Magazine
Work Completed on World’s Longest Hydraulically Inserted Pipe
The world's longest hydraulically inserted pipe has been installed nearly 100 feet below the Humber River in Northern England.
Common Ground Alliance Announces Damage Prevention Conference & Expo
The Common Ground Alliance has announced its 2021 CGA Conference & Expo from March 2-5, 2021 in Orlando, Florida.
WEF Selects San Antonio River Authority, LAN and RESPEC as Recipients of the 2020 Project Excellence Award
The San Antonio River Authority (SARA), civil engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) and integrated solutions partner RESPEC have been selected by the Water Environment Federationsas the recipients of the 2020 Project Excellence Award.
California Announces $83.9 Million in Grants for Local and Regional Water Resilience Projects
California has awarded nearly $84 million in funding to help local and regional water infrastructure improvement projects around the state.
EPA Announces $6 Billion in New Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $6 billion in funding to support water infrastructure projects around the county.
New Products
John Deere TC-Series Trencher Attachments Enhance Productivity Designed to fit the needs of construction and landscaping professionals, John Deere debuted two additional trencher models, TC36 and TC48, to its family of attachments. The TC Series is compatible on John Deere skid steers and compact t..
Newsline
Supreme Court Clears Path for Pipeline Crossing Under Appalachian Trail The Supreme Court paved the way for a critical permit for the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline to cross under the Appalachian Trail, siding with energy companies and the Trump administration. The justices ruled 7-2 to rever..
FERC Policy Statement on ROE Favors Pipelines
Interstate gas and oil pipelines got a couple of big boosts from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) policy statement published on May 21. Changes in the way the FERC calculates a pipeline’s return on equity (ROE) generally mean the higher the ROE, the higher the rates a pipeline can charge.
Senate Water Infrastructure Bills Pass Committee
Two bills passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will increase authorization levels for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water (CW) and Drinking Water (DW) State Revolving Funds (SRFs). But those are only ceilings for annual funding; the Appropriations Committees in both houses actually determine funding in fiscal year 2021, which begins Oct. 1, 2020, and beyond.
Editor's Log: Neglect and Consequences
To say it has been a rough decade for Pacific Gas & Electric, one of the largest energy utilities in America, is an understatement. Between 2010 and 2020, PG&E has endured a series of events, primarily self-inflicted, including convictions of malfeasance that would break most major corporations.
Respected HDD Industry Pioneer Dies at 72
Respected HDD industry pioneer with more than 35 years of experience, Ron Halderman has died at 72.
Aegion Corporation Awarded $6 Million Wastewater Rehabilitation Contract
Insituform Technologies, LLC, a subsidiary of Aegion Corporation, has been awarded a $6 million sewer rehabilitation contract in South Carolina.
Supreme Court Reinstates Permit 12 but Excludes Keystone XL
The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated use of the Army Corps of Engineers' Nationwide Permit 12 but refused to allow use of the fast-track permit to resume work on TC Energy's Keystone XL project.
Judge Orders Dakota Access Pipeline Shut Down Pending Review
A U.S. District Court Judge has ordered Energy Transfer to shut down and empty its controversial 570,000 bpd Dakota Access oil pipeline within 30 days.
Developers Cancel Long-Delayed Atlantic Coast Pipeline
The developers of the long-delayed, $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline announced the cancellation of the multi-state natural gas project Sunday, citing uncertainties about costs, permitting and litigation.
PG&E Emerges from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
The PG&E Corporation has announced that the company has successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
New Orleans Neighborhood Pilots Innovative Stormwater Solution
A neighborhood in New Orleans recently completed the 50th of about 200 planned stormwater management projects designed to allow water to filter into the ground instead of pouring into storm drains.
Operator Qualification Integrity Process Website Now Live
The website of the Operator Qualification Integrity Process or OQIP is now live at www.oqip.org
TC Energy Selects Michels Canada to Build Keystone XL Pipeline in Canada
Michels Canada has announced that the company has been selected by TC Energy to construct the Canadian portion of the Keystone XL pipeline.
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.
- 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