Utility Infrastructure
UC Riverside and SoCalGas Announce Opening of Renewable Natural Gas Research Center
Southern California Gas Co. today announced the opening of a new Center for Renewable Natural Gas at the University of California, Riverside. The center is the first academic establishment in America dedicated to the study and applied research of renewable gas technologies. It was funded in part by..
PECO Named Philadelphia's Best Midsize Employer
For the second year in a row, PECO has been named Philadelphia’s best midsize employer in a new ranking from Forbes magazine’s “America’s Best Employers 2017” list. The ranking represents PECO’s ongoing efforts to provide a rewarding workplace for more than 2,500 employees from the Greater Philadelp..
California American Water Has New VP of Operations
American Water recently announced it has named Garry Hofer the Vice President of Operations of California American Water, effective immediately. Hofer replaces Rich Svindland, who was named the President of California American Water last February. As the vice president for Operations, Hofer will no..
Entergy Names Rod West as Utility Group President
Entergy Corporation has named Rod West group president, utility operations, effective July 1. West succeeds Theo Bunting, who is retiring from the company after 34 years of service. West will be responsible for the operational and financial performance of the regulated utilities, including ele..
Utility Hires 18 Line and Substation Employees from Training Program
Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., has hired 18 recent graduates of the company’s utility worker training program as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance service reliability for customers in Maryland and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The new employees include 11 line wor..
Utilities Technology Council Recognizes Individuals, Utilities at Awards Dinner
The Utilities Technology Council held its annual UTC Awards dinner last night in Charlotte at the UTC Telecom & Technology 2017 conference. The celebration dinner honored utilities and individuals who have shown extraordinary initiative throughout the past year. The 2017 UTC Award Winners are: I..
Aqua America Promotes Two to Vice President
Aqua America, Inc. announced today that Bill Jerdon and Bill Packer have each been promoted to vice president. “Under their leadership, both Bill Jerdon and Bill Packer have contributed to Aqua’s solid financial reputation, which ensures our continued ability to provide safe and reliable service to..
Utilities Technology Council Launches the UTC Foundation
The Utilities Technology Council has launched the UTC Foundation at the annual Telecom & Technology conference in Charlotte, N.C. The UTC Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of sponsoring educational incentives and programs to attract, retain and support top technology and t..
Dominion Officially Changes its Name
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Richmond, Virginia-based energy giant Dominion Resources Inc. has changed its name to Dominion Energy Inc. The company said in a news release that shareholders voted Wednesday to approve the new name. The proposed change was announced in February. Chairman, president and CEO T..
Water Organizations Release Guidance Manual on Fostering Innovation Within Utilities
The Water Research Foundation and Water Environment & Reuse Foundation, in partnership with Birmingham Water Works Board and utilities from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, have published a guidance manual for innovation based on successful programs in the utility and commercial sectors. ..
Mississippi Regulator Links to Utility Employment Pages
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The agency that regulates Mississippi utilities says people looking for work can now go to its website for links to dozens of utilities’ employment pages. Public Service Commissioner Cecil Brown says every community in the state needs well-qualified utility workers, and ..
New Mexico Electric Utility Agrees to Settle Rate Dispute
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s largest electric provider has reached a settlement with regulators, the state attorney general and others over a rate increase scheduled to take effect next year. The parties said the proposed settlement was filed Friday with the state Public Regulation Commiss..
Regulators Seek More Utility Work for Mississippi Companies
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi regulators want utilities to do more to hire companies based in the state, proposing an administrative rule that would require regulated private utilities to keep lists of interested companies and notify them of contracting opportunities. The Public Service Commiss..
Kansas Regulators Asked to Reconsider Rejection of Utility Sale
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas regulators are being asked to reconsider their rejection of the proposed sale of the state’s largest electric company to a Missouri firm. Kansas City, Missouri-based Great Plains Energy Inc. and Topeka-based Westar Energy Inc. announced Thursday that they made the r..
AGA Honors Utilities for Commitment to Safety
The American Gas Association today recognized natural gas utilities and transmission companies for their outstanding commitment to safety. During AGA’s annual Operations Conference in Orlando, FL, 21 AGA member companies received the 2016 Safety Achievement Awards for notable performance in worker s..
