Category: Basic Services

October 29, 2018

Regulators made no bones about their timeline, pointing to a fire season that seems to begin earlier — and last longer — every year. They say they are aiming to have the initial set of electric utility wildfire mitigation plans […]

October 23, 2018

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) is now sourcing nearly half its fuel from renewable natural gas (RNG). The large transit operation’s aggressive move from fossil-derived natural gas to RNG comes one year after putting RNG to the […]

October 19, 2018

A majority of local government technology leaders have succeeded at developing training programs and culture around cybersecurity in their agencies, but still struggle to adopt plans around information security, according to recent data from the Public Technology Institute. Survey results […]

September 21, 2018

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed three key bills and made his boldest statement to date on the public health and environmental threat posed by plastic pollution and waste. In addition, Brown also signed RNG (renewable natural gas) Coalition-sponsored bill AB […]

September 20, 2018

Connecticut utility efforts to protect their networks from cybersecurity were successful last year but the state’s report highlights what has become common knowledge: hackers’ efforts are increasingly targeted, sophisticated and numerous — likely to be successful eventually. However, the report […]

September 17, 2018

The Columbia Gas incident highlights the delicate balancing act of running a natural gas system while underscoring the inherent risks of the explosive fuel. State fire officials told media outlets Friday they will not know the exact cause of the […]

September 11, 2018

Filling a judicial seat these days, particularly on the Supreme Court, precipitates ominous forecasts about the transformation of American life for a generation or more. How is it that a single appointment has become so consequential? One reason is that […]

July 5, 2018

California’s wildfires are worsening and the state expects the risk to continue. Legislators and Gov. Jerry Brown are working on response and prevention proposals, and plan to review insurance and liability policies. Investor-owned utilities in California have a unique kind […]

July 2, 2018

Hospitals and ER departments nationwide are coming up short when they need drugs such as morphine. “So many substances are short, and we’re dancing every shift,” said Dr. James Augustine, a doctor in Cincinnati.” In other public health news: palliative […]

June 25, 2018

A California law recently raised the maximum daily penalty for improper hazardous waste disposal from $25,000 to $70,000. The civil penalty, passed last fall, can be levied “for each separate violation or, for continuing violations, for each day that violation […]