Puerto Rico, which has been experiencing seismic activity since late December, was rocked Jan. 6 and 7 when a pair of strong earthquakes took down buildings and caused widespread power outages, according to news reports.

With a massive appropriations package now in place for the rest of fiscal year 2020, engineering firms and contractors can breathe easier as the construction season approaches, knowing how much funding is available  through Sept. 30 for important federal infrastructure programs.

Plans to build the nation’s largest solar energy farm took a major step toward reality in late December with the release of the federal Bureau of Land Management’s final environmental impact statement for the proposed $1-billion Gemini Solar Project in Nevada.

Under a new settlement with state regulators, communities and environmental groups, Duke Energy will spend $3.5 billion to close its last nine coal-ash storage impoundments in North Carolina, bringing the company’s cost of closing all of its coal-ash sites in North and South Carolina to between $8 billion and $9 billion.

Consolidation and management of coal-ash is dirty, dangerous work, and heavy equipment brought in to shift and compact the waste from coal-fired power plants can pose a hazard for workers.

After falling debris kills an architect executive, industry members look at facade laws around the country.

If program is scuttled, $3.1 billion in prep work at London airport could be lost, aviation authority says.