New U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed rules would cut methane emissions sharply but oil and gas industry groups contend they would put new requirements on oil and gas companies.

Related Links: EPA"s final rule White House Fact Sheet on the Clean Power Plan The Obama administration’s final Clean Power Plan—the centerpiece of the president’s strategy to address climate change—includes several changes from a 2014 draft, to make it easier for states to comply and still reduce carbon emissions, supporters say.But many construction companies and groups associated with the industry, from cement and steel producers to construction unions, worry that the regulation will cost jobs and boost the cost of electricity.Several states vehemently opposed to what they call the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "war on coal" say they will file

Related Links: Senate Transport Bill Clears One Hurdle, But More Lie Ahead Racing against a July 31 deadline, congressional lawmakers have wrapped up yet another short-term measure to keep federal highway and transit funds flowing, this time just until late October. With only a day to spare, the Senate, by a 91-4 vote, passed a three-month $8-billion surface transportation extension on July 30. President Obama signed the measure the following day. The House had approved the stopgap on July 29.If the extension hadn't been enacted by July 31, the Dept. of Transportation would have furloughed workers and been unable to obligate

Related Links: EPA's final rule Some statistics on coal ash use from the American Coal Ash Association Construction groups cheered the House’s passage of a bill that would codify the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent designation of coal ash as a non-hazardous material. The House approved a measure on July 22 that would ensure that EPA maintains its designation of coal ash as a “solid waste” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).EPA in December 2014 released a final rule that set minimum standards for disposing of coal ash, a by-product of coal combustion. But the agency stopped short

Related Links: Page with link to bill summary American Council on Renewable Energy's media release and link to two policy reports highlighting policy recommendations related to renewable energy. Construction and energy groups are hopeful that, this fall, Congress will pass a bill to extend popular tax credits through the end of 2016. The Senate Finance Committee on July 21 easily approved a $95-billion package of “extenders.” But further action is unlikely before lawmakers begin their August recess. Over the past several years, Congress has dealt with tax-break extensions in the final weeks, or even days, of the year. The Finance

Related Links: Summary of key provisions in energy bill. Draft of House bill marked up by Energy and Power Subcommittee Comprehensive energy legislation is gathering steam on Capitol Hill.A House energy subcommittee on July 22 approved a bipartisan measure that focuses on modernizing energy infrastructure, workforce, energy security and energy efficiency. Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) called the bill a good starting point, but noted that more work needs to be done to ensure that “the right policies are put in place.” On both sides of the aisle, however, the legislation has critics. Industry groups, such as the American Petroleum

Related Links: Congressional Budget Office cost estimate of DRIVE Act Senate Transport Bill Clears One Hurdle, But More Lie Ahead (enr.com 7/22/2015) The Senate’s six-year $350-billion transportation bill continues to change, as lawmakers shifted more funds to transit at the expense of highway programs and dropped some proposed revenue-raising mechanisms.The package continued to move on July 26 when supporters of the Export-Import Bank prevailed in a procedural vote on an amendment aimed at renewing the bank's charter, which lapsed on June 30.Meanwhile, House leaders haven’t embraced the pending Senate bill and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says that that with

Related Links: Text of McConnell-Boxer bill A multi-year highway-transit measure stayed alive in the Senate as lawmakers voted to proceed with the bill.The legislation, the product of a bipartisan deal between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the Environment and Public Works Committee's top Democrat, Barbara Boxer (Calif.), would authorize federal highway and transit programs for six years. But it only includes three years of guaranteed funding.The procedural measure was approved late on July 22 by a 62-36 tally, winning slightly more than the 60 votes needed.That action allows the Senate to start debate on the transportation measure and

Related Links: House Approves 5-Month HighwaTransit Stopgap Senate Committee Approves Six-Year Highway Bill The transportation construction industry’s attention is riveted on the Senate as key lawmakers work out details of a long-term highway-transit authorization bill.Negotiations will go into the weekend, one participant says, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a central player, has said he plans to have a July 21 vote, probably a procedural one, on the measure.As construction officials watch the developments, several important questions remain unanswered: How long will the Senate bill be? How much funding will it authorize? What revenue-raisers will it include to offset the

The American Farm Bureau, National Association of Home Builders and other groups are reviewing whether they will appeal a court ruling upholding mandatory pollution reductions in Chesapeake Bay.In a July 6 decision, a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Environmental Protection Agency, working with states, had the legal authority to enforce the bay plan.In 2010, EPA established a “total maximum daily load” to reduce the bay’s nitrogen and phosphorus levels. Under the plan, the six states that feed into the bay are required to implement measures to trim water pollution by 2025. If the