Regulatory
Congress Creates New "Pilot" Water Infrastructure Financing Agency
Congress set up a new federal financing authority for water infrastructure construction.
Federal Court Ruling On Mercury Revives Gas-Electric Worries
A federal court decision allowing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move forward with a rule limiting mercury emissions from power plants has heightened concerns in some quarters about interstate pipeline infrastructure inadequacy.
SRF Funding Dodges Funding Bullet – This Year
A flurry of new water infrastructure funding bills has made an appearance of Capitol Hill.
Colorado Allows Recreational Marijuana But DOT Rules Still Apply
Starting Jan. 1, residents of Colorado are allowed to purchase up to one ounce of marijuana for recreational use, and visitor are limited to a quarter of an ounce.
FERC Gas-Electric Information Sharing Order Draws Complaints
Two separate challenges have been made to the FERC's Order 787 issued last November. It allowed interstate pipelines and electric utilities to share non-public, operational information with each other for the purpose of promoting reliable service or operational planning on either the public utility or pipeline system.
U.S. Files Brief Regarding Interstate Water Dispute
According to a news item in <em>The Associated Press</em>, the Obama administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take a middle-ground approach on a water dispute between Texas and New Mexico over management of the Rio Grande.
NACWA Commends Bipartisan Voluntary Clean Water Trust Fund Legislation
Last November, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), along with Representatives Richard Hanna (R-PA), Tim Bishop (D-NY), John Duncan (R-TN), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), Jim Moran (D-VA), and Thomas Petri (R-WI) introduced bipartisan legislation, The Water Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund Act of 2013 (H.R. 3582), to establish a voluntary federal trust fund for investments in clean water infrastructure. Under the proposal, the makers of water-based beverages and flushable products could opt to put a clean water logo on their products in exchange for a 3-cent fee.
Building, Maintaining A Successful Safety/Damage Prevention Program
As Michigan’s largest utility provider, Consumers Energy provides natural gas and electric service to 6.6 million of the state’s 10 million residents, and the company’s safety and damage prevention efforts must address multiple challenges
EPA moves to clarify Clean Water Act scope
In mid-September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers drafted a proposed rule to clarify which bodies of water fall under the Clean Water Act (CWA) – a question that had been contested for years, with debate hinging on whether waters connecting to “navigable waters” fell under the agencies’ authority.
Major New Pipeline Safety Program Being Readied By PHMSA
The federal pipeline safety agency is opening up a new front in its efforts to improve gas and oil pipeline safety. The Integrity Verification Process (IVP) previewed this summer by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) would be an "add-on," and a very costly one at that, to the existing Integrity Management (IM) program which obligates pipelines to test segments in "high consequence areas (HCAs)." There are 18,000 miles of pipeline in HCAs.
OSHA’s new safety, health certificate program launched
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched Public Sector Safety and Health Fundamentals, a new certificate program that provides public sector employees training on occupational safety and health to reduce injuries, illnesses and fatalities among workers in state and local governments.
Binz Withdraws From Consideration For FERC Chairmanship
The withdrawal of the White House nominee for the FERC chairmanship reflects the intensity of the political wars between Democrats and Republicans in Washington, the heavy-handed Obama administration and miscues by Binz, a former Colorado Public Utility Commission Chairman.
Volvo CE Interim Engine Conversions
From the second quarter of 2014 Volvo CE customers will be able to have their Tier 4i/Stage IIIb machines fitted with a special engine conversion kit. This kit will enable Volvo owners to sell their used machines on to countries where high-sulphur fuels are still used.
Pipeline Construction Impacted By OSHA Proposal on Crystalline Silica
Oil and gas operations are near the top of the list of sectors which will be affected if the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) proposed new workplace standard on crystalline silica becomes final.
OSHA makes changes to improve tracking of federal workplace injuries, illnesses
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a final rule that will require all federal agencies to submit their OSHA-required injury and illness data to the Bureau of Labor Statistics every year.
U.S. Secretary Of Commerce Visits Vermeer
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker traveled to Vermeer Corporation on Aug. 8 as part of her nationwide listening tour, during which she met with businesses and thought leaders to hear about their priorities, concerns and ideas on how the public and private sectors can work together to strengthen the economy and create American jobs.
