Regulatory
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North Dakota Senator: Federal Water Rule May be Repealed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..
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..
- TxDOT advances massive drainage tunnel beneath I-35 in Austin
- Glenfarne Alaska LNG targets late-2026 construction start for 807-mile pipeline project
- Is the Boring Company tunneling blind in Nashville? Experts warn rock tests fall short
- $2.3 billion approved to construct 236-mile Texas-to-Gulf gas pipeline
- U.S. water reuse boom to fuel $47 billion in infrastructure spending through 2035
- Pennsylvania American Water launches interactive map to identify, replace lead water service lines
- Trump's tariffs drive $33 million cost increase for Cincinnati sewer project
- Is the Boring Company tunneling blind in Nashville? Experts warn rock tests fall short
- Utah city launches historic $70 million tunnel project using box jacking under active rail line
- Tulsa residents warned after sewer lines damaged by boring work