Magazine
Utility Ordered to Pay $53 Million Fine for Fatal Pipeline Blasts
Columbia Gas of Massachusetts has been ordered to pay a $53 million fine a series of pipeline blasts that killed a teenager and damaged dozens of homes in 2018.
New Industry Survey Shows Construction Activity Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels
A new survey released by the Association of General Contractors (AGC) of America shows that construction activity across the country is returning to levels from before the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the economy.
PG&E Confesses to Killing 84 People in 2018 California Fire
California gas utility company Pacific Gas & Electric confessed Tuesday to killing 84 people in one of the most devastating wildfires in recent U.S. history
New Mexico Offers COVID-19 Testing for Utility Workers
The state of New Mexico is offering COVID-19 testing to utility workers as part of a statewide effort to keep essential workers healthy and to meet state testing goals.
New Products
LiuGong Dressta Celebrate New, Award-Winning Crawler Dozer LiuGong introduced the all-new Dressta TD-16N, a revolutionary dozer. The TD-16N features a mid-cab design over a mid-mounted automatic, dual path hydrostatic drive train. And it comes digitally ready and with a standard 6-way angle blade...
PHMSA Proposal on Valves Proves Controversial
Flack is hitting the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) from all sides over its proposed rule to require automatic and remote shutoff valves on oil and gas pipelines. The February 2020 proposed rule from PHMSA attempts to implement mandates from both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Congress.
Newsline
DC Water’s Tunnel Boring Machine Reaches Key Project Milestone DC Water’s giant tunnel boring machine, named Chris, broke through a wall of concrete to reach the W Street shaft, a key milestone in the mining of the Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT) project. Chris will rest for a bit in the shaft an..
Brown and Caldwell, Carollo Engineers Joint Venture Selected for South County Ag Program
The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) has selected a joint venture of Brown and Caldwell and Carollo Engineers as project managers for $375 million recycled water infrastructure program.
Changes in a Viral World
Unquestionably, the Covid-19 virus changed our way of life; much of our work practices changed accordingly and dramatically, as well. No doubt, that change applies to various underground infrastructure markets as well.
UESI Pipelines 2020 Conference Moves to Virtual Event
The Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) Pipelines 2020 Conference originally scheduled for August 2020 in San Antonio, TX has been moved to a virtual event in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Enbridge Finds Gaps in Protective Coating on Michigan Pipeline
Canadian pipeline company Enbridge reported it has discovered four spots on its subsea oil pipeline in Michigan's Straits of Mackinac where the protective coating has eroded away exposing the bare metal of the pipe.
Stantec to Lead Major Wastewater Development Project in Egypt
Global engineering services company Stantec has been selected to head up a massive wastewater infrastructure improvement project for the Fayoum governate in Egypt.
U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance for Construction Workers Safety During Pandemic
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a division of the Department of Labor, has issued guidelines to keep construction workers safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
USDA Awards $750 Million for Rural Broadband Infrastructure
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding nearly $750 million in loans and grants to help improve broadband infrastructure in rural areas around the country.
Maryland, Virginia, D.C. Intend to Sue EPA on Bay Pollution
Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia are planning to file a lawsuit against the EPA for what they claim is a failure for the organization to hold two other states accountable for meeting targets set to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.
PHMSA Allowing Enforcement Flexibility During Coronavirus Pandemic
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is giving enforcement latitude to pipeline operators during the coronavirus pandemic.
CEQ Pro-Pipeline NEPA Changes Generate Heated Attacks
The CEQ proposal includes changes to the wording and timelines in the NEPA – which controls the scope of environmental impact statements – in an attempt to modernize the 30-year-old law. Many of those pro-pipeline changes parallel recommendations made last December by the National Petroleum Council.
Eight Texas Cities Partner for New Water Line
Eight cities in the Houston area are partnering together to replace a 75 million gallon water line.
Volvo CE Produces, Donates Personal Protective Equipment to Local Healthcare Workers
Volvo CE employees have contributed their time and talents to building personal protective equipment for healthcare workers in the American North East.
U.S. Delays Pipeline Approvals After Environmental Ruling
Pipelines and utility projects across the country could face long delays and increased costs after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted a nationwide permit program citing a recent federal court ruling that declared the permit illegal.
Volvo Awarded Grant to Test Electric Heavy Equipment in California
Volvo CE has been awarded a $2 million grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, funded by the EPA, for a pilot program for two of its electric-powered vehicles.
DC Water’s Tunnel Boring Machine Reaches Key Project Milestone
DC Water’s giant tunnel boring machine, named Chris, broke through a wall of concrete to reach the W Street shaft, a key milestone in the mining of the Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT) project.
New Products
Vermeer Introduces High-Capacity, Truck-Mounted Vacuum Excavators Vermeer Corporation has purchased a minority equity investment in and signed a distribution agreement with Vacuum X-Traction Products Inc. (VXP). Through the a..
House Democrats Consider Anti-Pipeline Reg Changes
Democrats in the House have introduced two bills that would negatively affect interstate pipelines. The legislative efforts align with a broader push by Democrats, including presidential candidates, to enact “green” energy policies which, if not vilifying natural gas, at least tarnish its reputation as a climate-preferred alternative to coal and oil.
Newsline
Industry Events Postponed Due to Coronavirus Industry events that had been planned throughout the United States this spring were postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of them waiting to reschedule when more is known about the breadth and duration of its spread. The postponement..
RehabZone Updates Generate Increased, Diverse Participation
The RehabZone – the special “no selling” area co-located with the Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT) and dedicated to providing objective information about sewer infrastructure rehabilitation – has become a standard part of the annual UCT.
LAN Engineering Selected for North Texas Water Supply System
LAN Engineering has been selected as the consulting engineer for a $490 million reservoir and conveyance project in North Texas.
Waiting for The World to Reboot
The world has survived many horrific pandemics for thousands of years. No doubt we’ll survive this latest attack on the human race by the merciless microscopic coronavirus army, and we all pray the toll in lives will not continue to climb. What it will do to the long-term, worldwide economy and our way of life remains to be seen.
CASE Unveils Industry First Fully Electric Backhoe
CASE Construction Equipment has introduced the construction industry’s first fully-electric backhoe loader.
Lametti & Sons Completes Complex Microtunneling Project
Lametti & Sons recently completed a complex microtunneling project as part of a $5 billion infrastructure development in Rochester, MN.
- DeLa Express seeks FERC approval for Permian-to-Louisiana gas pipeline project
- Hudson Tunnel Project set to generate 95,000 jobs during construction phase, report says
- OSHA penalizes Houston contractor over safety violations resulting in worker's death
- Charleston Water System settles huge lawsuit over sewer system damage caused by non-flushable wipes
- Boring machine 'Chessie' resumes drilling at Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel site after anchor incident
- Ditch Witch 1030
- 24th Annual Directional Drilling Survey
- Michigan lawmakers introduce bills to create septic codes throughout the state
- House passes Rep. Duarte's legislation to streamline water permitting processes in the Valley
- Court approves 3M settlement over ‘forever chemicals’ in public drinking water systems