Regulatory
Florida Proposes $820,000 Fine for Sewer Spills
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – State authorities are proposing to fine the city of St. Petersburg nearly a million dollars due to spills from its aging sewage system. The Tampa Bay Times reported Saturday that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection plans to fine the city $820,000. Since A..
West Virginia DEP Withdraws Proposed Water Regulations
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection has pulled back from legislative review several changes proposed for the state’s regulations to protect water quality. Environmental Protection Secretary Randy Huffman tells the Charleston Gazette-Mail (http://bit..
New York Regulators Seek to Reform Energy Service Market
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York regulators are launching a comprehensive review of energy service companies, saying the competitive residential market created by utility deregulation hasn’t lived up to its promise. The Public Service Commission filed a notice Friday saying it will solicit sworn testim..
Poll: Strong Bipartisan Support for Water Infrastructure Bill
In the final weeks of the lame-duck session, a national poll released Friday by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) found that voters strongly support federal funding for water pipelines and waterways as well as for resources that prevent drinking water contamination crises, like those ..
OSHA Issues Best Practices to Promote Workplace Safety and Health Programs in Construction
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs in Construction to help industry employers develop proactive programs to keep their workplaces safe. The recommendations may be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized contractor..
House Speaker: Aid to Address Flint Water Crisis on Track
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan Tuesday promised that a long-delayed aid package to help Flint, Michigan, address its lead-tainted water system is on track to pass into law by the end of the year. The Wisconsin Republican says the $220 million or so aid package will be addressed “one way ..
Canada Green Lights 2 Pipeline Projects, Rejects Another
The Government of Canada has ruled on three major pipeline projects: Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion, Enbridge’s Northern Gateway and Line 3 Replacement. Trans Mountain Expansion Project: The Government of Canada has approved Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion Project, subject to 1..
Interim Gas Storage Regulations Upcoming from PHMSA
Interim regulations from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on natural gas storage facilities are imminent. They are not likely to be terribly controversial since PHMSA says they will be based on two industry voluntary standards: API Recommended Practices 1170 and 117..
Michigan Wants Rules to Toughen Utilities' Cybersecurity
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Michigan regulators have directed their staff to develop rules designed to toughen utilities’ defenses against cyberattacks. Michigan Public Service Commission Chairwoman Sally Talberg says natural gas and electric providers face attempted intrusions into their computer system..
Sierra Club Files Antitrust Complaint Concerning NEXUS Gas Pipeline
The Sierra Club has filed a complaint against Michigan’s largest electric utility, DTE Electric Company, alleging that a 250-mile, multi-billion dollar gas pipeline project owned by its affiliate, NEXUS Gas Transmission, LLC, threatens to monopolize the market for the generation of electricity in Mi..
North Dakota Senator: Federal Water Rule May be Repealed
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Hoeven says the results of last week’s election may mean the end for the controversial Environmental Protection Agency rule on what waterways fall under the Clean Water Act. WDAY-TV (http://bit.ly/2eClVh3 ) reports a prominent environmental group appear..
New York Urged to Impose Drinking Water Standard for Carcinogen
HAUPPAGE, N.Y. (AP) — Environmental activists are asking state officials to impose a drinking water standard for a probable carcinogen detected in water supplies throughout Long Island. Newsday reports (http://nwsdy.li/2gctZoX ) a federal Environmental Protection Agency survey returned results that..
Michigan Gets Federal OK to Spend $119M on Lead Abatement
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan won approval Monday to spend up to $119 million in federal funding over five years to remove lead hazards from the homes of low-income residents in Flint and other communities — the second time the state has received a waiver to spend such additional money to respond t..
Federal Loans Aimed at Rural Illinois Water Infrastructure
CHICAGO (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is lending more than $16 million to a number of central and eastern Illinois communities to pay for water-related infrastructure work. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s office said in a news release Monday that $14.3 million of the money will be used fo..
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..
- 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
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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