Regulatory
North Dakota Lawmakers to Consider New Oil and Gas Industry Rules
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A set of revised administrative rules governing the oil and gas industry in North Dakota will go to lawmakers next month for final approval. The Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/2eZNIDZ ) reports North Dakota Industrial Commission members in June unanimously agreed to the set o..
OSHA to Hold Pipeline Safety Meeting
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has scheduled a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health’s OSH Professionals Pipeline Work Group. The meeting will be Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr...
Canadian City Receives Funding for Modern Water Infrastructure
In Saskatchewan, new federal and provincial funding will be going toward a project in the city of Estevan. The city will be constructing a residuals management facility to treat the wastewater generated by its water treatment plant using an effective and low-energy treatment process. The project als..
Corps Wants More Cooperation from Dakota Access Company
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it’s trying to defuse tensions between Dakota Access pipeline protesters and law enforcement in southern North Dakota, but the pipeline’s developer isn’t cooperating. The agency released a statement late Wednesday imploring Texas-based ..
PennEast Pipeline Application Suspended Again
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has announced a second delay in its schedule for reviewing the proposed PennEast pipeline. The date for issuance of the final environmental impact statement was postponed to February 17, 2017 from December 16, 2016. FERC also sent the company a substa..
APWA Urges Congress to Pass Water Infrastructure Legislation
The American Public Works Association (APWA) and other key water groups are urging Congress to include water infrastructure provisions as part of a final Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill this year. The 12 water organizations support a bipartisan compromise of the WRDA bill with meas..
North Dakota Regulators Eye Fine Against Pipeline Company
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators are proposing a fine of at least $15,000 against the company building the four-state Dakota Access pipeline. The Public Service Commission said Monday in a complaint that a subsidiary of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners didn’t get regulators’ approv..
Maine Sewer and Sanitation Districts Getting USDA Grants
VASSALBORO, Maine (AP) – The federal government is providing more than $4 million to assist two Maine sewer and sanitation districts in making improvements. The Vassalboro Sanitary District will receive more than $3.8 million and the Boothbay Harbor Sewer District will receive $600,000. U.S. Sens. ..
Pipeline Company May Face Fines
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Officers in riot gear clashed again Wednesday with protesters near the Dakota Access pipeline, hitting several dozen with pepper spray as they waded through waist-deep water in an attempt to reach property owned by the pipeline’s developer. The confrontation came just hours af..
USDA Makes $331 Million Investment for Clean Water Infrastructure in Rural Communities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $331 million in 85 projects that will improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural areas in 39 states and American Samoa. Community infrastructure investments are a key piece of USDA..
Pennsylvania Announces Opening of New Pipeline Investment Program
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced today that the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) has opened the new Pipeline Investment Program (PIPE) for applications, offering up to $24 million funding to make Pennsylvania’s natural gas available to its residents, manufacturers, and pad-ready sites,..
Alabama Governor Presents $2.2M in Grants to DeKalb, Jackson Counties
RAINSVILLE, Ala. (AP) – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has distributed $2.2 million in Community Block Grants to towns in Jackson and DeKalb Counties. His office says the money will be used to improve sewer lines, roads, new drainage systems, and more. The cities that received the grants Wednesday ar..
West Virginia Backs $5.1M in Development Grants
CHARLESTON (AP) — State officials have recommended 11 Appalachian Regional Commission grants for $5.1 million for programs for economic development and infrastructure projects across West Virginia. They include $1.5 million to replace water lines in two areas in the city of Welch, $430,000 for the ..
Corps Won't Allow Pipeline Work on Federal Land
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The Corps of Engineers says it won’t yet authorize construction of the four-state Dakota Access pipeline on federal land in southern North Dakota. The corps also is asking Energy Transfer Partners to respect the government’s earlier request that it voluntarily stop constructio..
Court: Construction Can Resume on Small Stretch Of Dakota Access Pipeline
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Sunday opened the door for construction to resume on a small stretch of the four-state Dakota Access pipeline while it considers an appeal by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The ruling removed a temporary injunction that halted work on the project. T..
