Pipelines
Officials: Drilled Hole in Pipe May Have Caused Michigan Sinkhole
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A hole drilled through a concrete sewer line nearly 40 years ago may have led to soil erosion beneath another section of the pipe and the football field-sized sinkhole that has forced 22 families from their suburban Detroit homes. Macomb County Public Works Comm..
Obama Administration Aids Giant California Water Project
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The outgoing Obama administration on Wednesday tried to nudge forward Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to build two giant north-south water tunnels for California. In an executive order, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell directed federal wildlife officials on Wednesday to release..
Company Increases Use of Drones to Inspect Electric Transmission Lines
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Westar Energy is increasing the use of drones for such things as inspecting equipment, navigating remote areas and managing some emergencies, as the utility tries to improve safety and efficiency while also saving money, company officials said. Westar and Kansas State University..
Barbies and Bacon Grease Keep Houston Sewer Crews Busy
HOUSTON (AP) — Aaron McCall had fed about a dozen feet of green hose into the sanitary sewer line running from Daniel Castillo’s house, blasting pressurized water toward the main city pipe, when the ground let out a deep belch. “OK,” said McCall, a city utility worker. “There, it’s down.” The Hous..
All Hands on Deck to Fix Broken Sewer Line in Michigan
FRASER, Mich. (AP) — The new public works commissioner in a suburban Detroit county is declaring “all hands on deck” to fix a broken sewer line that has created a major sinkhole and forced the evacuation of 22 homes. Former U.S. Rep. Candice Miller used her first day in office Sunday to urge Macomb..
PHMSA Appoints 24 Members to Pipeline Safety Working Group
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today appointed 24 members to the pipeline safety Voluntary Information-Sharing System (VIS) Working Group. The newly created advisory committee that will provide the Secretary of Tran..
Louisiana Pipeliners Association Elects 2017 Officers and Board Members
The Louisiana Pipeliners Association, a non-political and non-profit corporation formed in 1996 for the purpose of promoting all aspects of the pipeline industry in Louisiana, closed out its year by electing new officers, reinstating board members and announcing it had raised over $100,000 in 2016 f..
Incoming New Hampshire Governor Pledges to Support Natural Gas Projects
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Incoming Republican governor Chris Sununu is pledging to put his “political capital” behind projects designed to bring more natural gas into New Hampshire. Sununu told business leaders Thursday he hopes to see more companies look to build natural gas pipelines in the state, New..
Man with ALS First to Receive New West Virginia Water System
BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) — Back in 1978, when John Richmond moved to Pluto Road in Raleigh County, he dug a well and ran lines to carry water to his home. The well provided water for Richmond for years, then for his wife, Rebecca, and their son, Seth. Several years ago, the well became contaminated wit..
Power Line to Link Canada, New England Gets Key US Permit
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A power line planned to run under Lake Champlain and link suppliers in Canada with consumers in southern New England has won a key federal permit, clearing its last big regulatory hurdle. Transmission Developers Inc. announced Monday its TDI-New England subsidiary had receive..
City of Houston to Build Massive Waterline
The City of Houston will be advertising for bid in December 2016 the first three segments of a new 16.5 mile Northeast Transmission Waterline that will transmit surface water from the Northeast Water Purification Plant to four regional water authorities, Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs), and the C..
Study: Indiana Water Pipes Need $2.3 Billion in Immediate Repairs
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A new study says Indiana’s aging water infrastructure needs $2.3 billion in immediate repairs and $815 million a year in additional maintenance spending to protect human health and to stop the loss of about 50 billion gallons of water a year. The (Northwest Indiana) Times (http:..
Canada Green Lights 2 Pipeline Projects, Rejects Another
The Government of Canada has ruled on three major pipeline projects: Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion, Enbridge’s Northern Gateway and Line 3 Replacement. Trans Mountain Expansion Project: The Government of Canada has approved Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion Project, subject to 1..
Interim Gas Storage Regulations Upcoming from PHMSA
Interim regulations from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on natural gas storage facilities are imminent. They are not likely to be terribly controversial since PHMSA says they will be based on two industry voluntary standards: API Recommended Practices 1170 and 117..
Sierra Club Files Antitrust Complaint Concerning NEXUS Gas Pipeline
The Sierra Club has filed a complaint against Michigan’s largest electric utility, DTE Electric Company, alleging that a 250-mile, multi-billion dollar gas pipeline project owned by its affiliate, NEXUS Gas Transmission, LLC, threatens to monopolize the market for the generation of electricity in Mi..
North Dakota Senator: Federal Water Rule May be Repealed
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Hoeven says the results of last week’s election may mean the end for the controversial Environmental Protection Agency rule on what waterways fall under the Clean Water Act. WDAY-TV (http://bit.ly/2eClVh3 ) reports a prominent environmental group appear..
