Utility Infrastructure
OGE Energy Names Stafford Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
OGE Energy Corp. today announced that it has named Sarah Stafford controller and chief accounting officer effective March 1, 2018. Stafford will follow Scott Forbes, who announced he will step away from his role as the company’s principal accounting officer effective Feb. 28, 2018. Forbes, who plans..
Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Would Study Sale of Federal Utility’s Assets
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The infrastructure plan outlined by President Donald Trump on Monday suggests studying whether the nation’s largest public utility should sell its transmission assets, which Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander called “a looney idea” with “zero chance of becoming law.” ..
Virginia Senate Passes Dominion-Backed Regulation Rewrite
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Senate has passed legislation putting new limits on regulators’ ability to lower utilities’ electric rates that are currently earning excessive profits. The Senate voted Friday for the bill, which also providing some rebates for past overearnings. The vo..
Missouri Senate Advances Utility Rates Bill After Daylong Filibuster
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Senate on Thursday advanced legislation that could reward utilities making improvements to their infrastructure with more consistent rate increases on their customers, a move that came after a more than 20-hour, overnight filibuster finally ended. The legisla..
Missouri Senate Endures Filibuster on Utility Rates Bill
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sleepy Missouri senators worked through the night into a new day Thursday as a small group of lawmakers filibustered a bill that could reward utilities making improvements to their infrastructure with more consistent rate increases on their customers. The legislation chan..
Virginia Regulators: Utility Bill Could Mean Billions of New Charges
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Regulators say legislation proposing a major rewrite of the Virginia’s oversight of electric monopolies could result in billions of new charges “paid by customers in higher rates.” The State Corporation Commission sent a letter to lawmakers Wednesday contradicting many of the..
State Regulators Approve Deal in Arizona Water Service Dispute
PHOENIX (AP) — State utility regulators have approved a settlement to a long-lingering dispute between two Arizona water companies over a section of service territory south of Phoenix. The Arizona Corporation Commission on Tuesday approved the settlement, allowing the Arizona Water Co. to kee..
Cleco Corporate Holdings to Acquire NRG South Central Generating
Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC (Cleco), owner of regulated electric utility Cleco Power LLC (Cleco Power), today announced that it will acquire NRG South Central Generating LLC (South Central), a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc., for $1 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Cleco will ..
Trump to Nominate Memphis Attorney to Federal Utility Board
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to nominate Memphis attorney John L. Ryder to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board. A news release from the White House says Ryder would serve a term expiring in May of 2020 if he’s confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Ryder previously..
API: Natural Gas Helps Create Reliable, Resilient Electric Power System
API has released the following statement highlighting the positive impacts that natural gas offers to power generation and following testimony by nuclear energy advocates at today’s House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing. “Our nation’s electric grid is as reliable as it has ever been as dat..
$32K Fine for Ex-Utilities Commissioner Lobbying Colleagues
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s campaign watchdog announced Monday that it is fining a former public utilities commissioner $32,500 for failing to disclose that she was lobbying her former colleagues on behalf of ride-hailing and water companies. The Fair Political Practices Commission annou..
Virginia Gov. Announces Compromise on Electric Rate Overhaul
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s governor is endorsing a major overhaul of electricity regulations sought by utilities in the state, despite warnings from the state’s attorney general and others that customers will end up paying more than they should. Gov. Ralph Northam issued a statement Monday say..
The Infrastructure Marshall Plan
Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief This issue includes our highly anticipated Municipal Sewer and Water Survey. The exclusive survey, conducted last fall by Underground Construction magazine, provides an amazing window into the mindset and funding plans of U.S. sewer/water infrastructure personne..
Vortex Companies
The Vortex Companies, a leading trenchless rehabilitation industry solutions provider, has acquired VacVision Environmental, a trenchless infrastructure and service contractor. Located in South Carolina and Florida, VacVision will significantly bolster Vortex’s brand and strength in the Southeast. ..
Indiana House Member Among Finalists for Utility Commission
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The legislator who leads the Indiana House utility committee is among the finalists for a seat on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission that oversees most of the state’s electricity and natural gas companies. The governor’s office says Republican Rep. David Ober of Albion is..
Utility & Communications Construction Outlook
By Daniel Shumate Director, FMI Capital Advisors Inc. The utility transmission and distribution, and communication distribution industries remain in a multiyear investment cycle driven by the need to repair, replace and upgrade the transmission and distribution infrastructure across the United Stat..
