Utility Infrastructure
Fired Engineer Sues Utility
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A fired engineer at a now-aborted Mississippi Power Co. plant sued the utility’s parent company Tuesday, saying an order to reinstate him is being ignored. Brett Wingo of Homewood, Alabama, filed the whistleblower retaliation case in federal court in Birmingham, Alabama. Wingo..
Oklahoma Cites Several Counties for Water Systems Violations
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — In the last two years, Oklahoma has cited several counties for health violations at 36 water systems. The Oklahoman reports the violators in Cleveland, Canadian and Oklahoma counties range from those who operate single-well systems serving a handful of public users to municipal..
BlackRock Acquires Gas Natural
A fund managed by BlackRock Real Assets’ Global Energy & Power Infrastructure group has completed the acquisition of Gas Natural Inc. The proposed transaction was initially announced in October 2016 by First Reserve Energy Infrastructure Funds, which BlackRock Real Assets acquired in June 2017. Gas..
Utility Plans to Restore Island Power by Weekend
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina officials say power will be restored to Hatteras Island on Friday, a week after it was hit by a massive outage and thousands of people were ordered to leave. Dare County officials announced that visitors will have unrestricted access to the island starting Friday..
Cause of Home Explosion that Killed Utility Worker Still Unknown
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board has not identified the cause of a Pennsylvania home explosion that killed a utility worker and injured three others. In a preliminary report released Tuesday, the NTSB says a tapping tee leading to the Manor Township home was leaking ga..
Navigant Research: Utilities Need to Take a Pragmatic Approach to Energy Transformation
Navigant Research has released two reports examining how the energy transformation is playing out across distribution networks and providing examples of leading business models and practical recommendations for network utilities to realize a successful transformation. Distribution Utility Transforma..
North Carolina Officials: Equipment Being Set Aside when Outage Happened
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina transportation officials say workers were setting aside equipment that wasn’t in use when they caused a massive power outage that drove tourists from two islands in the Outer Banks. Transportation department spokesman Tim Hass says construction workers stuck the ..
Municipal Grouting Video Series Helps Solve I&I Problems
Avanti International has produced a new learning resource for solving Infiltration and Inflow (I&I) issues in sanitary and storm water systems. Fundamentals of Municipal Grouting is a 16-module video series designed as an interactive learning experience for those who need-to-know and want-to-solve t..
Utility Panel: Poland Spring Plan Won't Harm Water System
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Poland Spring is clearing regulatory hurdles for its plan to pump up to 172 million gallons of water a year from a public water district well. The Maine Public Utilities Commission said Tuesday a permit application filed by parent company Nestle Waters to withdraw municipal wa..
Construction Industry Applauds PAB Legislation
Legislation that would open the door to private investment in water and wastewater infrastructure investment was introduced recently by U.S. Reps. John “Jimmy” Duncan (R-TN) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). The Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act, which would remove water and wastewater infrast..
Regulators Seek More Work for Mississippi Utility Companies
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi regulators have finalized an effort to push utilities to do more to hire locally based companies. The Public Service Commission voted 3-0 Tuesday to adopt its “Hire Mississippi” rule, after proposing it in May. The rule requires regulated private utilities to kee..
EPA Finalizes WIFIA Fee Rules, Congress Provides Additional Funding
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took another major step toward issuing its first credit subsidies for water infrastructure projects. It published a final rule in June, specifying fees it would charge counties and cities expected to vie for money in the first round of funding under the Wate..
Asking The Question About Undergrounding
Driving home recently, I spotted electric company personnel diligently working in the extreme heat and humidity to replace wooden power poles. It looked like this was going to be a major project as most of the poles in the area were in poor condition. The poles’ tenants – power and telephone lines, ..
Startup Companies Selected for the Ameren Accelerator
Ameren Corporation has announced the seven companies that have been selected to participate in the Ameren Accelerator, an innovative public-private partnership with the University of Missouri System, UMSL Accelerate and Capital Innovators, that assesses, mentors and invests in energy technology ..
Former CoBank CEO Joins Alaska Power & Telephone
Bob Engel, former Chief Executive Officer at CoBank, has joined the Board of Directors of Alaska Power & Telephone Company, one of Alaska’s leading independently-owned utility companies. During his tenure at CoBank beginning in 2000, Engel employed his passion for what he considers two of our count..
Illinois American Water’s Lincoln District Celebrates Safety Milestone
llinois American Water’s Lincoln District today announced it has gone nine years without experiencing any lost-time accidents. Illinois American Water employees work around the clock to provide an essential service critical for daily life, public health and fire protection. The work performed can i..
