July 2020 Vol. 75 No. 7

To say it has been a rough decade for Pacific Gas & Electric, one of the largest energy utilities in America, is an understatement. Between 2010 and 2020, PG&E has endured a series of events, primarily self-inflicted, including convictions of malfeasance that would break most major corporations.

As the country emerges from its coronavirus-induced hibernation, guidance from the publicly traded companies of the Utility & Communications Construction Index (UCCI) is limited due to limited guidance and general uncertainty of what the coming months will bring.

Whenever the underground construction industry gets together to talk business, horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a major topic. And whenever HDD contractors gather, workforce issues often dominate the conversation.

S.J. Louis Companies recently deployed an auger-boring steerable rock system to complete an on-grade sewer install in record time.

The Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University once again had an active year of research, training and growth, with its Industry Advisory Board (IAB) continuing to meet its mission to advance trenchless technology by serving as an independent source of knowledge, research and education in the industry.

EDITOR’S NOTE: NASSCO continues to set standards for the assessment and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure. A vast array of individuals has contributed to the success of the association, both in the past and present, that has driven NASSCO’s industry mission. This series of articles recogn..

Avanti/US Grout Partnership Produces Latest Ultrafine Cementitious Grout For nearly 20 years, Avanti International and US Grout have partnered to offer Ultrafine: a permanent, deeply penetrating, densely curing cementitious grout for sealing fractures in rock, controlling groundwater, and stabilizi..

Two bills passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will increase authorization levels for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water (CW) and Drinking Water (DW) State Revolving Funds (SRFs). But those are only ceilings for annual funding; the Appropriations Committees in both houses actually determine funding in fiscal year 2021, which begins Oct. 1, 2020, and beyond.

Interstate gas and oil pipelines got a couple of big boosts from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) policy statement published on May 21. Changes in the way the FERC calculates a pipeline’s return on equity (ROE) generally mean the higher the ROE, the higher the rates a pipeline can charge.

Unfortunately, every major live trade show opportunity since March has been cancelled. It’s time to get back to serious business by attending the Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT). UCT will be held at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 26–28..

Supreme Court Clears Path for Pipeline Crossing Under Appalachian Trail The Supreme Court paved the way for a critical permit for the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline to cross under the Appalachian Trail, siding with energy companies and the Trump administration. The justices ruled 7-2 to rever..

John Deere TC-Series Trencher Attachments Enhance Productivity Designed to fit the needs of construction and landscaping professionals, John Deere debuted two additional trencher models, TC36 and TC48, to its family of attachments. The TC Series is compatible on John Deere skid steers and compact t..

Hyundai Michael J. Ross is the new vice president of Construction Equipment Sales at Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas, Inc., responsible for managing all aspects of dealer sales with internal and field staff. A West Point graduate, Ross has 23 years of industry experience that spans retail s..

Volvo Donates to Nonprofits from Gold Rush Excavator Auction With the sale of its Gold Rush excavator, Volvo Construction Equipment contributed $290,000 to two nonprofit organizations: Homes for Heroes and Habitat for Humanity. Volvo introduced the excavator to commemorate the 10th season of “Gold..