Washington Watch

New Funding Authority For Water Infrastructure Moves Forward In Senate
May 2013, Vol. 68 No. 5

A Senate committee gave a big boost to a new source of water infrastructure spending by including an amendment in the Water Resources Development Act (S. 601). That WRDA bill passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on March 20 by a unanimous vote.

Obama Draft EIS on Keystone XL Leans Toward Project Approval
April 2013, Vol. 68 No. 4

The Obama administration's positive draft environmental impact statement on the final, four-state leg of the Keystone XL pipeline appears to set approval by the State Department on an exorable path.

Water Infrastructure Initiatives Afoot
March 2013, Vol. 68 No. 3

Separate regulatory and legislative developments could affect local government ability to afford water infrastructure projects. The Environmental Protection Agency is considering revisions to the agency's 1997 financial capability guidelines which dictate how hard the agency can press cities and counties to undertake expensive Clean Water Act projects such as sewer repairs.

Tougher Requirements For Excavators Likely In 2013
Stephen Barlas, Washington Editor
February 2013, Vol. 68 No. 2

The most significant federal action this year affecting underground construction companies is likely to be the final rule from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on excavation damage. The rule will have two parts. One will define minimum excavation damage program standards for states.

Federal Excavation Requirements Imminent
February 2013, Vol. 68 No. 2

A final rule meant to limit pipeline damage from excavation should be made final sometime later this summer. Two advisory committees voted their approval and authorized changes to the proposed rule the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued in April 2012. Many of the changes the advisory committee green lighted appeared designed to toughen requirements on excavators.

Report Opens Door To Liquefaction Approvals
January 2013, Vol. 68, No. 1

The Department of Energy published a report from NERA Economic Consulting which concludes unlimited exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) will help the U.S. economy, and the greater the exports, the greater the public good. The DOE automatically approves LNG exports to countries with a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. But it must find that exports to countries without FTAs are in the public interest. The DOE commissioned the report to help it decide whether to approve additional non-FTA exports.

Worried about Wyden
December 2012, Vol. 67 No. 12

The results of the November presidential and congressional elections portend "more of the same" with regard to issues of interest to the gas transmission industry. Current regulatory dockets already underway will continue along their current track. Those dockets concern greenhouse gas emissions, the integrity management program and fracking.

Industry Speaks Out On PHMSA’s Penalty Proposals, Other Actions
November 2012, Vol. 67, No. 11

Pipeline groups are unhappy with the way the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is interpreting the new penalty authority Congress provided it under the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, which went into effect last January.

Obama Drilling Expansion In Alaska Falls Short For Some
October 2012, Vol. 67 No. 10

ConocoPhillips Alaska, among the most active companies exploring for oil and gas in northern Alaska, found a lot not to like in the Obama administration decision in mid-August with regard to development of the 22.8 million acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

Tighter EPA Soot Standard Could Complicate Underground Construction
September 2012, Vol. 67 No. 9

Companies who do underground construction will be affected -- and not in a good way -- if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goes ahead with its proposal to tighten its particulate matter air emissions standard, referred to as the PM2.5 standard (2.5 indicates the size of the particle).

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