October 2021 Vol. 76 No. 10

By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief Whatever happened to common sense? If something is working, why toss it away like two-week-old lasagna?  Natural gas prices have more than tripled in 2021, climbing above $5.10 per BTU at..

Enbridge to Pay $3 Million for Groundwater Leak During Pipeline Construction  Minnesota regulators have ordered Enbridge to pay more than $3 million for allegedly violating state environmental law by piercing a groundwater aquifer during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline replacement.  The st..

By Stephan Barlas, Washington D.C. Editor The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) bringing fracked gas 300 miles from West Virginia to Virginia, cleared its latest federal regulatory hurdle when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said, in an environmental assessment, that the trenchless met..

By Daniel Shumate, Managing Director, FMI Capital Advisors Inc. Working in the competitive bid-based underground construction segment often means juggling bits of information to make the most informed choices. The volume of information impacting the decisions of contractors has only increased in a ..

While Eagle Pass, Texas, can’t solve the high heat and low amount of rainfall it receives every year in the arid southwest, it has been able to fight water loss due to breaks in its pipeline. The city recently completed an upgrade to its mainline potable water service that saw some 100,000 feet of P..

By Jeff Griffin, Senior Editor Last summer, several hundred people gathered in the small town of Hillsboro, Va., for a celebration. The number of people attending the event exceeded, by several times, Hillsboro’s population of 143.  ..

Make plans now to attend Underground Construction magazine’s premier business event – the Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT). Join underground utility industry professionals in Fort Worth, TX., Tuesday, Jan. 25 to Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, and learn about ..

EDITOR’S NOTE   Eben Wyman is a veteran advocate for key underground utility and pipeline associations. He points out that maintaining an effective advocacy program is fundamental to the success of any organization interested in the happenings of the federal government.  Zack Perconti is an associ..

Patrick Michels Elected to NAC ‘Class of 2021’  Patrick Michels, president and CEO of Michels Corporation, was elected by the National Academy of Construction (NAC) to its “Class of 2021.”  This annual NAC distinction is bas..

At Cherne Industries, safety is a top priority. We know that on the job, accidents and deaths become even more tragic when you realize they were preventable. Such is the case with the misuse of pneumatic pipe plugs. When using them, understanding equipment and job conditions are vital to contractor ..

Developing, Leading Vortex’s Global Marketing Strategy  Jaclyn (Jackie) Herrera has joined Vortex Companies LLC, in the newly created position of chief marketing officer, to drive the fast-growing company’s global marketing strategy.  An award-winning marketing professional with nearly 20 years of..

Groundbreaking Electro-Hydraulic System Wins Volvo Technology Award  Breaking new grounds for hydraulic efficiency in excavators, the Common Pressure Rail Hybrid system, by Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE), is another innovation that improves performance while reducing CO2 emissions, consist..