California

Oil & gas and construction news for subcontractors working in California — 76 stories and counting.

California Data Center Electrical Rooms Face Two Confined-Space Rules

Federal OSHA 1926.1203 and California's Title 8 confined space standard both apply to Bay Area data center electrical rooms, and one doesn't satisfy the other. Electrical and mechanical subs should plan for surveys, rescue plans and training before mobilizing.

20h ago

Industry

DOT Awards $426M in INFRA Grants Across 12 States, Led by Kentucky and I-4

The U.S. DOT awarded $426 million in INFRA grants to projects in 12 states. The largest are an $85.1 million Kentucky highway and $85 million of lane additions on Florida's I-4.

Oct 6, 2026

Editorial image: Aerial highway widening corridor - DOT Awards $426M in INFRA Grants Across 12 States, Led by Kentucky and I-4

Workforce

Construction Wages Rise 4.2% as Data Centers Pull Specialty Trade Hiring

Construction added a net 11,000 jobs in September as nonresidential specialty trades gained 12,300 and residential lost 4,900. Hourly pay rose 4.2% year over year, outpacing the private sector's 3%.

Oct 3, 2026

Editorial image: Electricians wiring data center shell - Construction Wages Rise 4.2% as Data Centers Pull Specialty Trade Hiring

Industry

Azuria Buys CIPP Division of Nor-Cal Pipeline Services

Azuria Water Solutions has acquired the cured-in-place pipe operations, assets and personnel of Nor-Cal Pipeline Services, expanding its West Coast trenchless rehabilitation footprint.

Sep 16, 2026

Industry

Power Boom Forecast Hides a Construction-Readiness Gap

A new MSI Economics forecast projects $150 billion in annual U.S. power-generation construction by 2030, but equipment shortages and interconnection delays mean only a fraction of announced capacity is actually financeable or buildable near-term.

Sep 15, 2026

Industry

LS Power Breaks Ground on $1B Idaho-Nevada Transmission Line After Decades of Delay

Construction has finally started on the 285-mile SWIP-North transmission line between Idaho and Nevada, a $1-billion-plus project that took decades to reach financing and capacity agreements before crews could break ground.

Sep 9, 2026

Editorial image: transmission towers crossing remote high desert - LS Power Breaks Ground on $1B Idaho-Nevada Transmission Line After Decades of Delay

Workforce

PG&E Crew Wins HDD Rodeo Showcase, Advances to 2026 Nationals

A PG&E crew completed a 200-ft directional bore in just over 50 minutes to win the 2025 HDD Rodeo Showcase, earning a spot at the December 2026 HDD Rodeo nationals, Trenchless Technology reports.

Aug 30, 2026

Workforce

Wildfire Smoke Poses Year-Round OSHA Risk for Outdoor Crews

ISHN reports that construction, utility, and landscaping crews face growing respiratory hazards from recurring wildfire smoke, with industry experts urging employers to treat AQI monitoring and N95 fit testing as standard seasonal prep, not emergency response.

Aug 29, 2026

Industry

Cadiz Breaks Ground on $403M Mojave Pipeline Amid Legal Challenges

Cadiz Inc. has entered construction on a $403.3 million pipeline conversion tied to its Mojave Groundwater Bank, awarding contracts to W.M. Lyles and Mike Bubalo Construction even as two federal lawsuits challenge the project's right-of-way.

Aug 26, 2026

Industry

July Construction Starts Jump 25.6% as Megaprojects Drive Volatility

Dodge Construction Network reports total construction starts rebounded 25.6% in July after a June slump, with data centers, manufacturing, and utility projects fueling a "disjointed" market.

Aug 22, 2026

Industry

California Bullet Train Could Hit Financial Wall by 2027, Watchdog Warns

An inspector general report finds California's high-speed rail authority could run out of cash by end of 2027 unless it can borrow against future cap-and-invest revenues, a warning sign for contractors relying on steady megaproject funding.

Aug 18, 2026

Industry

Skanska-Stacy Witbeck JV Lands $1.9B LA Metro Light Rail Contract in Van Nuys

A Skanska-Stacy Witbeck joint venture signed a $1.9 billion contract with LA Metro to build a 6.7-mile at-grade light rail line in Van Nuys, opening years of subcontracting work through 2031.

Aug 17, 2026

Editorial image: Utility trench, at-grade rail prep - Skanska-Stacy Witbeck JV Lands $1.9B LA Metro Light Rail Contract in Van Nuys

Industry

Valley Water's $1.88B Anderson Dam Contract Sets Up 7-Year Rebuild

Valley Water has awarded a $1.88 billion construction contract to the Flatiron Dragados Sukut joint venture for the $2.8 billion Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project, with construction starting in early 2027 and running seven years.

