Related Links: DOE Looking at Cost, Schedule Problems at S.C. Nuclear Site (ENR 1/28/13) Cold War Cleanup (ENR 1/12/11) Supporters of the Dept. of Energy's mixed-oxide-fuel (MOX) fabrication facility under construction in South Carolina are trying to save the $4.8-billion project from being tabled by mandatory spending cuts under the coming sequestration or reductions in the upcoming White House fiscal 2014 budget.The project, being built by Areva Shaw MOX Services, is expected to be $1 billion to $2 billion over its budget, and DOE has no takers for its end product: fuel for commercial nuclear reactors.Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) has

Related Links: DOE's Chu: Natural Gas Is a 'No-Brainer' DOE's Chu Defends Decision to Support Solyndra Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced that he will leave his post by the end of February or when a successor is approved and in office.Chu, who announced his decision on Feb. 1, has led the Dept. of Energy since early 2009, a period during which several U.S. regions experienced the start of a natural-gas boom. At DOE, Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, oversaw energy-efficiency block grants and the growth of the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E), which supports high-risk, high-reward technology development.Chu also

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers User fees paid into the trust fund that finances harbor dredging vastly exceed spending, giving the fund an estimated $8-billion balance. Related Links: Link to Senate 1/31/13 WRDA hearing (Webcast, prepared statements, testimony) After TIFIA's Success, Will WIFIA Be Next? (ENR Blog: 11/16/12) Congress is just starting to write a new Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, but it is already clear that one focus of the bill, which will map policy and authorize funds for the Army Corps of Engineers civil-works program, will be cutting the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund surplus

Courtesy of REI Related Links: Transcript of remarks by Obama, Salazar, Jewell at White House 2/6/13 Jewell biographical sketch President Obama has picked Sally Jewell, president and CEO of outdoor equipment and apparel retailer Recreational Equipment Inc., as his nominee to be the Dept. of the Interior secretary. The choice was a surprise because Jewell had not been among those rumored as a candidate for the top Interior post.Jewell has strong environmental credentials. She also has a mechanical engineering degree and worked early in her career as an engineer for energy giant Mobil in the Oklahoma and Colorado oil fields.In

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION Related Links: LaHood to Leave Top DOT Post (enr.com 1/29/13) LaHood biographical sketch Ray LaHood, who announced Jan. 29 he would be stepping down as head of the Dept. of Transportation, looked back on his four years as DOT Secretary in a telephone interview Feb. 4 with Tom Ichniowski, ENR’s Washington bureau chief.LaHood also discussed his decision to leave DOT and hinted that President Obama will have “bold things to say" about infrastructure in his second term. An edited version of the interview follows.What do you see as your major accomplishments in the

Related Links: Chu's letter to DOE employees announcing decision to step down Energy Secretary Chu Defends Decision to Support Solyndra (enr.com 11/17/11) Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced that he will leave his post by the end of February or when a successor is approved and in office.Chu, who announced his decision on Feb. 1, has led the Dept. of Energy since early 2009,  a period during which several regions of the United States experienced the start of a natural gas development boom.At DOE, Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, oversaw the growth of the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) which

Related Links: C-SPAN PDF of Senators' Framework White House webpage with President Obama's speech A bipartisan group of senators, led by Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), on Jan. 28 outlined a set of principles for a not-yet-drafted, comprehensive immigration measure that they hope to pass by early summer.Schumer said the framework would give unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. a "tough but fair path to citizenship." However, the path is contingent on securing U.S. borders.The plan also would include a mandatory employment-verification system. President Obama praised the outline in a Jan. 29 speech, saying the main points "are

Related Links: Treasury Secretary Geithner's debt-limit letter to Capitol Hill leaders New Fiscal Fights Ahead After 'Cliff' Deal (ENR.com 1/9/13) The Senate at ENR press time neared a vote on a House-approved measure allowing the U.S. to exceed its $16.4-trillion debt limit until May 18. If enacted, the bill would avert a financial crisis—temporarily.On Jan. 14, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner notified Congress that between mid-February and early March, Treasury would exhaust interim steps to avoid default on the country's obligations.The bill the House cleared on Jan. 23 doesn't specify a new debt-ceiling level but lets the U.S. incur debt needed

Related Links: USTR Press Release Announcing Negotiations on Services-Sector Trade Link to Commerce Dept. Data on Goods and Services Exports, Imports Exports of design and construction services, a bright spot in U.S. international trade, could get a further boost under a recently announced new round of multilateral negotiations focused on the services sector.Talks are to begin by mid-April in Geneva among the U.S., the European Union and 18 other countries, including China and Japan. Announcing the talks on Jan. 15, U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk said services exports could rise substantially. But he added, "To begin to realize this potential,

Related Links: Senate Vote Next Step for $50.5B Post-Sandy Funding Bill (ENR 1/23/13) Text of bill Three months after Hurricane Sandy slammed into the Mid-Atlantic coast, a $50.5-billion package to help New Jersey, New York and other states in the region rebuild from the powerful storm has cleared Congress and been enacted.President Obama, who had pledged to "sign this bill into law as soon as it hits my desk," signed the measure the evening of Jan 29. The final congressional vote came the previous day, when the Senate approved the bill by a 62-36 tally. The House had passed the