CH2M Hill Wins Alaska LNG Job

The Alaska LNG Project in February awarded a contract to CH2M Hill for early front-end engineering and design (FEED) services for the storage and marine terminal at a liquefied natural gas plant to be built in Nikiski, Alaska. Facilities will include storage tanks and LNG trestles with two berths for 15-20 LNG carriers per month.

Last November, Chiyoda Corp. and CB&I jointly were awarded a pre-FEED contract for the liquefaction plant and the storage and shipping terminal, to be done in collaboration with ASRC Energy Services Inc. The LNG project includes an 800-mile pipeline to deliver natural gas from the North Slope to the Nikiski LNG plant. If built, the project cost is estimated at between $45 billion and $60 billion.

CSX and EPA Agree on Cleanup Plan for W. Va. Train Derailment

CSX Transportation Inc. will develop before the end of March a long-term plan to clean up and restore areas affected by the Feb. 16 train derailment in Mount Carbon, W. Va. CSX will develop the plan as part of a settlement reached on March 3 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The derailment of the train carrying more than 3 million gallons of crude oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota resulted in an explosion, fires, destruction of a house and the evacuation of nearby residents for six days after the accident. Under the agreement, CSX will continue the shorter-term cleanup efforts already underway, which include air and water monitoring and testing, and recovering oil from the Kanawha River, its tributaries and other affected waters. A CSX spokeswoman says that monitoring reports since the accident have shown no impact to air quality, drinking water or public safety. But "CSX teams will continue to implement remediation plans intended to restore the site to its pre- incident condition to the extent practicable," she says.

Dodge Momentum Index Jumps

The Dodge Momentum Index increased 4.3% in February, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The index measures non-residential building projects in the planning stage and has proven to be a lead indicator of construction activity in those markets by a full year. The index was boosted by a 6% increase in planning activity for institutional buildings and a 3.3% rise for commercial buildings. The index is 17% higher than a year ago and indicates a broad-based but moderate recovery in non-residential building.