Underground Construction - January 2022 - 8

NEWSLINELATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
EPA Details Push
to Tighten Rules for Lead
in Drinking Water
The Environmental Protection Agency is taking
steps to tighten rules for allowable levels of lead
in drinking water, as the Biden administration
looks to replace all of the nation's lead service
lines using new funds from the bipartisan
infrastructure bill.
The agency on Dec. 16 announced the
first investment of $2.9 billion under the law
to replace aging lead pipes, which can leach
particles of the heavy metal into drinking water,
potentially causing severe developmental and
neurological issues.
" The science on lead is settled - there is
no safe level of exposure, and it is time to
remove this risk to support thriving people and
vibrant communities, " said EPA administrator
Michael Regan in a statement. The new EPA
requirements, which is expected to be finalized
by 2024, would require the replacement of
remaining lead drinking water pipes " as quickly
as is feasible " and could include new testing
requirements for drinking water systems.
Congress approved $15 billion for lead
service line replacement in the infrastructure
bill - about a third less than some estimates for
replacing them nationally - but the new rule
could close the gap.
The announcement comes is being made in
conjunction with other administration efforts to
limit lead exposure, including more childhood
surveillance testing for lead exposure by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
grants from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development to remove lead paint in
public housing. The Treasury Department is also
announcing that surplus COVID-19 relief funds
can be used for lead service line replacement
projects.
U.S. Raises Safety Standards
for Coastal Pipelines
A new federal regulation for " high consequence "
zones requires higher safety standards for
pipelines carrying oil and other hazardous liquids
through the Great Lakes region, marine coastal
waters and beaches, officials said.
The rule issued by the U.S. Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA) requires pipeline operators to step up
inspections, repairs and other measures to avoid
8 JANUARY 2022 | UCONonline.com
spills in the designated zones. The new rule
- PHMSA's response to a 2020 Congressional
order - is estimated to impact about 3,000
additional miles of pipelines, mostly along the
Gulf of Mexico.
It requires operators to include any pipeline that
could affect the designated environments in their
safety management programs. Procedures include
in-line inspections, pressure tests and other
methods to measure pipeline integrity, as well as
analyses of significant threats such as corrosion.
The natural gas and oil industry " is committed
to the safe and environmentally responsible
operation of U.S. energy infrastructure, and
pipelines remain one of the safest ways to deliver
affordable, reliable energy, " said Robin Rorick,
a vice president of the American Petroleum
Institute. " As our industry works to protect the
environment and communities where we live
and work, this rule provides the opportunity to
further that commitment. "
Environmentalists praised the measure but
said they would continue pushing to shut down
Enbridge's Line 5, which moves oil between
Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario.
Enbridge said its integrity management program
for Line 5 already meets the new requirements.
" Our goal is to protect the waters of the
Great Lakes while safely and reliably delivering
affordable energy to Michigan and the region
daily, " spokesman Ryan Duffy said.
Industry Study Evaluates
Underground Facility
Locating Process
The American Pipeline Contractors Association
(APCA) announced that a comprehensive study of
the facility locating process related to excavation
construction projects is now available.
The study, " 811 Emergency, " examines the
811 operations and facility locating process
in every state and the District of Columbia
and recommends how underground facility
operators may accurately locate and mark their
facilities prior to excavation, as required by state
damage prevention law.
Among others, APCA said it provided the
study to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the National
Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives,
the agencies overseeing federal pipeline,
in hopes they will consider its findings as
regulations are considered.
" Congress just passed comprehensive
infrastructure legislation, meaning a lot of
excavation work on the horizon, " said APCA
President Taylor Dacus of Troy Construction.
" The Emergency 811 study makes a compelling
case for many states to improve their 811
programs and backs this up with sound data. "
Navy Halts Use of Fuel Storage
Complex Above Hawaii Aquifer
The U.S. Navy announced that it is suspending
the use of a massive World War II-era fuel storage
complex above a Hawaii aquifer that supplies
nearly 20 percent of Honolulu's drinking water
- following days of complaints that tap water
smells like fuel and has sickened some people.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro traveled
to Pearl Harbor and told reporters he was
apologizing to everyone affected by what he
called a " horrible, horrible tragedy. "
Nearly 1,000 military households have
complained about their tap water, and some have
said they have suffered physical ailments such as
cramps and vomiting recently after drinking it.
A December water sample showed the presence
of petroleum in water that comes from a well
near the underground fuel tank complex.
Del Toro said officials were getting close to
determining the cause of the problem and that
when the investigation is completed and reviewed,
the Navy will adopt water safety precautions.
New Mexico Water Chief Steps
Down Over Lack of Resources
New Mexico's top water official says a persistent
lack of financial support to protect the state's water
resources is behind his decision to step down.
A well-known water expert with decades of
experience, John D'Antonio's departure comes as
New Mexico faces serious water-related challenges.
The state is locked in a legal battle with Texas
before the U.S. Supreme Court over management
of the Rio Grande River, and the state is grappling
with a decades-long drought that has lowered
reservoir levels and river flows to record lows.
A day after his resignation, Gov. Michelle
Lujan Grisham appointed Mike Hamman, chief
engineer and CEO of the Middle Rio Grande
Conservancy District, to take over the state role
beginning Jan. 1.
In a written statement, D'Antonio said he is
optimistic that his agency can limit New Mexico's
liability in the Texas case, but that he expects
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