Florida DEP Invests $90 Million In Water Quality Improvement Projects
Florida Department of Environmental Protection has provided more than $90 million toward the recent completion of seven water quality improvement projects in Central and South Florida. The funding was awarded through the Division of Water Restoration Assistance’s various funding resources and progra..
California Water District Publishes New Report Outlining Investments in Conservation, Recycling and Groundwater Recovery
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has published its annual overview of achievements in conservation, recycling and groundwater. Covering fiscal year 2016/17, the report details the backstories behind some milestone achievements, including the district’s cumulative investment of..
Xcel Energy Crews Headed to Puerto Rico
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A crew of utility workers from the Upper Midwest is heading to Puerto Rico to help with the ongoing power restoration efforts following Hurricane Maria. Twenty-five Xcel Energy workers from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin are travelling to Puerto Rico Monday...
Virginia Governor Voices "Significant Concerns" on Electric Rate Bills
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday he has “significant concerns” about utility-backed legislation to allow electric monopolies to continue charging rates that currently produce excessive yearly profits of hundreds of millions of dollars. Northam said he wants state regul..
PPL Crews Head to Puerto Rico on Power Restoration Mission
PPL Electric Utilities employees packed their hard hats and work boots and boarded a flight to Puerto Rico Thursday, the first leg of their month-long journey to help restore power on the hurricane-battered island. The line workers and support personnel from throughout the PPL service territory..
Pennsylvania American Water Kicks Off 2018 Scholarship Program
Pennsylvania American Water today announced that applications are being accepted for its 2018 Stream of Learning Scholarship Program to provide financial assistance to high school seniors who are planning to pursue careers in the water and wastewater industry. The program is designed to support outs..
Emergency Hearing to Address Kentucky Water District Rate Increase
INEZ, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Public Service Commission will hold an emergency hearing to discuss proposed rate increases for a troubled Kentucky water district. WYMT-TV reports the Friday morning hearing in Frankfort will discuss the proposed 49.5 percent increase in rates for Martin County Water ..
Power Restored to 240,000 Customers in Puerto Rico
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the state’s utilities have restored power to nearly 240,000 customers in the San Juan, Puerto Rico metro area, roughly 80 percent of the region’s total customer base. Since November 2017, more than 450 New York utility personnel have been working t..
Virginia Lawmakers Propose Major Electric Rate Regulation Overhaul
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — New utility-backed legislation in Virginia would mean lower monthly bills in the short term but would still allow electric monopolies to charge rates that currently produce excessive yearly profits of hundreds of millions of dollars. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a..
Philadelphia Sinkhole Prompts Evacuation of Homes
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say a large sinkhole in Philadelphia has prompted evacuation of some homes, but no injuries have been reported. The Philadelphia fire department says crews dispatched to the neighborhood northeast of the city center Friday reported that the sinkhole measured 30 feet ..
PPL Corporation Names Wood to Board of Directors
PPL Corporation today announced that Phoebe A. Wood, currently the principal of investment firm CompaniesWood and an executive with three decades of international, financial and operational management experience, will join the company’s board of directors, effective immediately. “We are very please..
Connecticut Water to Spend $17 Million Replacing Aging Pipes
Connecticut Water today announced it plans to spend an additional $17.4 million in 2018 to continue enhancing water system reliability by replacing aging pipes. “Connecticut Water is at the forefront of investing in replacing aging water mains,” Craig C. Patla, Connecticut Water’s vice president of..
US Withholds Hurricane Emergency Loan Sought by Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A billion-dollar emergency loan approved by Congress to help Puerto Rico deal with the effects of Hurricane Maria has been temporarily withheld by federal officials who say the U.S. territory is not facing a cash shortage like it has repeatedly warned about in recent mon..
J.D. Power Study: Natural Gas Utility Satisfaction Reaches All-Time High
According to J.D. Power’s 2017 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, natural gas utility business customer satisfaction scores have reached record levels. With an overall satisfaction score of 792 (on a 1,000-point scale), gas utility business customers are now the most satisfied among a..
- Trench collapse kills one construction worker in Houston, Texas
- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Construction worker killed in trench collapse near Prosperity, S.C.
- Final construction phase kicks off for Indianapolis deep rock tunnel
- Texas contractor penalized by OSHA for repeated trench safety violations
- Trench collapse kills one construction worker in Houston, Texas
- WES tunnel boring machine retrieved from Oregon river after seven-month project
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes