Related Links: Obama Feb. 6 remarks announcing intent to nominate Jewell Archived webcast of committee vote The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has cleared the nomination of Sally Jewell, President Obama's pick to succeed Ken Salazar as Interior secretary.The panel approved Jewell on March 21 by a 9-3 vote. Jewell's nomination now goes to the full Senate.Critics say the former Recreational Equipment Inc. CEO lacks the experience needed to lead the Interior, but environmental groups support her nomination.

Related Links: Link to texts of Senate committee bill, manager's amendment, other approved amendments Lawmakers Eye Harbor Maintenance Fund's Surplus (ENR 2/11/13) A new Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, has picked up steam in Congress. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on March 20 unanimously approved a bill that would authorize new Corps of Engineers projects, revise civil-works policies and give added financial help to get projects built.Industry officials say they welcome progress on the WRDA bill and generally support its provisions. But environmental groups contend some policy provisions would weaken key environmental laws."We're just really pleased that

Related Links: Text of Mikulski-Shelby Continuing Resolution proposal, before amendments Summary of CR House passed on March 6 Congress has approved a spending bill that will avert a shutdown and keep agencies operating through Sept. 30. Construction industry officials were pleased that the final version funds the federal highway program at levels contained in 2012's Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21.The Senate on March 20 passed a continuing resolution (CR) drafted by Appropriations Committee Chairman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) with the panel's ranking Republican, Richard Shelby (Ala.). The House approved the Senate measure on March 21.

Related Links: House Budget Committee's Budget Resolution Document, Legislative Text, Tables Senate Budget Committee Measure, Summary, Legislative Text, Tables The next round has begun in Congress' long-running partisan fiscal fight. The focus now is a fiscal 2014 budget resolution. House Republicans and Senate Democrats have advanced sharply differing budget frameworks. Narrowing the wide gaps will be tough, particularly with blasts of criticism flying from both sides.At ENR press time, the House was close to passing a measure that Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) says would trim outlays by $4.6 trillion over 10 years, compared with current estimated fiscal-policy levels,

Related Links: Transcript of Obama remarks at Perez announcement Perez bio (from Dept. of Justice) President Obama announced on March 18 that he has picked Tom Perez, the head of the Justice Dept.'s civil rights division, to be the next Labor secretary.If confirmed, Perez would be instrumental in setting policy for such key construction issues as safety and health, prevailing-wage enforcement, workforce development and training and oversight of guest-worker programs.Under Hilda Solis, who stepped down as Labor secretary on Jan. 22, the department was viewed as being tough on employers. For example, during Solis' tenure, the department's Occupational Safety and

Related Links: Justice Dept. 2012 release on guilty plea (9/7/12) Three Former Corps of Engineers Project Officials Indicted for Iraq Bribery (ENR 7/25/11) A former Army Corps of Engineers employee has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for taking $3.7 million in bribes and kickbacks on federal contracts in Iraq, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul J. Fishman said.Judge Jose L. Linares imposed the sentence on March 12 in federal district court in Newark, N.J.The Dept. of Justice said ex-Corps project engineer John Alfy Salama Markus had pleaded guilty last September to three counts of a 54-count indictment that

Related Links: Summary of Senate continuing resolution Aiming to avert a government shutdown, Senate Appropriations Committee leaders have agreed on a bipartisan measure to keep federal agencies operating through the end of fiscal year 2013.The bill’s construction-related provisions include language to fund federal transportation programs at the levels specified in last year’s Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).The proposed Senate continuing resolution (CR), released late on March 11, includes the $85-billion mandatory sequester cuts that kicked in on March 1. However, it also would make a variety of changes in construction and other programs.The Senate legislation,

Related Links: Summary of Rahall Buy America bill MAP-21 Toughens 'Buy America' Requirements, U.S. Industry Says (ENR 7/31/12) ARRA Buy American Mandate Draws Flak (ENR 6/17/2009) The top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has introduced legislation that would expand federal "Buy America" requirements to new types of federally aided projects, including wastewater treatment plants.But the measure, which Rep. Nick Rahall (W.Va.) introduced on March 5, has no Republican backers so far, and his proposal has sparked opposition from a major Canadian business organization.RahallThe current Buy America mandate specifies that all steel, iron and manufactured prouducts used in

9/28/12 release: U.S. intervenes in case CH2M Hill Cos. Ltd. has agreed to pay $18.5 million to settle federal civil and criminal fraud charges of overstating hours worked and inflating claims filed for work under a contract at the Dept. of Energy’s Hanford site in Washington state, the Dept. of Justice said.Under the agreement, announced on March 7, CH2M Hill, Englewood, Colo., also agreed to spend an additional $500,000 to set up accountability systems and continue to cooperate with what the Justice Dept. termed an “ongoing fraud investigation.”The case deals

Related Links: Information on BPC Energy Project Energy Project Initiative Report Former Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.) want Congress to pass new, wide-ranging energy legislation.Dorgan and Lott, who chair the Washington, D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center's Strategic Energy Policy Initiative, noted at a Feb. 27 briefing that the last comprehensive energy measure was enacted in 2007. They said the time is ripe to work on a new bill.Lott said, "We have a unique opportunity to work with Congress to produce a bill." The center's energy group released a report that the ex-lawmakers said could form the basis of