Portland General Electric Announces CEO Succession Plan
Jim Piro, president and CEO of Portland General Electric (PGE), notified the company’s board of directors on July 26, 2017 of his decision to retire on Dec. 31. As part of the company’s leadership succession plan, the board of directors has appointed Maria Pope, senior vice president of Power Supply..
Bridge Builder Admits Cutting Cable on North Carolina Coast
BUXTON, N.C. (AP) — An estimated 10,000 tourists were ordered to evacuate an island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Thursday after a construction company caused a power outage, leaving people searching for a place to eat, stay cool or resume interrupted vacations. The Cape Hatteras Electric Coop..
Emera Proposes Construction of Subsea Transmission Line
Emera Inc. has formally proposed construction of the Atlantic Link project, a new 1,000 megawatt (MW) subsea transmission line directly connecting Atlantic Canada to the Boston load center. The Atlantic Link will deliver reliable and cost-effective, clean energy to Massachusetts from seven proposed ..
Lisa Duarte Joins Illinois American Water’s Board of Directors
Illinois American Water today announced Lisa Duarte has joined the company’s Board of Directors. Duarte is currently a partner in the government affairs group of Forde Law Offices and has extensive experience in government affairs in the state of Illinois. As a board member, Duarte will bring an in..
Utility Proposes Five-Year Program to Continue Natural Gas Infrastructure Upgrades
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, today unveiled a proposal for the second phase of its natural gas infrastructure modernization program. If approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU), the program will allow PSE&G to continue to accelerate..
UGI Corporation Elects Theodore A. Dosch to Its Board of Directors
UGI Corporation has elected Theodore A. Dosch to the company’s Board of Directors, effective July 25, 2017. Dosch currently serves as Executive Vice President-Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Anixter International, a leading global distributor of network and security solutions, electrical and ..
American Water’s Dr. Mark LeChevallier Appointed to Water Science & Technology Board
American Water’s Vice President and Chief Science Advisor, Dr. Mark LeChevallier, has been appointed to the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies). The Water Science and Technology Board was established in the Nationa..
Democrat Stone Leaving Mississippi Senate for Utility Job
HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) — A Democrat from northern Mississippi is leaving the state Senate to become manager of a local utility company. Sen. Bill Stone of Holly Springs tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that his resignation will take effect Monday. The Mississippi Constitution bans ..
Utility Honored for Commitment to Environmental Excellence
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has been recognized by the Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE) with its Chairman’s Award for the company’s response to numerous environmental challenges encountered during an important transmission line project. The recognition marks the second time FPL has recei..
Oncor, Sharyland to Swap Assets
Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC has entered into an agreement with Sharyland Utilities, L.P. and Sharyland Distribution & Transmission Services, L.L.C. to swap assets in a transaction valued at approximately $400 million. After successful close of the transaction, Sharyland Distribution & T..
Avista Sale Needs Approval from Stockholders and Regulators
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The sale of Spokane-based Avista Corp. to a Canadian energy company must still win approval from shareholders and regulators. Hydro One, based in Toronto, Canada, announced Wednesday that it would pay $5.3 billion cash to buy Avista, which supplies electricity and natural gas ..
Hydro One Acquires Avista Corp.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Hydro One Limited of Toronto, Canada, has purchased Spokane-based Avista Corp. for $5.3 billion, creating one of North America’s largest regulated utilities. The combined companies said Wednesday they will have $25.4 billion in assets. The companies will serve more than 2 mil..
Tests Find No Detectable Levels of Toxins in Memphis Drinking Water
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A water utility company in Tennessee says tests on drinking water revealed no detectable traces of arsenic and lead after the toxins were found in groundwater at a coal-fired power plant. Memphis, Light, Gas & Water said in a statement Thursday that tests conducted by an indep..
New Jersey American Water Publishes Interactive Pipeline Map
New Jersey American Water has published an interactive Infrastructure Upgrade Map on its website to share details about its pipeline renewal projects. The user-friendly map allows customers to view details about the company’s water and wastewater pipe renewal or replacement projects across its 190 ..
- Tunnel boring machine ‘Clack-A-Mole’ nears one-third completion in Oregon outfall project
- Explosion in underground PG&E vault leaves one dead in Richmond, Calif.
- Sinkhole in Texas town accrues over $800,000 in sewer rehabilitation costs
- Water and Sewer Damage Awareness Week highlights infrastructure challenges
- Duke Energy undergrounds 48% of Florida power lines with plans to expand as hurricane season peaks
- 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
- New Portable Welding System From Miller
- GasTracker Accurately Locates Plastic Gas Pipes