House Committee Drastically Reduces SRF Budgets For Next Year
The House Appropriations Committee made huge cuts in the fiscal 2014 budgets of the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF and DWSRF), the main source of federal aid to cities and counties for the purpose of water infrastructure maintenance and construction.
Miami-Dade agrees to upgrade its sewer system
Under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced recently, Miami-Dade County in Florida has agreed to invest in major upgrades to its wastewater treatment plants and wastewater collection and transmission systems in order to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows.
EPA Survey Shows $384B Needed For Water Infrastructure By 2030
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released results of a survey showing that $384 billion in improvements are needed for the nation’s drinking water infrastructure through 2030 for systems to continue providing safe drinking water to 297 million Americans.
Pipeline Approval Reform Bill Hits Headwinds
The pipeline approval "speed up" bill hit a couple of speed bumps on July 9. At hearings in a House subcommittee, the unofficial "pipeline" commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pointed out some potential unintended consequences that might come about if the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act (H.R. 1900) as initially written becomes law.
Wellinghoff Departs FERC
There probably will be neither tears nor jeers from the pipeline community over the departure of FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff. He announced his exit in late May and is staying on until President Obama nominates a successor.
EPA Criticizes State Department Keystone XL Draft EIS
The EPA says it has some fairly significant problems with the State Department's draft environmental impact statement on the Keystone XL Pipeline. The State Department draft supplemental EIS (DSEIS) was based on assessment of a new alternative route proposed by TransCanada.
Settlement ensures improvements to sewer and stormwater systems
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS, has agreed to a settlement to address unauthorized overflows of untreated raw sewage and to reduce pollution levels in urban stormwater.
Accepting Responsibility: Consumers Energy Redoubles Already Stringent Safety Program After Explosion
On Feb. 27, the drill head of a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) machine clipped a 5/8-inch gas line in a residential neighborhood of Royal Oak, MI. Escaping gas migrated to a nearby home and soon after the drilling crew left for the day, the gas ignited, destroying one home and killing its owner.
Obama Draft EIS on Keystone XL Leans Toward Project Approval
The Obama administration's positive draft environmental impact statement on the final, four-state leg of the Keystone XL pipeline appears to set approval by the State Department on an exorable path.
HDD Specs Developed For Ohio DOT
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is reviewing a draft of a proposed Standard Specification for Horizontal Directional Drilling which would ensure quality trenchless installations of underground pipelines and conduits.
Water Infrastructure Initiatives Afoot
Separate regulatory and legislative developments could affect local government ability to afford water infrastructure projects. The Environmental Protection Agency is considering revisions to the agency's 1997 financial capability guidelines which dictate how hard the agency can press cities and counties to undertake expensive Clean Water Act projects such as sewer repairs.
Tougher Requirements For Excavators Likely In 2013
The most significant federal action this year affecting underground construction companies is likely to be the final rule from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on excavation damage. The rule will have two parts. One will define minimum excavation damage program standards for states.
Editor's Log: Best Guesses & Fingers Crossed
The November elections are over and the nation has survived. But the question remains: when will the much ballyhooed economic recovery begin in earnest? It looks like 2013 is going to be another interesting and challenging year in which the underground infrastructure market must endeavor to persevere. And we will.
Report Opens Door To Liquefaction Approvals
The Department of Energy published a report from NERA Economic Consulting which concludes unlimited exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) will help the U.S. economy, and the greater the exports, the greater the public good. The DOE automatically approves LNG exports to countries with a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. But it must find that exports to countries without FTAs are in the public interest. The DOE commissioned the report to help it decide whether to approve additional non-FTA exports.
- Trench collapse kills one construction worker in Houston, Texas
- 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
- Construction worker killed in trench collapse near Prosperity, S.C.
- Final construction phase kicks off for Indianapolis deep rock tunnel
- Texas contractor penalized by OSHA for repeated trench safety violations
- Trench collapse kills one construction worker in Houston, Texas
- WES tunnel boring machine retrieved from Oregon river after seven-month project
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes