Regulatory
Judge Reduces PG&E's Possible Fine After California Pipeline Blast
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a big victory for Pacific Gas & Electric Co., a judge on Tuesday cut nearly all of a potential $562 million fine against the giant utility in a criminal case alleging it violated safety regulations before a deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in California and then obstruct..
Pipeline Safety Bill Becomes Law; New Proposed Regs Become More Significant
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new rule requiring transmission pipelines to plug methane leaks at compressor stations includes some softening of earlier-proposed requirements, but will still impose substantial costs as companies move to repair leaks at new or modified compressors and co..
Canada to Ban Rail Cars Involved in Fiery Crash
MONTREAL (AP) – Canada’s transport minister says the rail car model involved in a fiery crash that killed 47 people in Quebec three years ago will no longer be allowed to transport oil in Canada as of Nov. 1. Marc Garneau said Monday that older tankers, called DOT-111 cars, and a version jacketed w..
Enbridge to Pay $61M Penalty for 2010 Michigan Oil Spill
Enbridge Energy Partners will pay a $61 million penalty for the costliest inland oil spill in U.S. history — a pipeline rupture in southwestern Michigan that polluted a nearly 40-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River, federal officials said Wednesday. The settlement between U.S. government agencies a..
New York to Cooperate with Drinking Water Probe
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state will cooperate with a congressional committee request for information about the chemical PFOA in an upstate New York village’s drinking water. He said Cuomo hopes the end result is that Congress and the government act swiftly to i..
N.J. Court Throws Out Trespassing Lawsuit Against PennEast
On July 7, A New Jersey State Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by HALT, an association of New Jersey landowners that hoped to prevent the PennEast Pipeline from being built. The $1 billion underground pipeline will span the 118-miles between Dallas, in northeast Pennsylvania, and a Tr..
North Dakota Gets $240K for Pipeline Safety Programs
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the state $240,000 for pipeline safety programs. The federal funds were granted to reimburse the state for public safety programs, including inspection and enforcement of pipeline safety regulations, incident investigations and..
INGAA Says Aspects Of New Methane Emission Limits Troublesome
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new rule requiring transmission pipelines to plug methane leaks at compressor stations includes some softening of earlier-proposed requirements, but will still impose substantial costs as companies move to repair leaks at new or modified compressors and co..
Congresswoman to Introduce Legislation Strengthening FERC Oversight Of Proposed Pipelines
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) is expected to introduce legislation to toughen Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) oversight by requiring it to apply more comprehensive procedures to its review of proposed pipeline applications before granting a certificate of public convenience ..
Obama Approves Pipeline Safety Legislation
President Obama has signed the PIPES Act into law, which: Reauthorizes various programs of the Transportation Department’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration through FY 2019 Requires DOT to develop minimum safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities ..
Water Organizations, EPA Release Effective Utility Management Report
Eight heavy-hitters in the water and utility industries collaborated with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop the Effective Utility Management (EUM) Report entitled, Taking the Next Step: Findings of the EUM Review Steering Group, which was announced at the National Wa..
House Unanimously Passes Pipeline Safety Act
The House on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill reauthorizing the Federal Pipeline Safety Oversight Board. It now goes back to the Senate where it already passed on voice vote in its initial version. The legislation, known as the PIPES Act, would change PHMSA safety policies by adding greater tr..
Texas Water Development Board adopts 2017 State Water Plan
On May 19, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) unanimously voted to adopt the 2017 State Water Plan. Conservation strategies are by far the most frequently recommended strategy in the plan, accounting for over one quarter of strategy supplies in 2070. The capital costs associated with impleme..
John Deere Commits To Leading OEMs In Stage V Regulations Transition
John Deere Power Systems announced its preparedness to lead OEMs through the transition from Stage IV to anticipated Stage V regulations. The company explained its modular building block approach to emission control, which has led to a diesel particulate filter (DPF) solution capable of complying w..
New Pipeline Safety Proposal Contains Multiple New Requirements
Pipeline industry executives are pouring over the 500-plus page pipeline safety proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an effort that will take some time before informed comments can be made. The initial comment deadline is at the end of May. “The typical 6..
