Underground Construction - July 2021 - 10

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
a 2006 spill at a Louisiana refi nery, the U.S. Department
of Justice said.
The agreement settles both state and federal environmental
claims from the 2.2 million-gallon spill
at the Lake Charles refi nery's wastewater treatment
facility, a news release said.
State and federal trustees will work together
on restoration projects using nearly $19.2 million,
the statement said. It said the remaining
$528,000 will cover the remaining costs of the
damage assessment.
The payment is in addition to $97 million in
earlier penalties and fi nes, the Justice Department
said. It said Citgo has paid an $81 million Clean
Water Act penalty, a $13 million criminal fi ne
and $3 million to the Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality.
The " slop oil " and " untold millions of gallons of
oily wastewater " spilled into the Calcasieu River
and other waterways from overfl owing wastewater
tanks during a storm in 2006, the department said.
Civil Engineers Give D.C.
Infrastructure " C " Grade
The National Capital Section of the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the 2021
Report Card for Washington D.C.'s Infrastructure,
giving it an overall grade of " C, " meaning its infrastructure
is in mediocre condition.
The district has implemented strategies to
modernize its energy and wastewater infrastructure
to ensure reliable service to District residents, it said,
but the city's levees and transit network are not
prepared to meet future needs.
" The capital's infrastructure systems are getting
closer to where we want them to be " said Ranjit
Sahai, P.E., ASCE's D.C. Report Card Committee
Chair. " We have seen encouraging trends since the
2016 report was issued when the grade was a 'C-',
but D.C. must continue to explore all solutions to
improve the grades if we are to accommodate a
growing population and economy in the future. "
Louisiana Plans $180M Fiber Expansion Eff ort
Louisiana intends to spend $180 million over three years on grants to
telecommunication fi rms that construct broadband internet
infrastructure in underserved communities, hoping to lessen a
technology gap exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
For thousands of Louisiana households and businesses, aff ordable
high-speed internet is out of reach, making simple tasks of modern living such as internet browsing,
online shopping or watching a YouTube video often impossible.
The Advocate reports the problem is particularly acute in Louisiana's rural communities - where
residents are widely dispersed and internet providers have little incentive to shell out the capital it takes
to install fi ber cables, the gold standard of broadband capabilities.
Louisiana lawmakers earmarked millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief aid to try to address
the problem by subsidizing broadband projects. Gov. John Bel Edwards' newly created Offi ce of
Broadband Development and Connectivity will run the grant program.
To get the grants, fi rms will have to cover at least 20 percent of costs and be required to provide
high-speed internet at aff ordable prices for the next fi ve years. The projects will be evaluated based
on how many households and businesses they serve, and ones that receive buy-in from local
governments will earn extra points.
Rep. Daryl Deshotel, a Marksville Republican who sponsored the legislation, said the state's
economic growth will depend on lessening the connectivity divide.
" Louisiana is going to battle with other states to attract new industries, " Deshotel told The
Advocate. " Do we want to go to battle with 60 percent of our soldiers? Because that's who
participates in our digital economy at the moment. "
To bring high-speed internet to every household in Louisiana, the state would need to
invest around $1.1 billion, according to Veneeth Iyengar, head of Edwards' Offi ce of Broadband
Development and Connectivity.
With $180 million, up to 145,000 households could become connected to high-speed internet,
Iyengar said.
Complimenting those eff orts is another $372 million the federal government awarded directly to
providers last year to extend coverage over the next decade to 175,000 households and businesses.
10 JULY 2021 | UCONonline.com
D.C.'s energy (C+) and wastewater (B-) infrastructure
have seen signifi cant investment and innovative
practices in recent years. D.C. has provided incentives
to encourage more generation in the city from
rooftop solar resources. The D.C. energy sector also
landed the Power Line Undergrounding project in
2012, a $500 million, multi-year initiative to bury
distribution lines to protect them from storms.
Kentucky Town Receives Federal
Funding for Water System
The western Kentucky city of Earlington is receiving
$610,000 in federal funding to improve
its water infrastructure.
The city will use the money for water system
improvements. The project will also get $390,000
in local matching funds, according to a media
release from the governor's offi ce.
" These improvements will ensure the city of
Earlington has the capacity to provide water and sanitation
to any company looking to expand or relocate
to our region, " Earlington Mayor Philip Hunt said. The
improvements are expected to create 20 jobs.
John Deere Celebrates
50 Years of Backhoe Loaders
John Deere is celebrating 50 years of backhoe
loaders, a history that started with the introduction
of the JD310 model in 1971. Today, the 310L, the
latest generation of the original model, remains a
cornerstone within the John Deere backhoe lineup
as a result of the continuous improvement to its
design and performance.
" This anniversary celebrates half a century of
reliability and providing customer value stemming
from the introduction of our backhoe lineup in
1971, " said Brian Hennings, product manager, John
Deere Construction & Forestry. " We are proud of the
advancements we've made to our backhoe loader
line in the last 50 years and are committed to providing
our customers with continued innovation. "
As a commitment to the next generation of
backhoe loaders, John Deere has begun joint-testing
its fi rst-ever battery electric backhoe loader with
National Grid, an electricity, natural gas and clean
energy delivery company. Aimed at lowering its
carbon footprint and promoting sustainability, the
Deere E-Power backhoe loader targets the performance
of a 100-horsepower 310L diesel-powered
machine, but with zero tailpipe emissions.
As part of John Deere's celebration of the
anniversary, it has created a replica toy model of the
original JD310 backhoe loader. *

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Underground Construction - July 2021

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