Regulatory
EPA: East Chicago Residents Should Filter Water
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — Federal officials say all East Chicago residents should assume they have lead water lines and use a properly certified filter. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientist Miguel Del Toral repeated the recommendation Friday after initially making it last month while resp..
Corps to Grant Dakota Access Pipeline Easement
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Army told Congress on Tuesday that it will allow the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, completing the disputed four-state project. The Army intends to allow the Lake Oahe crossing as early as Wednesday,..
Sanitary District in Indiana Reaches Deal on Sewer Overflows
The district says it’s working with the town of Highland to finalize a similar agreement. “We learned lessons from other Indiana communities to make sure that we understand what projects would be required and ensure we had the maximum reasonable time possible to construct them,”..
Wisconsin Bill Would Let Utilities Finance Lead Line Replacements
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican chairman of the state Senate’s Natural Resources Committee wants to give water utilities the authority to offer customers low interest loans or other forms of financial assistance to replace dangerous lead services lines. Sen. Robert Cowles introduced a bill Thur..
Michigan Extends Emergency Declaration After Sewer Line Collapse
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers have extended an emergency declaration for a county north of Detroit following the collapse of a sewer line that caused a sinkhole the size of a football field. The measure approved Wednesday means Macomb County and Clinton Township will remain under an emer..
New York Water Tests Come Back Clean
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Statewide targeted sampling for two cancer-causing industrial chemicals found no new cases of drinking water contamination, New York health and environmental regulators said Tuesday. The Water Quality Rapid Response Team, led by the state’s health and environmental conservation ..
Judge: PG&E Must Run Ads Publicizing Pipeline Safety Convictions
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced California’s largest utility to pay a $3 million fine and run television commercials publicizing its pipeline safety convictions as punishment in a criminal case stemming from a deadly natural-gas explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area. U...
Trump Names FERC Acting Chairman
President Donald Trump has named Cheryl LaFleur Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “It is an honor to again be asked to serve as Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and I thank President Trump for the opportunity,” LaFleur said. “While I recognize ..
Missouri Utilities Push Law Change to Address Infrastructure
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri utilities want lawmakers to pass a law to help them get money more quickly from customers to pay for infrastructure improvements. Ameren Missouri and other utilities told a panel of state senators Wednesday that a proposed bill to recover costs would enable moder..
Providence Mayor Issues Plan for Improving Infrastructure
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The mayor of Providence has unveiled a five-year capital improvement plan that calls for spending between $16 million and $34 million annually on repairs and infrastructure improvement projects in the city. The Providence Journal reports that Democratic Mayor Jorge Elorza’s ..
Judge Delays Sentencing PG&E for Natural Gas Explosion
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge says he is inclined to require Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to mention its convictions in ads and have employees do thousands of hours of community service as part of its sentence in a criminal case stemming from a deadly natural gas explosion in the San Francisco ..
Flint Water Falls Below Federal Lead Limit
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Flint’s water system no longer has levels of lead exceeding the federal limit, a key finding that Michigan state environmental officials said Tuesday is good news for a city whose 100,000 residents have been grappling with the man-made water crisis. The 90th percentile of lead..
New York Communities Receive More than $6 Million for Water, Sewer Infrastructure
New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gellibrand have announced more than $6 million in federal water and sewer infrastructure funding for the Village of Red Hook in Duchess County and the Town of New Haven in Oswego County. The federal funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of A..
Fiber, Sewer and Water Part of $1 Trillion Infrastructure Proposal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats on Tuesday will propose spending $1 trillion on transportation and other infrastructure projects over 10 years in an attempt to engage President Donald Trump on an issue where they hope to find common ground. Details of the plan provided to The Associated Press in..
Infrastructure Upgrades in Michigan Unlikely to be Speedy
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Flint’s man-made water crisis and a football field-sized sinkhole in suburban Detroit have exposed flaws in aging underground pipes that mostly are out of sight, out of mind for a public that is more attuned to the sorry state of Michigan’s roads. But a major influx of money f..
