Regulatory
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..
Senate Hears About Inadequacy Of Gas Transmission Proposal
Don Santa showed increasing frustration with the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) continued failure to move forward with important pipeline safety regulations. At Senate hearings on Sept. 29, the INGAA chief said that gas transmission pipelines are hesitant to make e..
Summary, Application Of Regulations For Pipe Bursting Asbestos Cement Pipe
by Edward Alan Ambler, P.E., LEED AP Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of a two-part series regarding the rehabilitation of asbestos cement pipe. Part one was published in the September issue of Underground Construction. The city of Casselberry is a medium, size town in suburban Orla..
October 2015 News Shorts
OSHA Approves Maine As Newest State Plan Protecting State And Local Workers Maine has recently been approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as the newest State Plan responsible for protecting the safety and health of state and local government employees. The Maine State..
FAA Considers Restrictions On Drones For Pipeline Surveillance
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving to restrict the use of pilotless drones, which are used by the pipeline industry for inspection of facilities in remote, mountainous areas. INGAA has taken issue with a proposed requirement limiting operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to s..
PHMSA Sets Standards for State Excavation Policies
House members of both parties dragged the latest top Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) official to appear before Congress to answer questions about lagging pipeline safety rule implementation. Stacy Cummings, the “Interim” Executive Director and apparently top official a..
Study finds methane emissions lower than EPA estimates
As reported by Don Santa, INGAA president and CEO, the Environmental Science & Technology journal has released a report finding that methane emissions from the natural gas transmission and storage sector are 27 percent lower than the federal government’s estimate, based on the average estimate from ..
Pipelines Hope GOP or Courts Fix New Wetlands Rule
Republicans in Congress are working to pass legislation which would set aside a new EPA and Army Corps of Engineers joint rule to make it more expensive to build pipelines in areas containing streams and other small bodies of water. The new EPA rule would require pipelines – and anyone else wanting ..
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.
- 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
- Faulconer Construction begins rock blasting for water pipeline project in Charlottesville, Va.
- Three Houston workers killed by hydrogen sulfide leak during sewer repair