Pennsylvania Public Utility posts new rules for replacing aging pipelines

Noting the Feb. 9 natural gas explosion that killed five Allentown residents, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission last week proposed requiring gas utilities to file plans outlining how much aging underground pipelines leak and when the utilities intend to replace them. The PUC unanimously agreed without discussion to seek comments on the proposal, which was [...]

NJ Reservoir Drainage May Affect Local Drinking Water

Officials say water may look, smell differently, but is still safe to drink while the Cedar Grove Reservoir is drained. While the Cedar Grove Reservoir is drained, workers will go in and repair corrosion damage, inspect its conduits and fix leakage. The process of draining the reservoir, which is located along Ridge Road, is expected [...]

Lawsuit leaves large gas storage fields in Kansas unregulated

Bill Knox knows to respect natural gas. He’s a former oil- and gas-field worker who helped lay the foundations for a mammoth underground gas storage operation three miles from his home; he lost a friend in a gas explosion in Texas; and he well remembers 10 years ago when gas escaped from underground storage and blew [...]

12 Montreal structures considered critical due to corrosion

Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay said on Wednesday that 12 bridges, tunnels and overpasses in the city identified by engineers as being in critical condition. “We have the reports from our engineers that these structures are safe,” Tremblay told reporters at city hall, where technical details on 35 structures were made public. “From the moment one [...]

Florida’s St. Augustine Beach Pier Corroding

According to St. Johns County officials, the stretch of coastline from south Georgia to Fort Lauderdale is the most corrosive in the nation. Evidence of the corrosion can be seen on the St. Augustine Beach pier, one that’s 25 years old and nearing the end of its lifespan. Janice Vose, who spent her time under [...]

Regulators investigate “unsafe” NY natural gas line

A key natural gas pipeline which crosses southern New York state is in danger of rupturing and could pose a safety threat, according to a recent report from regulators. An investigation by the New York State Department of Public Service into a leak on the Millennium Pipeline in January found that uninspected faulty welds were [...]

Memorial Bridge coatings job to cost $12 million

AUGUSTA – Memorial Bridge is due for a pricey paint job, perhaps as early as this fall. Painting the nearly 2,100-foot-long, 48-foot-wide bridge is expected to cost about $12 million. By comparison, the bridge was built in 1949 at a cost of $1.2 million. Officials attribute the high cost of repainting to the bridge’s size [...]

Iowa bridges third-worst in the nation

At first glance, the two-lane bridge over Wapsinonoc Creek seems up-to-date. But a closer inspection reveals rusted bolts, graffiti, and crooked beams. More than 4,000 cars travel across it each day, and it has not been renovated since 1956. The bridge, located in Muscatine County, is one of 5,000 bridges in Iowa classified as structurally [...]

Pipeline bill may be easier sell than oil policies

WASHINGTON: “The tragic spill in the Kalamazoo River and recent leak in Stockbridge underscores the importance of strengthening pipeline safety and cracking down on violators,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. The Lansing area’s federal lawmakers split along party lines — as did most of Congress — over recent measures to expand oil drilling and to [...]