PG&E Found Guilty of Violating Pipeline Safety Regulations
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says it is prepared to pay the maximum fine of $3 million after a jury convicted the company of deliberately violating pipeline safety regulations before a deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area. But California’s largest u..
NY Governor Seeks $2B to Fix Some of Nation's Oldest Pipes
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants $2 billion to address some of the nation’s oldest water and sewer systems — and while that sounds like a lot of money, it’s a drop in the bucket of what the state’s experts say is truly required. They say it would actually cost $80 billion in the..
Ohio Water Systems to Map Lead Pipe Locations by Spring
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio water systems are mapping where lead pipes are located at in the systems under a state law that requires a quicker notification process after lead is found at the tap. The law took effect in September and requires public water systems to alert residents within two days afte..
PHMSA Passes New Rule Regarding Pipeline Accidents
PHMSA has issued a final rule titled, “Operator Qualification, Cost Recovery, Accident and Incident Notification, and Other Pipeline Safety Changes.” The rulemaking establishes a specific time frame requirement for telephonic or electronic notifications of accidents and incidents and addresses mand..
Texas Town Agrees to Extensive Sewer System Upgrades
The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the city of Tyler, Texas, agreed to significantly upgrade its sanitary sewer system to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The city will also undertake extensive operational improvements to its s..
Flint, US Officials Say Water is Improving
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Flint officials, along with Michigan and federal officials, say the most recent test results show the level of lead in the city’s water is dropping. Officials also told a town hall meeting Wednesday that chlorine residuals have become “excellent” and that bacteria issues have be..
Alabama Town Receives $300K Grant to Extend Sewer Service
TUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — The City of Tuskegee has received a $300,000 grant to help the community meet development needs. Gov. Robert Bentley on Wednesday awarded the city a Community Development Block Grant that would be used to extend municipal sewer service along Highway 81 to Interstate 85 Exit 38..
New York Governor Unveils $2B Clean Water Infrastructure Act
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017 to invest a record $2 billion in critical water infrastructure across the state. “Investing in water infrastructure is critical to fostering growth in our communities and our state,” Governor Cuomo said. “Thi..
New EPA Program Makes $1 Billion in Loans Available for Water Infrastructure Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of up to $1 billion in credit assistance for water infrastructure projects under the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. The WIFIA program will provide long-term, low-cost credit assistance in t..
Eversource Files Appeal Over Gas Pipeline Capacity Agreement
Eversource has filed an appeal with the New Hampshire Supreme Court to overturn a regulatory decision on the company’s proposal to purchase natural gas pipeline capacity to be used to create electricity. The additional gas would be made available by the expansion of an existing pipeline and used to ..
Michigan Governor OKs Faster Lead Notification Requirements After Flint Water Crisis
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — More than 15 months after Flint’s water emergency broke open, Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday signed into law the first policy change stemming from the man-made crisis. The new law requires utilities to more quickly warn customers if there is too much lead in their water. The..
Colorado Governor Fills Public Utility Commission Vacancies
PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has appointed two people to fill vacancies on the Public Utilities Commission after the sudden resignation of two members. The Pueblo Chieftain reports (http://bit.ly/2j8LgNc ) that Commissioner Glenn Vaad and former Chairman Joshua Epel have ste..
Missouri PSC Sets Deadline for Proposed Water and Sewer System Sale
Lake Region Water & Sewer Co. and Camden County Public Water Supply District Number Four have filed a joint application with the Missouri Public Service Commission seeking authorization for Camden County to acquire Lake Region’s existing water and sewer assets. Applications to intervene and partici..
Obama Administration Aids Giant California Water Project
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The outgoing Obama administration on Wednesday tried to nudge forward Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to build two giant north-south water tunnels for California. In an executive order, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell directed federal wildlife officials on Wednesday to release..
More Charges Filed in Flint Water Crisis Probe
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — More charges have been filed by Michigan’s attorney general in the investigation into the lead-tainted water crisis in Flint, Michigan, including against two former state-appointed emergency managers. Attorney General Bill Schuette on Tuesday charged former emergency manag..
- 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