Oklahoma Utility Seeks Approval to Raise Rates
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An Oklahoma City-based utilities company is asking the Arkansas Public Service Commission to approve a settlement in its case to change rates. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2p95PMY ) reports the settlement, reached last month, allows Oklahoma Gas and Electric..
Colorado Bill Would Help Utilities Produce and Store More Gas
DENVER (AP) — A Colorado Senate committee on Wednesday passed a bill to save a state energy agency from extinction — but with caveats that would drastically reduce the agency’s renewable energy portfolio and make it easier for some utilities to produce and stockpile natural gas. The latter provisio..
$850,000 Stolen from Rural Water Association in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A former office manager is accused of siphoning some $850,000 from a rural drinking water system that serves thousands of people in southeastern New Mexico, the state auditor’s office said Tuesday. State Auditor Tim Keller confirmed that his office has forwarded information..
Water Utility Seeks Proposals for Energy Storage Project
The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors on Thursday authorized the water authority, in conjunction with the City of San Diego, to begin seeking detailed proposals for the San Vicente Energy Storage Project. The San Vicente Energy Storage Project includes the construction of an energ..
Consumers Energy Opens New Employee Training Center
Officials from Consumers Energy and Grand Valley State University today celebrated the opening of the John G. Russell Leadership Center on the school’s downtown Grand Rapids campus, which will train the next generation of leaders for the energy provider. “Consumers Energy has a 130-year history..
Chicago Utility Creates App to Respond to Incidents Impacting Waterways
As boaters and visitors flock to area waterways, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is prepared to respond to local incidents impacting local rivers and streams. To alert the MWRD of odors, stream blockages and other environmental-related issues, the public is encouraged..
Gunman kills 2 Laclede Gas Utility Workers, Turns Gun on Self
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A gunman opened fire on two utility workers in a residential St. Louis neighborhood Thursday, killing both of them before fatally shooting himself. The shooting happened around 11:15 a.m. on the western edge of the city. Police say the gunman walked up to the two male workers for L..
Kansas Regulators Reject $12.2B Utility Merger
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas regulators on Wednesday rejected the proposed sale of the state’s largest electric company to a Missouri firm, concluding that the $12.2 billion price was too high and would leave the combined utility financially weaker than the separate companies. The Kansas Corporation ..
40 U.S. Utilities Recognized for Environmental Excellence
40 U.S. utilities have been recognized as 2017 Environmental Champions by Market Strategies International’s Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential, a nationwide study of nearly 58,000 customers among 130 of the largest residential gas and electric utility providers. The study scor..
Report: 17 States Invest in Water Reuse as a Long-Term Supply Strategy
Traditional water supplies are no longer a certainty for many municipal water utilities across the U.S., sparking a wave of investment in water reuse and desalination projects exceeding $18 billion. A critical driver to their adoption are demonstrated cost declines and competitiveness with more trad..
Utility: Old Power Lines Under Lake Champlain to be Replaced
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) —The Vermont Electric Power Company, which distributes electricity across the state, says construction is due to begin this week to replace power lines that run beneath Lake Champlain between Vermont and New York. The cables are part of VELCO’s Plattsburgh-to-Vermont line that ..
Texas Electric Regulators Nix $18B Oncor Sale
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas regulators have rejected the proposed more than $18 billion sale of Dallas-based Oncor Electric Delivery Co. to NextEra Energy Inc. The three-member Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday unanimously declined to accept the agreement as being in the public interest..
Budgets For EPA Water Infrastructure Grants Endangered
President Trump’s intention to drastically cut the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other departments and agencies, could have a major impact on the agency’s two key water infrastructure programs, the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs). Early leaks of..
Utility & Communications Construction Business Update
EDITOR’S NOTE: The past 25 years has seen many changes in the underground utilities universe. Technology advances, regulatory activity and environmental requirements have dictated major alterations in the way companies are managed. Rating as one of the foremost changes is the evolution of the busine..
Utility Worker Saves Man's Life
NEW YORK (AP) — A utility worker is being credited with saving a man who fell onto a New York City subway track just before a train pulled into the station. Cellphone video taken by a Seattle teenager shows Jonathan Kulig, of Queens, picking up a young man who had fallen off a Manhattan station’s p..
- 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