Regulatory
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..
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 ..
- 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
- New products: Latest industry developments
- 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