Newsline

Gas Explosion Hits Office, Shopping Complex

A powerful natural gas explosion badly damaged a Maryland office complex and shopping center Sunday morning, ripping away part of the facade and exposing twisted metal, authorities said.

Saudi Arabia Spending Nearly $830 Million in Water Upgrades Ahead of Heavy Tourist Season

In anticipation of a large tourist season this year, Saudi Arabia is spending $825 million to upgrade its water infrastructure in the city of Mecca along with other holy sites.

CUIRE Laboratory Receives a 330-kip Actuator

In February, CUIRE purchased a 330-kip actuator from MTS Company for its soil box testing of underground pipes. This actuator will be used for the NCHRP SAPL Project to develop structural design methodology for Spray Applied Pipe Liners (SAPLs) in gravity stormwater conveyance conduits through actual size soil box testing.

Vermeer Commemorates Year-One Tornado Recovery Efforts, Growth Plans

On July 16, Vermeer Corporation held groundbreaking for a monument commemorating the buildings destroyed by a tornado last July, while celebrating the strength of the Vermeer team, along with the growth and progress currently underway on the company’s expansive campus, commonly called the Vermeer Mile.

New Publication Promotes SUE Understanding, Up-to-Date Practices

Subsurface utility engineering (SUE) is ideally knowing as much as possible about a subsurface project prior to starting the design process. SUE incorporates existing and emerging technology to identify, characterize, and map underground utility facilities.

EPA Finalizes Affordable Clean Energy Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the final Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, replacing the prior administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) with a new rule that empowers states to reduce emissions, while providing affordable and reliable energy for all Americans.

Gas Leak Prompts Evacuations in Downtown Kalamazoo

Authorities evacuated buildings along a two-block stretch of downtown Kalamazoo after construction workers damaged a natural gas line.

The Toro Company to Reorganize Underground Construction Business

The Toro Company announced it is realigning the organizational structure for its underground construction businesses after its recent acquisition of Charles Machine Works.

Mississippi River Flooding Could Cost Over $2 Billion

Repairs and cleanup following the prolonged flooding along the Mississippi River will cost more than $2 billion, an advocacy group for river communities said Tuesday.

Brandt Named Exclusive American Augers Dealer for Canada.

American Augers has announced that it has named the Brandt Group of Companies the exclusive dealer for American Augers and Trencor products across Canada.

ClockSpring|NRI Adds Milliken Infrastructure Solutions to its Portfolio

ClockSpring|NRI has acquired Milliken Infrastructure Solutions, LLC, previously a subsidiary of Milliken & Company.

Louisville, KY Set to Build $200 Million Sewer Tunnel

In order to protect itself from waterway overflow, the City of Louisville is preparing to build a 20-foot wide underground sewer tunnel, to the tune of $200 million.

Arkansas Suggests Answers for Bethel Heights Wastewater Woes

Arkansas regulators have suggested two possible solutions to the wastewater woes Bethel Heights has struggled since 2007 to resolve: connect to another wastewater treatment system, or build a new facility.

Body Found in Water Treatment Plant

It was a grisly start to the week for workers at a water treatment plant in Muncie, Indiana as a body was found inside the facility on Monday.

John Deere

John Deere is rolling out its new construction simulators. The modular update outfits the new John Deere simulators to one of six machine types: backhoe, crawler dozer, excavator, wheel loader, joystick-controlled motor grader and fingertip-control motor grader.

Vacall

Gradall Industries Inc. released a new video providing an in-depth look at its Vacall family of products. The 12-minute video features an up-close tour of Gradall’s New Philadelphia, Ohio, manufacturing facilities and the state-of-the-art manufacturing processes that produce Vacall sewer cleaning, hydro excavation, industrial vacuum and sweeper models.

Berntsen International

Berntsen International Inc. received a U.S. patent for its Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) RFID technology, the centerpiece of the company’s connected infrastructure locating and asset management solutions.

Avanti International Celebrates 40-Year Anniversary

Avanti International reached a milestone, celebrating 40 years as an industry leader.

Hoffman Southwest Acquires Tri-State Utilities

Hoffman Southwest (HSW), a portfolio company of ORIX Capital Partners, acquired Chesapeake, VA-based Tri-State Utilities Company.

Perma-Liner Celebrates Opening of 5th Distribution Warehouse

Perma-Liner Industries LLC, a leading manufacturer and supplier of trenchless pipeline rehabilitation equipment and materials in North America, opened its newest distribution warehouse. The Bow, N.H., facility offers full stocking of cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) materials and equipment, and direct 24-hour assistance for all certified Perma-Liner installers.

Waterline Renewal Technologies Acquired by Private Equity Firm

Waterline Renewal Technologies Inc. (WRT), a leading, Rosemont, Ill., provider of engineered products used in the trenchless rehabilitation of wastewater infrastructure for municipal, commercial, industrial and residential applications, was acquired by private equity investment firm Behrman Capital.

Customer Satisfaction Declines Across Energy Utilities Sector

Following a slight bump in 2018, residential customer satisfaction in the energy utilities sector has taken an about-face one year later.

PPI Offers Free Course on Selecting, Specifying HDPE for Power, Communications

The Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI) launched a new Continuing Education Unit (CEU)-style course about design, installation and specification of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conduit and duct. Selecting & Specifying HDPE Conduit for Power and Communications Applications can be downloaded free from the PPI website.

EPA Announces New WIFIA Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making funding available to provide an estimated $6 billion in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans in 2019. “Through WIFIA, we are addressing several of President Trump’s top priorities, simultaneously: modernizing our nati..

EPA Announces $2.6 Billion in Availability for Water Improvement Projects

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of $2.6 billion in new funds to assist states, tribes and territories with improving drinking water and wastewater infrastructure across the country.

Trump Says He’ll Push for $200 Million for Everglades Work

President Donald Trump says his administration will seek $200 million for federal work on watershed restoration in the Everglades this year.

Pennsylvania Counties Using Fiber Optics to Improve 911 Capabilities

For years, fiber-optic cables have been the gold standard in speed and reliability for telecommunication networks. Not only do they provide much faster internet data speeds for homes and businesses, they allow for larger and more complex data sets to be transferred at no loss to speed or quality.

MTA to Build First All-Terrestrial Fiber Line From Alaska to Contiguous U.S.

MTA Fiber Holdings, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTA, Alaska’s best choice for technology and communications products, announced today that it plans to build AlCan ONE (Alaska Canada Overland Network), the first and only all-terrestrial fiber network connecting Alaska to the contiguous United States and beyond.

NTSB Probe Yields New Safety Recommendations for Gas Utilities

Federal safety officials are recommending new rules for natural gas leak reporting and installations after investigating the cause of an explosion that killed seven people at a Maryland apartment complex in 2016.

Police: 1 Dead, 15 Injured in North Carolina Gas Explosion

A gas explosion that partially collapsed a North Carolina building and set it ablaze Wednesday morning killed one person and injured more than a dozen others, police said.