Coalition Threatens St. Pete with Lawsuit over Sewage Spill
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – A coalition of environmental groups is threatening to sue the city of St. Petersburg over a sewage spill. The Tampa Bay Times reports that environmental nonprofits gave notice to the city Thursday that they will file a federal lawsuit under the Clean Water Act if the cit..
Deal Reached for Flint Water Aid, to Avoid Government Shutdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have broken a stalemate over money to address the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, top House aides said Wednesday, clearing the way for a spending bill needed to keep the government running until December. The spending measure also would provide long-delayed mon..
Federal Officials to Tour Proposed Lake Powell Pipeline Route
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal regulators will be touring the proposed route of the billion-dollar Lake Powell pipeline this week. The Deseret News reports members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are visiting the site Tuesday and Wednesday. The tour, which is open to the public, is inten..
Michigan Removed Flint’s Power to Sue Amid Water Crisis
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Days after Flint’s mayor served notice the city might sue Michigan over Flint’s crisis with lead-tainted water the state removed Flint’s ability to sue. Flint hasn’t been under a state-appointed emergency manager since April 2015, but the state still exerts partial control over ..
Florida Governor Orders DEP Investigation of St. Pete Sewer Crisis
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Rick Scott has ordered the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to investigate a sewage spill in St. Petersburg. Heavy rain during Hurricane Hermine overloaded the city’s sewer systems, sending millions of gallons of sewage to flow into streets and waterwa..
In Plea Deal, Ex-Michigan Official Admits Silence in Flint Water Crisis
DETROIT (AP) — The former epidemiologist for Michigan acknowledged in a plea deal on Wednesday that she was aware of dozens of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint area around the time the city changed its water source, but that she did not report it to the general public. The official, Cori..
Nevada Water Official Plans 2017 Hearings on Pumping Issue
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s top state water official plans hearings next year to resolve long-fought disputes over a proposal to pump groundwater from valleys near the Nevada-Utah state line and pipe it to Las Vegas. At a Wednesday meeting in Carson City, opponents of groundwater pumping said they th..
Senate Boosts Bill for Water Projects, $220M for Flint
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate voted to move forward Monday on a $10 billion water projects bill that includes $220 million in emergency funding for Flint, Michigan, and other communities beset by lead-contaminated water. Senators advanced the bill 90-1 on a procedural vote, with approval expected la..
Southern California Gas Co. to Pay $4 Million for Major Gas Leak
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A utility responsible for a massive gas leak that drove thousands of families from their Los Angeles homes pleaded no contest to a criminal charge Tuesday as part of a $4 million settlement with prosecutors. The deal requires Southern California Gas Co. to adopt an expensive leak..
Pipelines Support Intent, Not Execution Of New PHMSA Proposed Rule
Broad pipeline industry opposition to a number of aspects of the newly proposed transmission pipeline regulations is as much about methane emissions as it is about safety. The proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), issued in April and ostensibly responsive ..
Judge Sides with Feds on Temporary Oil Pipeline Pause
Bismarck, N.D. (AP) — The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe was unsuccessful Monday in asking a federal judge to recognize three federal agencies’ request for a developer to “voluntarily pause” work on a segment of the Dakota Access pipeline that the tribe says holds sacred sites and artifacts. The tribe s..
Federal Intervention on Oil Pipeline Project Unprecedented
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Standing Rock Sioux’s effort to block a four-state oil pipeline got a lifeline when the federal government temporarily stopped the project, a move some say likely may forever change the way all energy infrastructure projects are reviewed in the future. Just minutes after U..
Presidential Candidate Faces Charges in Dakota Access Pipeline Protest
CANNON BALL, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota judge issued a warrant Wednesday for the arrest of Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who is accused of spray-painting construction equipment during a protest against the Dakota Access pipeline. Court records show Stein was charged Wednesday in Mo..
Idaho Seeks Federal Approval to Regulate Water Pollution
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho wants to take over regulating pollution discharge into the state’s lakes and rivers from the federal government. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality on Wednesday submitted an application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift control of permit..
EPA Issues Order to New York City Requiring City-Wide Plan for Addressing Sewer Backups into Buildings
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued an Administrative Order to New York City requiring it to develop a plan to address continued sewer backups into residents’ basements and other public and private property. The order gives the city 120 days to submit a plan to EPA for approval to wo..
- 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