Utility Infrastructure
Governor Taps Ex-Prosecutor to Lead South Carolina Utility
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s governor has chosen a former top prosecutor to lead the board of state-owned utility Santee Cooper. Gov. Henry McMaster announced Wednesday he has picked former state Attorney General Charlie Condon to fulfill the rest of former chairman Leighton Lord’s ..
Connecticut Water Names New President and CEO
The board of directors of Connecticut Water Service Inc. (CTWS) today announced that David C. Benoit has been named president and CEO of the company effective immediately. Benoit has served as interim president and CEO since Sept. 28, 2017. Richard Knowlton will continue as president of the company’..
New York Governor Orders Review Into Power Failures After Winter Storm Riley
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed the New York State Department of Public Service to conduct a full review into power failures after Winter Storm Riley. Four days after Winter Storm Riley, while power has been restored to more than 280,000 New Yorkers, 74,790 customers still remain wi..
UC Irvine Launches New Program for Water, Wastewater and Utility Professionals
With water and energy more intertwined than ever before, the University of California, Irvine, Division of Continuing Education today announced the introduction of a four-course program in understanding the complex interactions between water and energy. Geared toward both emerging and veteran profe..
Waiver Issued for Drivers of Utility Crews Restoring Power in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf says he’s authorizing drivers taking utility crews to try to restore power to Pennsylvania homes and businesses to work longer hours than is normally allowed. The governor said Sunday that the waiver, which runs through the end of the month, allows drivers helping ..
Adams to Retire as President and CEO of PECO
Denis O’Brien, senior executive vice president of Exelon Corporation and CEO of Exelon Utilities, and the PECO Board of Directors, today announced that Craig Adams will retire as President and CEO of PECO, effective March 30, 2018. Adams will be succeeded by Mike Innocenzo, currently PECO Senior Vic..
Gas Service Stops for Thousands of Dallas Homes Due to Leaks
DALLAS (AP) — Natural gas service will be shut down to thousands of Dallas homes following a series of leaks that has brought repeated evacuations in the wake of a house explosion that killed a 12-year-old girl. Authorities announced early Thursday that gas service will be discontinued for up to th..
Kentucky American Water Acquires Water Assets of Eastern Rockcastle Water Association
Kentucky American Water today announced that it has acquired the water assets of Eastern Rockcastle Water Association. The transaction, completed today, adds approximately 610 water customers in Rockcastle and Jackson counties to the Kentucky American Water system. The acquisition of the system expa..
Water Districts Challenge Judge in Navajo Settlement
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Water districts in northern New Mexico sought to disqualify a state judge Tuesday and overturn a major settlement with the Navajo Nation in a simmering dispute about rights to water from the San Juan River. A motion filed with the New Mexico state Court of Appeals seeks to dis..
Underground Uncertainties in Infrastructure Work
Editor’s Note: This is part two of an exclusive four-part series outlining the risks of modern underground utility infrastructure construction and rehabilitation work. In Part 1, we introduced the concepts of underground uncertainties in infrastructure work. In this installment, we will look speci..
NA Fiber Deployment Continues at Rapid Pace
Deployment of fiber optic cable to individual homes and premises continues to expand at a strong pace, according to the most recent study by the Fiber Broadband Association (formerly the FTTH Council). The association’s North American 2017 Broadband Report, released in December, said Canada is lead..
Infrastructure Funding is Next Big Legislative Target
Having passed and signed a major tax reform bill at the end of 2017, the Trump Administration and Congress move on to their next big legislative target in 2018: infrastructure spending. While sewer and drinking water projects may receive additional federal funding as a result, that is not certain. I..
What About Infrastructure?
In 2017, Washington politics continued as usual – if anything, even more bitterly partisan than ever before. Congress remains deeply divided down political lines and even among the parties themselves, crippling concerted efforts to accomplish the multitude of high-profile issues demanding immediate ..
Large Texas Electric Retailers Well-Positioned to Continue Market Dominance
According to the 2018 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Business, a Cogent Reports study by Market Strategies International, large retail electric providers in the Texas market enjoy higher-than-average Brand Trust from their business customers. These retailers, which serve over half of ..
FirstEnergy Announces Senior Management Changes
FirstEnergy Corp. today announced management changes designed to support its transition to a fully-regulated utility company. They include: James F. Pearson, currently executive vice president and chief financial officer, named executive vice president, Finance Steven E. Strah, currently sen..
Hydro One Names Meneley Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Development Officer
Hydro One Limited today announced the appointment of Patrick Meneley as Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Corporate Development Officer, effective March 1, 2018. In his new role, he will be responsible for leading strategy, innovation and mergers and acquisitions. Meneley most recently ..
