Photo By AP Wideworld Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) blasted House leadership for deferring initial Jan. 1 vote. Related Links: House Ends Session without Considering Sandy Bill From ENR New York 1/3/13: Tri-State Lawmakers, Industry Blast 112th Congress Over Inaction on Sandy Relief When Congress approved $9.7 billion for flood insurance claims from Superstorm Sandy victims on Jan. 4, government and construction-industry officials from areas hardest hit by the powerful late-October hurricane viewed the vote as a positive move. But they also insisted that those funds need to be supplemented—and soon—by an additional $50 billion to rebuild damaged infrastructure and construct
Related Links: What the Interim 'Fiscal Cliff Deal' Means for Construction White House summary of fiscal cliff agreement An at-the-wire deal that held the government at the brink of the "fiscal cliff" will hike taxes for some small construction firms and give companies a short reprieve from mandatory spending cuts slated to hit most federal construction accounts on Jan. 2. All in all, the tax increases would have been much steeper and more widespread and the budget cuts immediate if there had been no deal.But the product of the agreement, the American Taxpayers Relief Act, which Congress approved Jan. 1
Related Links: U.S. Dept. of Justice press release Text of Caddell statement Text of Justice Dept. agreement In an agreement with the Justice Dept., Caddell Construction Co. has paid a $2-million penalty to settle criminal fraud charges that the company intentionally made false statements to the Dept. of Defense concerning a small firm with which Caddell worked on three military construction projects.Under the agreement, announced on Dec. 27, Justice will not prosecute Montgomery, Ala.-based Caddell for its allegedly improper pay requests to DOD that included the false information. Justice noted Caddell’s “substantial cooperation,” voluntary disclosures and improvements in its reporting
Related Links: White House summary of bill's provisions ENR 12/3/12: Construction Industry Worries About Fiscal Cliff Link to text of bill as approved by House, Senate After a long legislative push on New Year's Day, Congress has cleared a measure to avert most of the tax hikes and temporarily hold off the mandatory spending cuts of the "fiscal cliff." President Obama signed the bill into law on Jan. 2.The package is largely a collection of extensions of tax provisions, and some tax hikes, affecting individuals and businesses, from large corporations to small, family-owned firms, including many in construction. It also
Related Links: Summary of House Appropriations Committee Sandy legislation Bill Summary and Status House Republican leaders announced on Jan. 1 that the chamber would not vote on a supplemental spending bill to fund Hurricane Sandy-related repairs as well as assistance to victims of the storm.The announcement came on the final day of the 112th Congress, effectively killing the bill for now and infuriating the governors and congressional delegations from New Jersey and New York, the states hardest hit by the ferocious late October storm.But House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) met with New York and New Jersey lawmakers on Jan. 2
Related Links: Nuke Waste Disposal Solution Still Elusive Biomass Seeks Roots Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who will be the new chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, is formulating his agenda, but a central theme will be to help the U.S. move toward a low-carbon economy, a spokesman says.Keith Chu, a Wyden aide, says the incoming chairman "believes that investment in natural gas and in next-generation nuclear technologies should be part of that low-carbon energy portfolio." WYDENWyden thinks some types of renewable energy, such as hydropower, geothermal and biomass, have "gotten short shrift" and that more
Related Links: EPA Issues tougher Soot and Fine Particle Standard EPA Page on Cross-State Air Pollution Rule EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced on Dec. 27 that she will step down from the agency’s top post after President Obama’s state of the union speech in January.Under Jackson’s leadership, EPA established fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks and implemented several air-related regulations to reduce emissions of soot, mercury, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants, including carbon dioxide. JACKSONAlthough environmental groups praised Jackson for her leadership, Republicans in Congress and industry often criticized the EPA as being too heavy-handed in its approach.
Related Links: Independent review board report Secretary Clinton's letter to Foreign Relations Chairman Kerry A highly critical report reviewing the September terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, has recommended increased funding for embassy security improvements, including new facilities in high-risk areas.Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who requested the independent review panel report, already has asked Congress for authority to transfer $736 million to embassy upgrades and new construction from another State Dept. account.In transmitting the Accountability Review Board review to Capitol Hill on Dec. 18, Clinton said she agreed with the report's 29 recommendations and has
Related Links: After Elections, Construction Looks for Action on Key Issues MAP-21 Transportation Measure Goes on the Books New Corps of Engineers Commander Bostick Taking Stock High Court Declines to Hear Jacobs' Appeal of Minnesota Bridge Case During the contentious and costly 2012 elections, construction industry and union groups poured more than $139 million total into federal campaigns. But after the votes were in on Nov. 6, the balance of power was little changed between the parties.Industry, which generally backed Republican candidate Mitt Romney, and organized labor, which supported the victorious President Obama, both predict a second Obama term will
Related Links: EPA's PM standard info EPA non-attainment areas The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued tougher air-quality standards for soot and other fine particles, setting the annual health standard at 12 micrograms per cubic meter, compared with the current standard of 15 micrograms per cu m.EPA officials say the health benefits of the final regulation, announced on Dec. 14, include thousands of lives saved and will far outweigh the costs. In a call with reporters, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Gina McCarthy, EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, said the benefits could range from $4 billion to $9
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