Underground Infrastructure - July 2023 - 8

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
Marcellus Gas Pipeline
Construction Moves Ahead
on Congressional Deal
During the past six years, five major pipeline
projects that were designed to ship Appalachian
gas to East Coast markets have been canceled,
for the most part due to regulatory impasses and
associated costs. A recent rare exception is the
303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) from
the Marcellus Shale, under development by
Equitrans Midstream and NextEra Energy.
Although already 94 percent complete, it
literally took an act of Congress to finally clear
the path for MVP's completion. President Joe
Biden signed legislation in June that raised the
nation's debt limit and ratified and approved all
permits and authorizations necessary for the
construction and initial operation of MVP.
The legislation directs federal agencies to
maintain such authorizations and requires the
Secretary of the Army to issue all permits or
verifications necessary to complete project
construction and allow for MVP's operation
and maintenance.
Given the legislation, and assuming the timely
issuance of the few remaining authorizations,
Equitrans said it intends to work with its project
partners to complete construction of MVP by
year-end 2023, at an estimated total project
cost of approximately $6.6 billion.
" We are grateful for the full support of
the White House, as well as the strong
leadership of Democratic and Republican
legislators for recognizing the MVP as a
critical energy infrastructure project, " Equitrans
said in a statement.
Minnesota Governor signs
$2.6 Billion Infrastructure Plan
Gov. Tim Walz has signed a $2.6 billion public
infrastructure package, the largest in state
history and the biggest bipartisan success of an
often-partisan legislative session.
The two bills together use $1.5 billion in
borrowing and $1.1 billion in cash to fund a long
list of projects statewide. They include roads
and bridges, bus rapid transit lanes, drinking
water and wastewater treatment plant upgrades,
construction at state-run and tribal colleges and
universities, facilities for state parks and trails,
affordable housing and community centers,
to name just a few categories. And the state
money will leverage hundreds of millions of
dollars in federal funds.
The Democratic governor signed the
legislation just upstream from the landmark
8 JULY 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Hennepin Avenue bridge over the Mississippi
River in downtown Minneapolis, where thenGov.
Rudy Perpich signed a projects bill in 1988
that funded construction of the span. The new
package includes $3.5 million for predesign work
ahead of eventual renovations to the busy bridge.
Most of the projects are of interest primarily
in their local communities, but the governor and
other officials said the entire state will benefit
from the jobs and the economic development
that the total package will generate.
Rhode Island To Require
Statewide Lead Pipe
Replacement Within Decade
A bill that would require the replacement of lead
pipes across Rhode Island over the next decade
has been approved by state lawmakers.
The bill would create a lead water supply
replacement program for both public and
private service lines, with a requirement that all
affected lines be replaced within 10 years. The
Senate previously approved the bill.
Under the bill, financial assistance for lead pipe
replacement would be provided through the
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, including nocost
options for property owners. To help develop
the state's workforce, the legislation would set
requirements for water suppliers and contractors
to participate in apprenticeship programs.
The bill would require water suppliers to create
a service line inventory no later than Oct. 16, 2024,
to determine the existence or absence of lead
within each water connection in its service area.
It would also establish new notification
and reporting requirements for suppliers to
ensure transparency in the identification and
replacement of service lines containing lead.
The bill would also require a lead risk
assessment be conducted for any home built
before 2011 as part of any transaction involving
the property. Currently, those assessments are
required only for homes built prior to 1978.
Arizona Governor Ends Water
Dispute with New Legislation
Legislation that resolves the water supply
problem of a small unincorporated community
outside the upscale city of Scottsdale was signed
into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs.
The bill approved by the state Legislature in
June obligates Scottsdale to provide Rio Verde
Foothills with access to city water. The law aims
to ensure that small communities like Rio Verde
Foothills have access to water in a state plagued
with water supply problems.
Several hundred people living in the
community had been anxious for a solution
after Scottsdale cut off water access on Jan. 1,
saying it needed to ensure its own residents
had enough water during a severe drought.
Before the cutoff, Scottsdale had allowed
water haulers to use a city standpipe to take
water to residents of Rio Verde Foothills, who
store their water in big tanks.
Mississippi Losing $50 Million
a Year on Jackson Water Fees
Mississippi's capital is collecting only a little
more than half of the money it bills for water
use, far below the rate at which most American
cities obtain such fees, Jackson's federally
appointed water manager said.
Ted Henifin, appointed in November by a
federal court to help improve Jackson's troubled
water system, told reporters the city is collecting
about 56% of the water fees it issues. That
compares to an industry-standard above 95%, he
said. The uncollected bills equate to about $50
million a year in lost revenue for the city, where
roughly a quarter of residents live in poverty.
The revenue losses sharpen the financial
strain of the hefty debt burden Jackson faces
for its water system.
" We need to get our financial house in order
for the water system, " Henifin said. " In order to
do that, we have to get the debt off the books. "
The city needs to pay down about
$280 million in outstanding debt on the water
system. About $23 million of that is private
bond debt the city must pay annually, Henifin
said. On top of the debt, the city needs enough
dollars for costly improvements to a water
system that has fallen into disrepair.
Repeated breakdowns in Jackson have
caused many in the city of about 150,000
residents to go days and weeks at a time
without safe running water. Last August and
September, people waited in lines for water to
drink, bathe, cook and flush toilets.
Nevada Senator Proposes
Water Pipeline Through
Conservation Area
A proposal to tunnel beneath a national
conservation area to install a second pipeline
to deliver Colorado River water to a large swath
of suburban Las Vegas has drawn support from
Nevada's senior Democratic senator.
U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto announced
she introduced legislation in June asking Congress
to let the Southern Nevada Water Authority
construct the underground pipeline through part
of Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area.
http://www.undergroundinfrastructure.com
Underground Infrastructure - July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Infrastructure - July 2023
