Environment
Enbridge agrees to reapply for key permit, stalling Line 5 tunnel project
The Army Corps of Engineers has extended its environmental review, pushing the project’s potential start date to 2026. Enbridge must now apply for a new water resources permit incorporating updated wetland data before moving forward.
California to improve water infrastructure drought resiliency with $7.3 million in federal funding
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding over $7.3 million in grants in California to support four drinking water systems in underserved, small, and disadvantaged communities that will be facing drought, wildfires and other impacts of climate change.
Biden administration streamlines environmental review process to fix aging natural gas pipes
The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced that current and future recipients of its Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grants (NGDISM) will be able to take advantage of a new, streamlined federal environmental review process for communities to fix older, leak prone natural gas pipes.
Illinois governor signs bill implementing two-year pause on CO2 pipeline construction
Governor JB Pritzker has signed the SAFE CCS Act, establishing new safety standards for carbon capture in Illinois and implementing a two-year pause on CO2 pipeline construction.
Colorado’s Larimer County commissioners greenlight Thornton water pipeline project
On May 8, Larimer County commissioners unanimously granted approval for Thornton City's 10-mile pipeline project, marking a breakthrough after years of contentious debate and legal battles.
Court affirms FERC approvals for gas pipeline expansion in Louisiana and Mississippi
A U.S. appeals court has upheld federal endorsements for a natural gas pipeline expansion initiative in Louisiana and Mississippi, dismissing claims from environmental advocates regarding inadequate scrutiny of its environmental impact.
Houston urged to allocate $20 million for vital sewer line repairs in marginalized communities
Groups such as the Northeast Action Collective, West Street Recovery, and Bayou City Waterkeeper have highlighted the significant health hazards posed by leaks in private sewer lines, particularly affecting residents in Northeast Houston.
EPA classifies PFOA and PFOS as hazardous, water infrastructure faces Superfund cleanup
Designation as a hazardous substance under the Superfund law doesn’t ban the chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS. But it requires that releases of the chemicals into soil or water be reported if they meet or exceed certain levels.
Federal appeals court upholds judge’s dismissal of Dakota Access Pipeline protesters’ lawsuit
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a federal judge’s 2021 decision dismissing a lawsuit filed by protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline, who alleged law enforcement officers used excessive force during a clash in 2016.
$48 million federal grant allocations to protect groundwater while supporting underground CO2 sequestration
The EPA has, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, developed stringent federal requirements for injecting CO2 that protect public health by ensuring injection wells do not contaminate underground sources of drinking water.
Feds OK gas pipeline expansion in Pacific Northwest over environmentalist protests
The 1,377-mile (2,216-km) pipeline will run from the Canadian border through a corner of Idaho and into Washington state and Oregon, connecting with a pipeline going into California.
US military to begin draining leaky fuel tank facility that poisoned Pearl Harbor drinking water
The military next week plans to begin draining fuel from World War II-era underground fuel tanks in Hawaii, nearly two years after the massive facility sickened 6,000 people when it leaked jet fuel into a Pearl Harbor drinking water well.
Federal, local officials secure $450 million dredging deal to clean up Milwaukee waterways
Federal, state and local officials have agreed to spend about $450 million to dredge contaminated sediment from Milwaukee’s Lake Michigan harbor and area rivers.
Environmental groups ask for EPA intervention in leaking Alabama water system
The petition asks for the EPA to assist in funding upgrades to the drinking water system, participate in receivership proceedings and develop and enforce a long-term consent decree to address infrastructure.
EPA releases initial data in nation’s most comprehensive PFAS monitoring effort
The data collected under UCMR 5 will ensure science-based decision-making and help EPA better understand national-level exposure to these 29 PFAS and lithium.
Houston and San Antonio face sewer, water struggles amid central US deadly heat wave
Deadly heat has gripped Texas for much of the summer and has now spread into other parts of the central U.S., where it is expected to persist for days. Triple-digit temperatures are buckling roads, straining water systems, and posing a threat to the power grid of the nation’s energy capital.