Aug 17, 2026

Editorial image: Dam retrofit staging equipment scale - Valley Water's $1.88B Anderson Dam Contract Sets Up 7-Year Rebuild

Industry

US Rig Count Climbs to 593 as Oklahoma Adds Rig

Baker Hughes data shows the U.S. rig count rose to 593 last week while Oklahoma gained one rig to reach 51, pointing to steady near-term work for drilling and completions crews.

Aug 16, 2026

Editorial image: Aerial multi-rig basin at golden-hour - US Rig Count Climbs to 593 as Oklahoma Adds Rig

Industry

Skanska Exec Details LAX Small Business Outreach as DBE Rules Shift

Skanska's DBE compliance officer discusses how the firm hit small business goals on a $380 million LAX project, as California pauses federally mandated DBE goals amid a U.S. DOT certification overhaul.

Aug 16, 2026

Industry

Western Midstream Operators Push for Faster Gas Pipeline Expansion

Natural Gas Intelligence reports that Western US midstream operators are prioritizing pipeline optimization and new infrastructure as regional capacity runs at full utilization, citing weather-driven price spikes and growing storage needs.

Aug 14, 2026

Editorial image: aerial pipeline compressor station at dusk - Western Midstream Operators Push for Faster Gas Pipeline Expansion

Industry

Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan, HF Sinclair Sanction $5B West Coast Pipeline JV

The three companies finalized a joint venture for the 1,300-mile Western Gateway Pipeline system, a $5 billion project that will require new construction from Borger, Texas to Phoenix, Arizona ahead of California refinery closures.

Aug 12, 2026

Industry

Court Forces DOD to Resume Wind Reviews as RWE Takes $1.2B Federal Buyout

A federal judge ordered the Defense Department to resume halted wind project security reviews, while RWE became the latest developer to accept a federal payout to exit U.S. lease sites, ENR reports.

Aug 10, 2026

Industry

Tutor Perini Posts Record Q2 Revenue, Turns Selective on $200B Bid Pipeline

Tutor Perini reported record second-quarter revenue of $1.64 billion and net income of $65.7 million, fueled by megaprojects, but the contractor says it will bid selectively from a $200 billion opportunity pipeline to protect margins, Construction Dive reports.

Aug 7, 2026

Revenue

Trenchless Relining Doubles Lifespan of Don Pedro Dam's Aging Penstock

Trenchless Technology details how F.D. Thomas relined a 1,300-ft steel penstock at California's Don Pedro Dam, offering a rehab playbook for water and hydropower subcontractors facing similar legacy infrastructure.

Aug 7, 2026

Industry

Cadiz Signs $403M Deals to Convert Gas Pipeline to Water Line in San Bernardino County

Cadiz affiliate Fenner Gap Mutual Water Company has contracted W.M. Lyles and Mike Bubalo Construction for a $403.3 million project converting a 220-mile natural gas pipeline into a water conveyance system serving San Bernardino County.

Aug 4, 2026

Editorial image: industry general - Cadiz Signs $403M Deals to Convert Gas Pipeline to Water Line in San Bernardino County

Compliance

State Heat Rules Multiply as Federal OSHA Standard Stalls Past 2027

ISHN reports that OSHA's heat illness rule is stuck in supplemental rulemaking until at least October 2027, while seven states now enforce their own heat standards, creating a compliance patchwork for multi-state contractors.

Jul 31, 2026

Revenue

Granite Construction Triples Data Center Backlog, Raises 2026 Revenue Guidance

Granite Construction reported a threefold jump in data center backlog and raised full-year revenue guidance by $100 million, even as debt restructuring drove a $278 million quarterly loss, Construction Dive reports.

Jul 31, 2026

Industry

Anderson Dam's $2.8B Rebuild Signals Years of Bay Area Heavy-Civil Work

Santa Clara Valley Water District has awarded a $1.88 billion construction contract for the seven-year Anderson Dam rebuild, opening a long runway of geotechnical, tunneling and dam-safety subcontracting packages in the South Bay.

Jul 29, 2026

Editorial image: Dam rebuild excavation at golden-hour - Anderson Dam's $2.8B Rebuild Signals Years of Bay Area Heavy-Civil Work

Industry

States Push Back on FERC Bid to Expand Pipeline Permit Exemptions

More than a dozen states and D.C. are urging FERC to reject a rule that would let more gas pipeline projects skip case-specific review, warning of higher costs and less scrutiny.

Jul 28, 2026

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