Texas Electric Cooperatives Announces Alliance with Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative
Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC) has announced an alliance with Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC), a South Central Texas electrical cooperative. The agreement brings more than 9,800 miles of line and more than 80,000 meters in thirteen counties into areas currently served by TEC alli..
Krause Appointed to EPCOR's Board of Directors
EPCOR Utilities Inc. today announced the appointment of Alan Krause to its Board of Directors. Krause served as President, Global of MWH Global until his retirement in November 2017. During his tenure with the company, he served in many different executive positions, including Chairman and Chief Ex..
Low-Flying Helicopter to Map Water Resources in Mississippi
GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) — A helicopter will be flying over parts of the Mississippi Delta to gather information for a 3-D map showing water resources. The U.S. Geological Survey says from late February through early March, a low-flying copter will travel in a grid pattern over rural areas north and w..
Judge Stops Village from Cutting Water to Mobile Home Park
MALVERN, Ohio (AP) — A judge has issued a temporary restraining order to stop an Ohio village from cutting off water to residents of a mobile home park. The Canton Repository reports the village of Malvern was about to stop water service at Sandy Creek Estates Mobile Home Park because those respons..
Utility Investigation School Scheduled at TTC
Geophysics for Subsurface Utility Engineering Professionals Short Course Offered The Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University, in conjunction with the ASCE’S Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI), have teamed up to hold the second TTC/UEIS School from Feb. 26 to ..
Installation of New Transmission Cables Beneath Lake Champlain Completed
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the completion and energization of a $68.7 million major power system infrastructure project involving the placement of new underwater transmission cables, spanning 1.7 miles, across Lake Champlain. The new power cables, laid as much as 195 feet belo..
Florida Utility Wants to Buy South Carolina-Owned Utility
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A Florida power company is suggesting it might buy a South Carolina state-owned utility for nearly $16 billion. Media outlets reported that NextEra Energy is one of several groups interested in buying Santee Cooper after the state-owned utility and South Carolina Electric & Ga..
Water Use Climbs in California Enclaves as Drought Returns
TUSTIN, Calif. (AP) — Overall water use is climbing in Southern California as that part of the state plunges back into drought, driving state and regional water managers as they consider permanently reinstating some watering bans and conservation programs. Gov. Jerry Brown lifted California’s droug..
American Water Appoints Two New Independent Members to Board of Directors
American Water Works Company, Inc. today announced that Jeffrey N. Edwards and Admiral James Stavridis, U.S. Navy (Ret.), have been appointed as independent members of the company’s board of directors effective March 1, 2018. “We are honored to have both of these experienced and talented individual..
Virginia House Changes Utility Rewrite Bill to Prevent Double Dipping
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia House Democrats and a handful of Republicans have forced a change in a proposed utility-backed rewrite of the state’s electric regulation laws that could save customers billions. The House voted Monday to amend the legislation over the objections of allies of Dominion ..
OGE Energy Names Stafford Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
OGE Energy Corp. today announced that it has named Sarah Stafford controller and chief accounting officer effective March 1, 2018. Stafford will follow Scott Forbes, who announced he will step away from his role as the company’s principal accounting officer effective Feb. 28, 2018. Forbes, who plans..
Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Would Study Sale of Federal Utility’s Assets
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The infrastructure plan outlined by President Donald Trump on Monday suggests studying whether the nation’s largest public utility should sell its transmission assets, which Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander called “a looney idea” with “zero chance of becoming law.” ..
Virginia Senate Passes Dominion-Backed Regulation Rewrite
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Senate has passed legislation putting new limits on regulators’ ability to lower utilities’ electric rates that are currently earning excessive profits. The Senate voted Friday for the bill, which also providing some rebates for past overearnings. The vo..
Missouri Senate Advances Utility Rates Bill After Daylong Filibuster
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Senate on Thursday advanced legislation that could reward utilities making improvements to their infrastructure with more consistent rate increases on their customers, a move that came after a more than 20-hour, overnight filibuster finally ended. The legisla..
- NTSB publishes preliminary report on fatal gas pipeline explosion in Lexington, Mo.
- 290-mile gas pipeline expansion proposed across Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina
- Ripple Fiber breaks ground on $140 million project, expanding into central Mass.
- City of Albuquerque halts fiber optic construction in response to damage, complaints
- Body retrieved day after fatal trench collapse at Bakersfield, Calif., job site
- Gehl and Mustang offer world’s largest skid loader
- Growing Pains and Gains
- Authorities investigating trench collapse that killed worker in Ashburn, Va.
- City of Albuquerque halts fiber optic construction in response to damage, complaints
- Pasadena, Calif., undergrounding project could take 500 years to finish