Regulatory
Lawmakers Don't Want Illinois' Water to Hit Rock Bottom
SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Lawmakers and environmentalists from parts of Illinois that rely on groundwater want tougher monitoring of porous rock quarries that are being “reclaimed” by filling them with construction waste, saying they want to regulate them to make sure drinking water doesn’t become contamin..
Plastics Firm to Pay for Water Design Work in Vermont Town
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A plastics company that once used a chemical that has been found in local private water systems is going to repay the state of Vermont about $760,000 for engineering studies of extending municipal waterlines to affected homes in Bennington and North Bennington. The chemical P..
FERC Member Won't Pursue Another Term
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the two remaining members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says she will not seek a second term, a move that could leave the five-member panel with a single commissioner and further hobble its ability to make decisions. Democrat Colette Honorable said Friday ..
$80 Million Infrastructure Bill Fails in Montana
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana lawmakers adjourned the 2017 legislative session Friday just like they did two years ago — failing to authorize bonds to pay for state infrastructure projects after negotiations collapsed and threats failed to sway intransigent legislators. The Montana House tried twice..
West Virginia American Water to Pay $126 Million Over Chemical Spill
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Residential customers and small businesses could receive thousands of dollars under a proposed settlement with the companies sued for a chemical spill and resulting water crisis in West Virginia’s capital area three years ago. If the federal court approves, the settlement f..
Michigan Legislature Sends Federal Funding to Flint
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Legislature is sending Flint $100 million in federal funding to address the water crisis. Then-President Barack Obama and Congress approved the aid in December. State lawmakers voted Thursday to officially pass the money along to Flint. The federal fund..
Montana House Again Rejects Infrastructure Bonding Bill
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana House has voted down an $80 million infrastructure bonding bill after rejecting similar bills three times this session. However, representatives then voted Thursday to try another vote on the issue later. The House needed a supermajority of 67 votes to ap..
Last Chance for Infrastructure Bill in Montana
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana House will get one last shot at passing an $80 million infrastructure package Friday, with the Senate promising to adjourn the legislative session that afternoon with or without a bill. Gov. Steve Bullock, lawmakers and lobbyists have been scrambling to secure..
Michigan County to Get $3 Million to Fix Sinkhole
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – The state of Michigan will give Macomb County $3 million to deal with a sinkhole in suburban Detroit. The agreement struck Tuesday among legislative leaders and Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration resolves a fight between the House and Senate over whether the aid should be a loa..
Texas County Receives Funding for Water Pipeline
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved $900,000 in financial assistance, consisting of a $70,000 note and $830,000 in loan forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, to Nueces County on behalf of the Cyndie Park 2 Water Supply Corporation. The financial assistance will..
Washington Governor Signs Safe Digging Bill
OLYMPIA, Wash (AP) – Governor Inslee signed a bill designed to save lives, or at least prevent headaches. We’ve all seen the signs: Call before you dig. The worst case scenario for ignoring the warning is tragic: An exploding gas line or thousands of volts of electricity shooting up through a shov..
Maine Town to Get $5M from USDA to Make Wastewater Upgrades
NORRIDGEWOCK, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving the town of Norridgewock $5 million in grants and loans to make improvements to wastewater infrastructure. The money will come in the form of a loan of $2.8 million and a grant of $2.2 million. The USDA says the sewer system se..
Indiana Town Approves Sewer Contract
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A $187.7 million construction contract has been approved to build the Three Rivers Overflow Reduction and Protection Tunnel in northeastern Indiana. The project is part of a long-term plan to reduce the average number of combined sewer overflows in Fort Wayne from 76 to four..
Northeastern U.S. Needs Pipelines, Report Says
The lack of pipeline infrastructure in the northeast has caused some of the highest electricity rates in the nation for families and business—and it will only get worse, according to a new report by the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy. The latest installment in the Energy Institute..
Report: Wisconsin Must Spend Billions on Water, Wastewater Infrastructure
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers says Wisconsin will have $7 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs in the next 20 years. Wisconsin Public Radio (http://bit.ly/2pZe3qZ) reported the state is already facing water problems, such as ..
