Regulatory
AEM progresses with I Make America
Less than a year ago, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) launched <em>I Make America</em>, a national grassroots campaign to increase jobs for America's equipment manufacturers. The message of <em>I Make America</em> is simple: the goal is to create a new manufacturing policy that creates jobs by rebuilding and modernizing America's infrastructure, and by helping farmers and manufacturers sell their products to new markets around the world.
Northeast Ohio regional sewer plan approved
In an effort to clean up Lake Erie that began with the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent has approved a 25-year regional sewer district plan to reduce the amount of untreated waste that is dumped into local waterways, usually during flooding.
Voters looking for leadership, action to rebuild infrastructure
In a meeting held in May with Senators at the U.S. Capitol, Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), called on Congress to address the urgent need to rebuild America’s infrastructure and to actively pursue innovative funding approaches to finance this critical investment without increasing the deficit.
Public-private solutions proposed to repair decaying water infrastructure
In the keynote address to the 2011 Pennsylvania Infrastructure Summit, Pennsylvania American Water President Kathy L. Pape said recently that expecting government bailouts is not a realistic, long-term solution to fix aging water and wastewater systems, which require tens of billions of dollars of capital investment.
DC Water awards $330M tunnel contract for clean rivers project
The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) Board of Directors has approved the Authority's largest contract to date, for the design and construction of a storage and conveyance tunnel as part of the Clean Rivers Project.
Hydrofracking changes water wells
A study by Duke University researchers has found high levels of leaked methane in well water collected near shale-gas drilling and hydrofracking sites.
Federal Fracking Initiatives Starting To Gel; PHMSA Reforms Uncertain; DOE Allowing More LNG Exports
The fracking debate is moving forward on two separate stages in Washington. The Department of Energy's natural gas subcommittee is expected to make recommendations on fracking liquid disclosure in August.
CertainTeed Honored For Environmental Efforts
CertainTeed Corporation, through its parent company Saint-Gobain, is once again sharing top honors for its contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.
New Underground Construction Standards Imminent From OSHA; Pipeline Bill In Congress; Wetland Gas Repairs
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) appears ready to propose a new standard on silica exposure which would have a major impact on underground construction companies.
Dubuque to settle violations of Clean Water Act
The city of Dubuque, IA, has agreed to pay a $205,000 civil penalty and spend an additional $3 million on improvements to its water pollution control plant and sewer collection system over the next three years to settle a series of alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
CIPP Industry Defends Styrene Use
Organizations in the cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) industry are seriously concerned about a recommendation before the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate styrene as a “reasonably anticipated carcinogen,” implying that it could be a cause of cancer in humans.
SRF Budgets Take Beating, Pipeline Safety In Focus, Fracing Initiative Announced
The EPA sewer and drinking water construction budgets for the current fiscal 2011 year dropped precipitously in the final budget passed by Congress. Fiscal 2011 actually started last Oct. 1 but Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate had been unable to agree on a budget.
Senators introduce critical pipeline safety act
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation recently announced that Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) have introduced legislation to improve pipeline safety efforts nationwide.
EPA awards grant for sewer improvements
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $868,000 to the city of Clinton, IA, for improvements to its wastewater system. The construction project is expected to be completed by the spring of 2012.
Sharp Budget Knife at Throat of SRFs
The Environmental Protection Agency’s water infrastructure congressional appropriations are destined to sink, maybe like stones, this year. Republicans and some Democrats want to severely cut the appropriations for both the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds in fiscal year 2011, which started last Oct. 1.
Agency examines other approaches to prevent work-related hearing loss
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it is withdrawing its proposed interpretation titled “Interpretation of OSHA’s Provisions for Feasible Administrative or Engineering Controls of Occupational Noise.”
INGAA Locks Horns with PHMSA
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) has locked horns with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) over the agency's advisory bulletin on pipeline safety.
Expect Federal Funding Cuts, New Regs In 2011
The 2011 Congress will be one of the most unpredictable in many years, and probably one of the most explosive too, owing to the partisan friction occasioned by the Republican tide washing over both the House -- where the GOP took over -- and the Senate.