WEF, WateReuse Analysis Demonstrates SRF Benefits
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the WateReuse Association released a new economic benefits analysis on the impacts of increased funding for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRF), May 3, 2016. The analysis revealed a requested $34.7 billion of federal SRF spending ..
AWWA, Water Sector Celebrate Drinking Water Week
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) and water professionals across the country kicked off Drinking Water Week, May 1. Throughout the week, AWWA and the water community will celebrate Drinking Water Week with the theme “Your Water – To Know It Is To Love It”. Recognizing the vital role water..
Tracking EPA Consent Decrees
As has been well-documented in the underground sewer infrastructure industry, the impact of a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) consent decree upon a city is tremendous, both in terms of financial obligations and scope of new construction and rehabilitation work for sewer systems. ..
Thieves in Mexico Build Tunnel, Steal Fuel
As reported by The Associated Press, authorities in central Mexico discovered thieves constructed a tunnel and camouflaged trucks aiming to steal and transport fuel from government pipelines. Police found the tunnel in the state of Guanajuato, earlier this month. This is not a new problem; thousands..
Water Sector Groups Join Forces, Launch Recognition Program
The National Association of Clear Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) – with support from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) – announced their partnership in a new Utility of the Future (UOTF) Today Recognition ..
Water Professionals Urge Congress to Spur Water Infrastructure Renewal
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With water infrastructure issues in headlines across America, more than 130 water utility professionals from 47 states are visiting their members of Congress this week to urge funding for critical loan programs to repair and renew U.S. water and wastewater systems. The water util..
EPA: No Changes to Federal Lead Water Rule Until Next Year
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency’s top water regulator said Wednesday that officials are working urgently to strengthen a federal rule limiting lead and copper in drinking water — a key focus in the ongoing lead-contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan. But Joel Beauvais, acting..
OSHA Announces New Silica Rules For Utility Construction
By Stephen Barlas, Washington Editor Many heavy equipment operations involved in utility system construction will be affected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) new final rule upgrading requirements for protecting employees from breathable crystalline silica, a byproduct ..
FERC Investigates Potential Overcharging At Four Pipelines
It is not unprecedented that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) investigates potential overcharging at pipelines, as it announced it was doing in late January. But it doesn’t happen very frequently, just three other times since 2009. The agency announced on Jan. 21, that it will initia..
INGAA Board Reiterates Commitments, Supports Adoption Of Industry Standards
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) board of directors voted to reaffirm the organization’s commitment to underground natural gas storage integrity and accelerate implementation of industry storage standards in February. In addition, the board voted to support the Pipeline and..
Minor Pipeline Provision In House Energy Bill
Federal agencies will have less of a chance to slow down applications for pipeline construction if the Senate passes the energy bill which cleared the House in December. The North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015 (H.R. 8) passed the House by a vote of 249-174, which means it h..
Underground Construction Initiatives Highlight 2016 DC Docket
by Stephen Barlas Washington Editor Amendment Would Allow Tax-Exempt Bonds For WIFIA loans There are a couple of major underground construction initiatives circulating in Congress and regulatory agencies this year. But the prospect of an upcoming presidential election means that many bills, which ..
FERC's Policy On ‘Cumulative’ Impact Of Pipeline Projects Faces Tests
FERC’s Cumulative Impact Policy The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued its long-awaited decision clearing a Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. project in Pennsylvania shale country after a federal court had forced the agency to revisit an environmental assessment FERC performed in 2012. The FERC ..
Oil Export Bill Moving Forward
House passage of an oil export bill for the first time in 40 years puts pressure on the Senate to follow suit. The House bill (H.R. 702) is narrowly focused on the oil export issue. However, the Senate bill (S. 2011), awaiting action on the Senate floor, is broader and encompasses provisions on oil ..
The Continuing Evolution Of Tier 4
New Emission Standards For 75-Hp Engines And Above Mean More Educational Awareness The evolution of emission standards in the compact equipment industry has been happening for quite some time. In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that all 75-horsepower and above nonr..
- 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