Gas
Navigator cancels proposed Midwestern CO2 pipeline, citing ‘unpredictable’ regulatory processes
A company on Friday said it would cancel its plans for a 1,300-mile (2,092-km) pipeline across five Midwestern states that would have gathered carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants and buried the gas deep underground.
Xcel Energy receives $100 million federal grant to mitigate wildfires, boost grid resiliency
The projects will take a number of steps to boost grid resiliency, including moving high-risk distribution circuits underground.
Biden administration wants to count downstream GHG emissions when FERC considers pipeline, power projects
(UI) — The President Biden administration announced its latest effort to throw a wrench in pipeline construction. The Biden Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) wants to rollback Trump administration pro-pipeline changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Excavation workers hit gas line in La Pine, Ore., subdivision
(UI) — In La Pine, Oregon, an excavation crew working in a newly developed subdivision had an incident where they accidentally hit a two-inch natural gas line. This led to a gas leak that raised concerns among nearby residents, resulting in advisories to shelter in place and avoid outdoor open flames until the repairs were completed.
Biden awards $7 billion for clean hydrogen hubs across the country
The Biden administration has selected clean-energy projects from Pennsylvania to California for a $7 billion program to kickstart development and production of hydrogen fuel.
Interstate natural gas pipeline explosion in Idaho prompts evacuations
The explosion happened when a worker using an excavator ruptured a 22-inch (56-centimeter) natural gas pipeline near the town of about 10,600 people, said Chief Deputy Douglas Hart of the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office.
Pennsylvania candy company contests OSHA citations following March 2023 natural gas explosion that killed seven
According to R.M. Palmer Co., an NTSB investigation found that natural gas was leaking from a DuPont service tee under a public road less than 2 feet from underground piping that ran between the company’s headquarters and the building that ultimately exploded.
Chesapeake Utilities expands natural gas business with $923 million Florida City Gas acquisition
With the addition of FCG, Chesapeake Utilities' overall natural gas distribution presence in Florida will include an approved regulated rate base of $941 million, serving more than 211,000 customers through nearly 7,000 miles of natural gas distribution company pipeline.
Sewer gas leak hospitalizes four DC high school students
(UI) — Four high school students from McKinley Tech High School in Washington, D.C., have been hospitalized due to hydrogen sulfide, commonly known as sewer gas.
NV5 awarded $16 million to upgrade NYC sewer, electrical, gas infrastructure
NV5 Global, Inc. has been awarded a $16 million extension to an existing resident engineering inspection services contract by the New York City Department of Design and Construction.
Federal regulators propose rule changes after 2018 gas distribution pipeline blasts in Massachusetts
These proposed changes are designed to improve safety and ease risk through the improvement of emergency response plans, integrity management plans, operation manuals and other steps, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Duke Energy methane emissions monitoring platform to receive federal funding
The company's current methane-monitoring platform – which has reduced recordable leaks by more than 85% since the beginning of 2022 – uses satellites, sensors and other cutting-edge technologies to detect leaks and measure real-time methane emissions on underground natural gas distribution systems.
Underground gas leak unlikely cause of fatal Pennsylvania house blast
It is unlikely that natural gas seeped from an abandoned underground mine and caused a house explosion in western Pennsylvania last weekend that killed six people, state officials said Friday.
Duke’s Root Control and UIS join forces to enhance underground service offerings
(UI) — Duke’s Root Control Inc. acquires Underground Infrastructure Services (UIS) of Livonia, Mich., significantly expanding its wastewater and gas inspection and remediation services, including inspection and replacement for water, gas, cable, and electrical utilities.
AGA Chair sees future shaped by education, innovation
(UI) — Sitherwood, who plans to retire from Spire this December, sat down with Underground Infrastructure to discuss her career, her outlook for the natural gas industry and her work as the 2023 chair of the American Gas Association (AGA).
New permitting provisions in budget bill slight natural gas industry
(UI) — The natural gas industry greeted the permitting reform bill Congress passed, and President Biden signed last month with something short of enthusiasm. The permitting provisions in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 had only glancing benefits for gas pipelines and were chiefly written to benefit wind, solar and electric energy deployment.
