Legal
East Bay cities, municipal utility for violating 2014 Clean Water Act settlement with sewer overflows
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board announced that the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and six East Bay cities will be assessed $372,876 in penalties for violating settlement terms designed to prevent untreated sewage from entering San Francisco Bay.
Federal court denies tribes’ bid to halt $10 billion transmission line project in Arizona
A federal judge has rejected a request by Native American tribes to stop work on a $10 billion transmission line being built through a remote southeastern Arizona valley that will carry electricity from New Mexico to California.
Judge orders Pennsylvania utility to release inspection records related to fatal natural gas explosion
Pennsylvania utility regulators must turn over inspection records to the National Transportation Safety Board as part of the federal agency’s probe into a fatal explosion at a chocolate factory last year, a federal judge ruled this week.
Wisconsin Republicans ignore governor’s $125 million proposal to combat ‘forever chemicals’ in groundwater
The moves are the latest twist in the ongoing stalemate between Evers and the Legislature over the best way to combat PFAS chemicals that have polluted groundwater in communities across the state.
Charleston Water System settles huge lawsuit over sewer system damage caused by non-flushable wipes
CWS brought suit in January 2021 against major U.S. companies seeking injunctive relief to remedy costly and ongoing damage to sewer systems and treatment facilities due in significant part to the inability of allegedly “flushable” wipes to break down, often clogging wastewater infrastructure and causing sewer overflows that damage the environment.
U.S. DOJ urges appeals court to reconsider forcing Enbridge to drain parts of Line 5 oil pipeline
In a public court filing, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) asserted to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that draining parts of the Line 5 oil pipeline could violate a 1977 treaty that keeps oil flowing between the U.S. and Canada.
Body found in western New York reservoir leads to boil-water advisory
A human body was found in a western New York reservoir that supplies drinking water to parts of Rochester, prompting city officials to advise residents to boil their water before consuming.
Judge dismisses lawsuit of injured Dakota Access pipeline protester
A federal judge in North Dakota has dismissed the excessive-force lawsuit of a New York woman who was injured in an explosion during the protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
House passes Rep. Duarte's legislation to streamline water permitting processes in the Valley
The legislation addresses existing ambiguities in NPDES permits, which have been susceptible to legal challenges, potentially stalling vital energy and infrastructure projects.
Michigan attorneys, Enbridge battle in court over jurisdiction of Line 5 pipeline lawsuit
The pipeline moves 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids daily between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, passing through northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Federal judge finds Flint, Mich, in contempt over lead water pipe crisis
U.S. District Judge David Lawson wrote in Tuesday’s decision that he had found Flint in civil contempt because it had failed to meet deadlines for pipe removal outlined in his February 2023 order. The city had originally promised to replace the pipes by early 2020.
Charleston Water System faces lawsuit over “significant” sanitary sewer overflows
Since 2015, Charleston Water has had at least 176 illegal sewer overflows, many of which spilled raw sewage into Charleston’s waterways including the Ashley and Cooper Rivers and James Island Creek.
North Dakota sues federal government for costs associated with Dakota Access Pipeline protests
The pipeline has been transporting oil since June 2017. Many state government officials and industry leaders support the pipeline as crucial infrastructure in the major oil-producing state.
Two fired utility execs and a former top Ohio regulator plead not guilty in bribery scheme
Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones, Senior Vice President Michael Dowling and Sam Randazzo, a former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio who is also federally charged, were indicted by a Summit County grand jury Friday on a combined 27 criminal counts, including bribery, theft, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, tampering with records and money laundering.
Lowell, Mass., to invest $195 million in sewer upgrades in settlement over water pollution
Lowell, Mass., has settled with the EPA and Massachusetts, agreeing to invest $195 million in sewer upgrades to reduce sewage discharges into the Merrimack River.
Court approves “historic” $1.18 billion settlement with Dupont over PFAS water contamination
The settlements encompass public water systems that have identified PFAS detections in their drinking water sources, along with systems mandated to undergo PFAS contamination testing.
Enbridge appeals to vacate order that would shut down portions of pipeline in Wisconsin
About 12 miles of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation. The company contends that U.S. District Judge William Conley improperly ordered Enbridge last summer to shut down a section of the pipeline on the reservation within three years.
13 states call on EPA to strengthen lead pipe removal proposal
Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended that all lead water pipes in the nation be replaced in a decade to mitigate health risks associated with lead exposure. Now, 13 lawyers from various states have called on the EPA to strengthen that proposal.
White House renews calls on Congress to extend internet subsidy program
The White House is pressing Congress to extend a subsidy program that helps one in six U.S. families afford internet and represents a key element of President Joe Biden's promise to deliver reliable broadband service to every American household.
Second contractor reaches $25 million settlement over role in Flint water crisis
Flint, which was under state-appointed managers, used the Flint River for water in 2014-15, but the water wasn’t treated the same as water previously supplied by a Detroit-area provider. As a result, lead leached throughout the vast pipe system.
Mexico’s Supreme Court rules against electricity law favoring state-owned utility over private firms
A panel of Supreme Court justices in Mexico ruled Wednesday against President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s rules that favored the state-owned electrical power company over private power companies.
Swinerton Builders penalized for Clean Water Act stormwater violations
A complaint filed with the settlement alleges that during its construction of solar farms near American Falls, Idaho, Lafayette, Alabama, and Perry and White Counties, Illinois, Swinerton failed to use proper stormwater controls, did not conduct regular site inspections by qualified personnel and did not accurately report and address stormwater issues.
EPA, Navajo Tribal Utility agree to $100M wastewater treatment, sewer piping plan
NTUA violated its Clean Water Act permits by regularly discharging wastewater that had not been treated to the required permit standards, and by failing to properly operate and maintain the facilities’ sewer systems to prevent sewage spills.
Missouri couple facing charges after audit uncovers theft from Bootheel sewer district
A husband and wife duo are each facing two dozen counts of felony stealing after a state audit found they tapped a small-town sewer district for more than $160,000 in personal proceeds.
Judge dismisses criminal charges against Former Michigan governor in Flint water scandal
Flint’s water became tainted with lead after city managers appointed by Snyder began using the Flint River in 2014 to save money while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was built.
Cybersecurity agency warns that water utilities are vulnerable to hackers after Pennsylvania attack
Hackers are targeting industrial control systems widely used by water and sewage-treatment utilities, potentially threatening water supplies, the top U.S. cyber defense agency said after a Pennsylvania water authority was hacked.
Salem and Manville voters approve selling water, sewer systems to New Jersey American Water
(UI) — Voters in Salem City and the Borough of Manville have decisively approved ballot referendums to transfer water and sewer operations ownership to New Jersey American Water.
Charges filed 5 years after underground gas explosion leveled home and injured 3
Attorney General Michelle Henry said Wednesday that the criminal complaint alleges methane gas in an underground storage reservoir owned and operated by Equitrans L.P. migrated upward into a deteriorating company storage well and eventually reached the Greene County home, leading to the blast.
Prosecutors: Supreme Court decision closes door on criminal prosecutions in Flint water scandal
The Michigan attorney general’s office said Tuesday that the state prosecution of former Gov. Rick Snyder and other officials for their roles in the Flint water scandal has ended.
World’s largest poultry producer ask judge to dismiss Oklahoma watershed pollution ruling
Frizzell ruled in January that the companies were responsible for pollution of the Illinois River Watershed by disposing of chicken litter, or manure, that leached into the river.
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