Kansas Regulators Reject $12.2B Utility Merger
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas regulators on Wednesday rejected the proposed sale of the state’s largest electric company to a Missouri firm, concluding that the $12.2 billion price was too high and would leave the combined utility financially weaker than the separate companies. The Kansas Corporation ..
Virginia Governor Signs Bill Requiring Quicker Alexandria Sewer Fix
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Gov. Terry McAuliffe has signed a bill that forces Alexandria to move more quickly to fix an infrastructure issue that sends millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River. The legislation signed Friday requires the city to bring its four combined sewer overflow..
Minnesota Town Receives Funding to Fix Aging Sewer Collection System
The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority has awarded a $577,000 grant that will help the city of Cuyuna rehabilitate its sewer collection system. Cuyuna, a city of about 340 people in Crow Wing County, received the grant from the PFA’s Wastewater Infrastructure Fund. Other financial support for th..
EPA Administrator Visits Contaminated Site in East Chicago
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt visited the USS Lead Superfund in East Chicago, Ind., to discuss cleanup and hear directly from East Chicago residents affected by contamination in their community. Administrator Pruitt was joined by Governor Eric Holcomb, Senator Joe D..
Commissioners Question Gas Pipeline Replacement
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A disagreement about who should take on the financial burden of replacing miles of dilapidated Kansas gas pipeline is dividing three commissioners no the state’s utility regulatory agency. Shari Feist-Albrecht, Pat Apple and Jay Emler discussed at a Kansas Corporation Commission..
NARUC Creates Natural Gas Access and Expansion Task Force
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners have established a new Presidential Natural Gas Access and Expansion Task Force. Pennsylvania Commissioner John Coleman and Mississippi Commissioner Brandon Presley have been appointed as co-chairs, with North Dakota Commissioner Julie Fed..
Flint Mayor Says Water Switch 'Too Risky' After Lead Crisis
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — In a reversal, Flint’s mayor on Tuesday recommended that the Michigan city keep getting its drinking water from a Detroit-area system for the long term, saying a planned switch would be too risky and expensive following a man-made crisis that left the supply contaminated with lea..
South Dakota City Gets $3 Million to Replace Cast Iron, Clay Pipes
The South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved a $3.358 million funding package for the City of Salem to make improvements to the city’s drinking water distribution and wastewater collection systems. The funding package includes a $500,000 Consolidated Water Facilities C..
Hearings Scheduled for Gas Distribution Project
BLUE ASH, Ohio (AP) – Two key hearings have been set to discuss if a proposed natural gas pipeline can be built under Cincinnati’s suburbs. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports (http://cin.ci/2ou6x8a ) a public hearing June 15 at the University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash campus will allow citizens to expres..
$32 Million Awarded for Water, Sewer Projects in New York
The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors has approved more than $32 million in grants and interest-free loans for one drinking water project and six wastewater projects in Upstate New York. This funding includes nearly $5 million in grants that were awarded last sum..
Texas Electric Regulators Nix $18B Oncor Sale
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas regulators have rejected the proposed more than $18 billion sale of Dallas-based Oncor Electric Delivery Co. to NextEra Energy Inc. The three-member Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday unanimously declined to accept the agreement as being in the public interest..
South Dakota Town Receives $1.6 Million for Relining Project
The South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved a $1.606 million funding package for the City of Lake Norden to reline its wastewater collection system. The funding package includes a $321,000 Consolidated Water Facilities Construction Program grant and a $1.285 million C..
Wisconsin Town Receives Funding to Replace Lead Lines
The Eau Claire City Council has accepted a $500,000 a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that will provide money to replace residential lead service lines. The city estimates this grant will allow for about 440 private lead service line replacements. “Now there are things that..
DeKalb County Approves Sewer Contracts
The DeKalb Board of Commissioners has approved a $7.2 million contract to Atlanta-based Compliance Envirosystems to remove trees and grease from sewer trunk lines. Government officials hope the contract will allow the county to add sewer capacity without having to invest in new infrastructure. “Th..
South Dakota Town Receives $3 Million for Water and Wastewater Upgrades
South Dakota’s Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved a funding package of $3.35 million for the City of Onida to make wastewater system improvements and replace drinking water mains. The funding package includes a $2.4 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan for the wastewater sys..
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- $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
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- 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