utility is being fined $55,000 for violating water pollution limits and failing to test air pollution. City-owned Greenwood Utilities agreed to pay the fine to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. The regulator cited Greenwood Utilities for viola..
OSHA Announces Inaugural ‘Safe + Sound Week’
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has designated June 12-18, 2017, as “Safe + Sound Week,” a new nationwide effort that calls on organizations of all sizes in a wide range of industries to raise awareness of the value and importance of workplace safety and ..
E2 Technologies Awarded $2.4 Million Contract to Upgrade Air Force Infrastructure
E2 Technologies, LLC, a joint venture between the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) and Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), has been awarded a $2.4 million task order under an Air Force Research Laboratory contract designed to improve the U.S. Air Force’s energy efficiency and in..
Senators Criticize Trump's Proposed Cuts to Rural Infrastructure Programs
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic senators from rural states are criticizing President Donald Trump’s proposed budget, saying it would have “significant negative impacts” on rural America. Trump’s budget released last week would limit rural development programs, which are designed to improve the e..
FERC: Company Can't Resume HDD Activities for Gas Pipeline
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal agency has told a company building a high-pressure natural gas pipeline it cannot resume drilling beneath creeks in southeast Ohio and northern West Virginia. The Columbus Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/2qu1x2r ) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thu..
Carbon Emissions Rule in Washington State Under Fire
SEATTLE (AP) — Even as the Trump administration seeks to roll back Obama-era rules to curb greenhouse gas emissions at coal-fired power plants, Washington state is forging ahead with its own rules to cap carbon pollution from big industrial facilities. But the state faces legal challenges as ..
Missouri Senate Committee Advances Utilities Rate Proposal
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ameren Missouri customers wouldn’t likely see a significant increase in their monthly electricity bills under a proposal allowing manufacturers that use a lot of electricity to negotiate lower rates, according to a Missouri Public Service Commission staff analysis presen..
Former Arizona Utility Regulator Indicted on Bribery Charges
PHOENIX (AP) — A former Arizona utility regulator has been indicted on bribery and fraud charges in what prosecutors said was a scheme to funnel $31,000 in payments to him and arrange his purchase of a $350,000 property in exchange for favorable votes for a utility. Former Corporation Commissioner ..
- 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