Baby Steps: 14th Annual Municipal Survey
After more than two years of declining revenues, tightening budgets and helplessly watching from the sidelines as their sewer and water infrastructure continues to decay and they are increasingly struggling to maintain current service levels, U.S. municipal personnel are hoping to experience at least a minor measure of improvement in 2011.
In Wake of San Bruno, PHMSA Calls Oversight of IM Programs "Lacking"
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing on March 1-2 in Washington may push Congress to renew failed efforts from the fall of 2010 to upgrade pipeline safety laws. The hearings will air the NTSB's preliminary findings from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) pipeline explosion in California last September where seven people were killed.
FEMA to pay Biloxi $350M to fix water and sewer lines
More than a million feet of sewer and water lines will get a major overhaul in Biloxi, MS, over the next few months. FEMA is funding the nearly $350 million bill to repair existing lines, including storm drains damaged during Hurricane Katrina.
FERC Investigates Pipeline Rates; PHMSA Rejects INGAA Pleas
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is investigating the possibility that two interstate pipelines are charging unreasonable rates. The FERC opened mid-November investigations of Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmission LLC and Ozark Gas Transmission LLC, a unit of Spectra Energy Partners LP., based on reviews of Form 2 cost of service and revenue information submitted by the two companies for 2008 and 2009.
Tier 4 FAQ report published
Five leading off-road equipment industry associations have published a "frequently asked questions" (FAQ) report about Tier 4 technology – the next generation of clean diesel emissions standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the federal Clean Air Act. These standards apply to new diesel engines used in off-road equipment beginning in 2011.
EPA to fund California infrastructure improvements
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced nearly $300 million in federal funding to improve aging water and wastewater infrastructure and protect human health and the environment for people in the state of California. This new infusion of money through infrastructure capitalization grants will help state and local governments finance many of the overdue improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment throughout California.
Technology Report Released For Force Main Rehab
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report published earlier this year contains a wealth of information about rehabilitation technologies available for sewer force mains. The report, “State of Technology Report for Force Main Rehabilitation,” was prepared as part of the EPA’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative. Here, the principal author of the report gives his summary of the contents.
EPA-Mandated PCB Removal Could Cost Billions
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may require pipelines to severely reduce the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) throughout their systems, a move which would cost the industry tens, and potentially hundreds, of billions of dollars, according to the American Gas Association. Pamela F. Faggert, vice president and chief environmental officer, Dominion Resources Services, Inc., says the new regulatory measures the EPA is considering could cost her company alone a minimum of $300 million.
Missouri DOT cited for construction stormwater violations
EPA Region 7 has issued a pair of administrative orders to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), citing multiple violations of stormwater permits that were issued for state construction projects along U.S. Highway 54 Expressway in Camden County, and U.S. Highway 67 in Wayne County.
CNH Construction CEO/president addresses House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Jim McCullough, CEO and president of CNH Construction, which offers Case, New Holland and Kobelco branded construction equipment, testified on Sept. 29 before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to report on progress thus far of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
EPA issues Clean Water, Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy with the goal of increasing the sustainability of water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States. Communities across the country are facing challenges in making costly upgrades and repairs to their aging water infrastructure, which include sewer systems and treatment facilities. The new policy is part of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's priority to protect America's waters.
Congress To Ponder Flurry Of New Integrity Management Proposals, San Bruno Cause Still Unknown
Congress may vote during the lame duck session after the November congressional elections on the biggest pipeline safety bill since the 2002 amendments established integrity management programs for distribution, transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines. Then again, a major reform bill may be delayed until the next Congress.
- Glenfarne Alaska LNG targets late-2026 construction start for 807-mile pipeline project
- U.S. water reuse boom to fuel $47 billion in infrastructure spending through 2035
- $2.3 billion approved to construct 236-mile Texas-to-Gulf gas pipeline
- Major water pipe break in Puerto Rico hits over 165,000 customers
- Potomac River Tunnel project enters construction phase beneath Washington, D.C.
- 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
- 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
- Fatal trench collapse halts sewer construction in Massachusetts; two workers hospitalized