Looking at the likely congressional landscape, Jay Hansen, National Asphalt Pavement Association executive vice president, says, "I still think it's going to look like a divided government." In that light, many in construction already are focusing on prospects for a highway-transit bill to succeed MAP-21, which expires on Sept. 30, 2014—about 21 months into the next president's term. "That's a big bill," Hansen says. "How do you get that through if it's not bipartisan?"

Compared with a Romney administration (ENR 9/10 p. 12), a new Obama administration would take a tougher regulatory stance in areas such as the environment and occupational safety and a much more pro-union approach on labor issues.

David Goldston, NRDC Action Fund director of government affairs, says the administration "has charted a relatively middle course" on environmental regulation. "It hasn't been everything the progressive community wanted," he adds. "I don't think you're going to see a wild difference in a second term."

NSSGA's Whitted says, "If he's re-elected, I anticipate there's going to be a flood of rules issued that are just going to be an increased burden on industry. And that's a big worry." Whitted and Goldston say pending rules include Environmental Protection Agency limits on soot and guidance on which wetlands are subject to federal regulation plus a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration exposure limit for crystalline silica.