SoCalGas Deploys Sensors to Detect Methane and Enhance Public Safety
Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) has completed demonstration testing of new gas detection sensors employing its Advanced Meter communication system as part of its overall pipeline safety efforts. The sensors can detect natural gas leaks quickly near natural gas pipelines and serves as an e..
North Dakota Lawmakers to Consider New Oil and Gas Industry Rules
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A set of revised administrative rules governing the oil and gas industry in North Dakota will go to lawmakers next month for final approval. The Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/2eZNIDZ ) reports North Dakota Industrial Commission members in June unanimously agreed to the set o..
OSHA to Hold Pipeline Safety Meeting
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has scheduled a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health’s OSH Professionals Pipeline Work Group. The meeting will be Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr...
Canadian City Receives Funding for Modern Water Infrastructure
In Saskatchewan, new federal and provincial funding will be going toward a project in the city of Estevan. The city will be constructing a residuals management facility to treat the wastewater generated by its water treatment plant using an effective and low-energy treatment process. The project als..
Corps Wants More Cooperation from Dakota Access Company
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it’s trying to defuse tensions between Dakota Access pipeline protesters and law enforcement in southern North Dakota, but the pipeline’s developer isn’t cooperating. The agency released a statement late Wednesday imploring Texas-based ..
PennEast Pipeline Application Suspended Again
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has announced a second delay in its schedule for reviewing the proposed PennEast pipeline. The date for issuance of the final environmental impact statement was postponed to February 17, 2017 from December 16, 2016. FERC also sent the company a substa..
Global Energy, Pipeline Outlook
By Rita Tubb, Executive Editor Underground Construction’s 2016 survey shows 47,693 miles of pipelines are planned or under construction. Of these, 19,115 miles are in the planning and design phase, while 28,578 miles are in various stages of construction. The following reflect pipeline mileage in t..
North Dakota Regulators Eye Fine Against Pipeline Company
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators are proposing a fine of at least $15,000 against the company building the four-state Dakota Access pipeline. The Public Service Commission said Monday in a complaint that a subsidiary of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners didn’t get regulators’ approv..
Colonial's Gasoline Pipeline Back in Service
HELENA, Ala. (AP) — A gas pipeline that exploded in Alabama last week is back in service, the pipeline company said Sunday. Service was restarted at 5:45 a.m. Sunday on the pipeline that transports gasoline from the Gulf Coast to New York City, according to Colonial Pipeline Co. The pipeline explo..
Legal Action Taken in Fatal Sewer Trench Collapse
NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — The widow of a man killed in a trench collapse in Boise has filed a precursor to a lawsuit against several government agencies. The Idaho Press-Tribune reports in a story on Friday (http://bit.ly/2fxKlUQ) that Misty Smith names the Idaho Public Works Contractors License Board, t..
Blast-Damaged Gasoline Line Should Reopen Sunday
HELENA, Ala. (AP) — The gasoline pipeline that exploded and erupted in flames in Alabama this week should be back in service Sunday, the pipeline company said. Colonial Pipeline Co. is constantly reassessing the timeline for a restart but that its current projection is Sunday afternoon, the company..
Company Begins Excavating Pipeline After Leak
HELENA, Ala. (AP) — A company says it is excavating the gasoline pipeline that exploded and erupted in flames in Alabama this week. A statement Thursday from the Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline Co. says “substantial progress” has been made since work began Wednesday night at the rural site so..
Dakota Access Pipeline And A Tale Of Two Tribes
By Robert Carpenter Editor-in-Chief Another line in the sand has been drawn for the energy pipeline industry. The unfortunate ripple effects from the Keystone Pipeline fiasco continue to resonate throughout the energy and environmental political block. Initially, Native Americans from a small Stan..
Pipeline Company May Face Fines
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Officers in riot gear clashed again Wednesday with protesters near the Dakota Access pipeline, hitting several dozen with pepper spray as they waded through waist-deep water in an attempt to reach property owned by the pipeline’s developer. The confrontation came just hours af..
- Tunnel boring machine ‘Clack-A-Mole’ nears one-third completion in Oregon outfall project
- Texas A&M weighs underground transit plan with Elon Musk's Boring Co. to reduce campus traffic
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Wyo-Ben’s Max Gel, Max Bore HDD system boost drilling efficiency, performance
- Federal court halts permits for 32-mile Tennessee gas pipeline project
- Wisconsin proposes new PFAS drinking water standards to align with federal rules
- Elgin, Ill., joins EPA drinking water initiative to accelerate lead pipe replacement
- Dog River pipeline replacement in Oregon improves water supply with new HDPE pipe
- Leaking wastewater systems named top source of San Diego River contamination, study finds
- New Portable Welding System From Miller