Underground Construction - May 2022 - 8

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
Gold Shovel Association
Joins CGA as the Damage
Prevention Institute
Common Ground Alliance (CGA) and the
Gold Shovel Association (GSA) announced
that the GSA organization will become part
of the CGA as a new arm called the Damage
Prevention Institute.
" The Damage Prevention Institute's mission
is to take the industry to the next level by
consolidating the rich data and resources of
CGA and GSA to generate powerful insights
and efficiencies that will reduce the rate of
damages to buried infrastructure, " CGA said
in its announcement. " Building on CGA's Best
Practices and foundational DIRT (Damage
Information Reporting Tool) data, as well as
GSA's metrics development, the Damage
Prevention Institute will be structured around
a metrics-focused, peer review-based model
of shared responsibility. "
The Damage Prevention Institute will be
governed by an Advisory Committee that will
include members of both CGA's and GSA's
boards of directors. The Institute's focus
will be on metrics development - including
excavation and pre-excavation metrics -
and establishing a multi-stakeholder, peerreviewed
accreditation process.
Michigan Governor Signs Over
$4.7 Billion for Infrastructure
Michigan is investing more than $4.7 billion
to improve infrastructure, including drinking
water upgrades, internet access and fixing
roads, bridges and dams.
The spending plan includes some of
the biggest infrastructure investments in
state history, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said
before signing the bipartisan legislation.
About $4 billion comes from federal funds,
including COVID-19 recovery funds and the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The spending plan includes more
than $2 billion to be invested in clean
drinking water, wastewater and other water
infrastructure projects.
Midland and Gladwin counties will receive
$210 million for dam repairs and another
$40 million will be used to address dam
repairs and removals elsewhere in the state.
The plan also includes $325 million to replace
8 MAY 2022 | UCONonline.com
lead service lines and $250 million to expand
internet connectivity.
Judge: Officials Must Testify
in Flint Water Civil Trial
Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and
several other officials must testify in a civil
trial involving engineering firms being sued
over liability for lead-contaminated water
connected to the Flint water crisis, a judge.
U.S. District Judge Judith Levy denied
motions by Snyder, his former advisor,
two former state-appointed emergency
managers and an ex-Flint city official to quash
subpoenas compelling them to testify.
Snyder faces misdemeanor charges in
the water crisis. His attorney has said Snyder
would invoke his right to remain silent if
called as a witness in the ongoing civil trial in
federal court in Ann Arbor.
Maine Moves Ahead
with Utility Oversight Bill
The Maine Legislature voted in favor of a bill
to increase oversight of the state's two major
electric utilities after a disagreement in the
House put the proposal into limbo.
The bill establishes new performance
measures and adds financial penalties for
failure to meet the benchmarks. In extreme
circumstances, the utilities could face a forced
sale for repeated violations.
The proposal comes amid widespread
discontent with the state's privately owned
electric utilities. Critics tried unsuccessfully
to put a proposal on the ballot this year
to replace them with a consumer-owned
electric utility.
" It's clear Maine people are at a breaking
point, and that many of our constituents have
lost faith in their utilities, " said Sen. Eloise
Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, who serves on the Energy,
Utilities and Technology Committee. She said
the state's residents " are demanding more
accountability from their electric utilities, and
they're demanding it now. "
Gas-Fired Power Plant for NJ
Sewage Facility Back on Track
A New Jersey sewage treatment plant in a
minority neighborhood is pressing forward with
its plan to build a gas-fired power plant, months
after the state's governor paused the proposal.
In January, Gov. Phil Murphy directed the
Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission to pause
a plan to build the largest part of a $180 million
backup power plant, designed to kick in when
the main facility is knocked offline.
The governor acted after residents of
Newark's Ironbound section complained
that they already bear the brunt of numerous
sources of air and other pollution in the
state's largest city.
But the commission has applied to
the state Department of Environmental
Protection to modify its air quality permit and
scheduled a public hearing on the plan. The
permit is the last major approval the project
would need, the DEP said.
Feds Restore Rigorous
Environmental Review of
Infrastructure Projects
The Biden administration is restoring
federal regulations that require rigorous
environmental review of major infrastructure
projects such as highways, pipelines and oil
wells - including impacts on climate change
and nearby communities.
The longstanding reviews were overhauled
during the pandemic in 2020 by the Trump
administration in a bid to fast-track projects
and create jobs.
A rule finalized in April restored key
provisions of the National Environmental
Policy Act, which governs reviews for a wide
range of federal proposals, including roads,
bridges and energy projects authorized in the
$1 trillion infrastructure law Biden signed last
fall, the White House said.
The White House Council on Environmental
Quality said the new rule, which takes effect
in late May, should resolve challenges
created by the previous administration's
policy and restore public confidence during
environmental reviews.
Biden Administration
to Require US-Made Steel,
Iron for Infrastructure
The Biden administration is taking a key
step toward ensuring that federal dollars
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