Officials approve $990,000 settlement with utility for 2019 gas main explosion
Canonsburg-based Columbia Gas took responsibility for the July 2019 blast in North Franklin Township, saying it had failed to install a key piece of equipment in the home while workers nearby upgraded a gas main.
TC Energy gas transmission pipeline explodes in rural Virginia
TC Energy said it was notified of a fire after there was a pressure drop in its Columbia Gas Transmission Pipeline along Interstate 81 around 8:40 a.m., the company said in a statement. That section of the pipeline near Strasburg was isolated as a precaution, TC Energy said.
BOND Civil & Utility announces new division BOND Trenchless
(UI) — BOND Civil & Utility, a wholly owned subsidiary of BOND Brothers Inc., has announced the creation of a newly formed division, BOND Trenchless. This new unit will allow BOND to expand its offerings with additional self-perform capabilities, providing a more vertically integrated value proposition to clients, such as investor-owned utilities (IOUs), gas transmission companies, power, and energy developers.
ConocoPhillips facing $914,000 fine over Alaskan underground gas blowout
ConocoPhillips Alaska faces a potential $914,000 fine over what a state regulatory agency called a “shallow underground blowout” of a well that released natural gas at the company’s Alpine field on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope last year.
Enbridge to acquire underground natural gas storage for $295 million
Aitken Creek Storage is an underground reservoir located 75 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Fort St. John, B.C., and is the largest and only underground natural gas storage facility in B.C., totaling 77 billion cubic feet of working gas capacity.
EPA won’t challenge largest federal utility on new gas plant
The gas plant decision by the Tennessee Valley Authority came Jan. 10, capping a months-long conflict between the TVA and the Environmental Protection Agency — two federal agencies that are both charged with a mission to protect the environment.
Power failures amplify calls for utility to rethink gas
A federal utility's decision to resort to rolling blackouts after coal and natural gas units went offline during dangerously cold conditions has intensified questions about the Tennessee Valley Authority's recent decision to double down on fossil fuels.
Oil spill in rural Kansas creek shuts down Keystone pipeline
Canada-based TC Energy said it shut down its Keystone system Wednesday night following a drop in pipeline pressure. It said oil spilled into a creek in Washington County, Kansas, about 150 miles (241 km) northwest of Kansas City.
Regulators limit fracking waste in Delaware River watershed
A regulatory agency responsible for the water supply of more than 13 million people in four Northeastern states moved Wednesday to ban gas drillers from dumping fracking wastewater in the Delaware River watershed and to make it difficult for them to take fresh water out.
Health Consultants unveils advanced mobile leak detection system
(UC) — Heath Consultant’s Discover Advanced Mobile Leak Detection solution addresses gas leaks from aging infrastructure by reducing methane emissions through the identification of gas leaks with minimum false positives and negatives compared to competing technologies.
Kalamazoo neighborhood evacuated after underground gas line fire
Authorities evacuated several homes in a Kalamazoo neighborhood Thursday evening after a ruptured gas line caught fire.
Omaha biogas conditioning project hopes to make wastewater profitable
Omaha, Nebraska’s city council approved a $20 million Biogas Conditioning Project that could turn the city’s wastewater into a revenue source when complete.
Idaho-Wyoming gas pipeline needs environmental study for approval
U.S. officials won’t approve a natural gas pipeline from Idaho to Wyoming until additional environmental studies are completed.
University of Minnesota Minneapolis suffers second sewer gas leak in weeks
Fire officials have lifted an evacuation order issued for several buildings on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus due to a suspected gas leak.
- OSHA cites Florida contractors for trench safety violations at sewer and excavation sites
- Cadiz to reuse steel from terminated Keystone XL pipeline for California groundwater project
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Biden-Harris administration invests $849 million in aging water infrastructure, drought resilience
- The EPA announces $6.2 billion in funding for Iowa and Kansas water infrastructure