Leaking milk into city's sewer system forces closure of 110-year-old creamery
(UI) — Hastings Creamery, a longstanding dairy institution that has served Minnesota and Wisconsin for over a century, has closed its doors due to an incident involving the release of substantial amounts of milk and cream into the city's wastewater plant.
Biden administration allocates $200 million in federal infrastructure grants to upgrade water tunnels
Some of the 169 projects that make up the first batch in a $1 billion initiative being rolled out over five years under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would upgrade the culverts to allow water — and fish — to flow more freely.
Wisconsin governor greenlights funds for PFAS eradication in stormwater, sewer systems
(UI) — Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have announced new funding available to help communities address per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in wastewater.
Belgian chemical company to spend $393 million cleaning PFAS contamination in New Jersey drinking water
The company has been investigating and remediating PFAS at its West Deptford site since 2013, including working with the town to install a drinking water treatment system on a municipal well, constructing and operating an offsite groundwater pump-and-treat system, and enhancing on-site groundwater treatment systems.
3M reaches $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of water systems with ‘forever chemicals’
Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over the contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and a host of consumer products, the company said Thursday.
The water in Mississippi’s capital is safe to drink, city officials say
Jackson has struggled with water problems for decades. Most of the city lost running water for several days in August and September after heavy rainfall exacerbated problems at the city’s main water treatment plant.
Spain to invest $2.4 billion in drought measures, including wastewater infrastructure and desalination plants
Ribera said $1.5 billion would go toward building the infrastructure to double the use of treated wastewater in urban areas and constructing new desalination plants to increase the national supply of drinking water.
Federal agency aims to reduce methane leaks with new natural gas pipeline rules
The proposal by the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration would significantly improve the detection and repair of leaks from natural gas pipelines, keep more product in the pipes and prevent dangerous accidents, officials said
United Rentals introduces low-emissions generators for worksite electrification
The generators are equipped with dual interchangeable and removable electrical panels, making it fast and easy to customize the generators to various power needs. In addition to the environmental benefits, the generators run much quieter than traditional generators.
Broken water pipe in Jackson, Miss., leaks 5 million gallons per day
(UI) — The leak at the old Colonial Country Club in Jackson, Miss., wasted an estimated 5 million gallons of drinking water daily in a community that had none to spare, forcing citizens to boil their tap water and businesses to close because their faucets were dry.
California American Water to sign pure water Monterey expansion agreement
(UI) — California American Water plans to sign the Pure Water Monterey Expansion agreement – an expansion project that will aid future water supplies for the Monterey Peninsula, along with desalination and an aquifer storage and recovery system that stores excess winter river flows for use during dry months.
Congress approves measure to toss Biden’s water protections
Congress on Wednesday approved a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s protections for the nation’s waterways that Republicans have criticized as a burden on business, advancing a measure that President Joe Biden has promised to veto.
Mountain Valley secures water permits for pipeline project in Virginia
(UI) — The 303-mile proposed pipeline is permitted to pass through the state's streams and wetlands thanks to a permit issued by Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality, according to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Army Corps further delays decision on Great Lakes oil tunnel
The Army Corps' Detroit district office said it revised the schedule after receiving more than 17,000 public comments during an initial “scoping” period. The agency in December ordered Enbridge to redo measurement of wetlands that could be damaged from roads and structures for tunnel construction.
- Tunnel boring machine ‘Clack-A-Mole’ nears one-third completion in Oregon outfall project
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Texas A&M weighs underground transit plan with Elon Musk's Boring Co. to reduce campus traffic
- Wyo-Ben’s Max Gel, Max Bore HDD system boost drilling efficiency, performance
- Colorado's Wolf Creek Pass tunnel drainage project begins
- Wisconsin proposes new PFAS drinking water standards to align with federal rules
- Elgin, Ill., joins EPA drinking water initiative to accelerate lead pipe replacement
- Dog River pipeline replacement in Oregon improves water supply with new HDPE pipe
- Leaking wastewater systems named top source of San Diego River contamination, study finds
- New Portable Welding System From Miller