The Environmental Protection Agency has approved final rules governing air emissions from industrial boilers and incinerators that burn solid waste and sewage sludge. Gina McCarthy, EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, says the rules, signed on Feb. 21, were revised significantly from the original proposal because of industry concerns. “These are achievable and realistic,” she says. The rules take effect between 2014 and 2016. One change was to forgo numeric emission limits on some smaller facilities and instead use work-practice standards when possible. But emissions from larger coal- or biomass-fired units still must comply with numeric limits. The National
The House on March 1 approved by a 335-91 vote a bill to fund federal agencies for two weeks, but with $4 billion in cuts. Construction reductions include: $650 million from highways, $293 million from other surface transportation projects and $341 million from Corps of Engineers civil works. The stopgap would succeed a bill due to lapse on March 4 and give lawmakers time to work out a measure to last through Sept. 30. The House had passed a nine-month extension on Feb. 19 that extends through September, with $61 billion in cuts. But Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye
Issued by a consortium of energy-efficiency advocates, two new reports recommend ways to overcome hurdles to achieving net-zero emissions in commercial buildings. Barriers include cost and a reliance on prescriptive, instead of performance-based, energy codes. The reports, commissioned by the Dept. of Energy, represent input from more than 430 groups, including the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of State Energy Officials.
The U.S. Senate on March 2 approved a temporary continuing resolution to fund the federal government through March 18. The two-week spending bill, which was approved by the House March 1, cleared the Senate by a 91 to 9 vote. The president is expected to sign the bill, which includes $4 billion in cuts. Construction programs facing reductions include: $650 million from highways, $293 million from other surface transportation projects and $341 million from Corps of Engineers Civil Works. The House passed a nine-month extension on Feb. 19 that includes $61 billion in cuts. Senate Democrats say the cuts would
With the House’s passage of a $1.2-trillion continuing resolution funding the federal government through Sept. 30, industry groups are nervous that environmental and infrastructure programs could be scaled back sharply. The House bill, approved on Feb. 19, cuts appropriations by $61 billion compared with 2010 enacted levels. But the cuts aren’t set in stone. The continuing resolution (CR) now moves to the Senate, where Democratic leaders have slammed the House plan. Industry officials note, however, that Senate Democrats may be forced to make some concessions to avert a government shutdown. The current CR expires on March 4. Senate Majority Leader
Airport construction would get a boost under the two-year Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill the Senate approved on Feb. 17. The legislation, introduced by commerce committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), would hike funding for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) construction grants, to $4 billion in the bill’s first year and $4.1 billion in the bill’s second year from the current $3.5 billion. But industry officials worry the Senate numbers will not hold. A four-year bill making its way through the House of Representatives would trim AIP to $3.1 billion in fiscal 2011 and to $3 billion in 2012 and 2013. The
The House Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 17 approved a bill to repeal the 2010 health-care law’s requirement that companies file a 1099 tax form for each vendor that provides more than $600 in goods or services. Some industry groups opposed the provision, contending it is too burdensome for small companies. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said GOP leaders hope to bring the bill to the floor in the spring. The Senate passed a similar measure on Feb. 2.
In 2016, Brazil will host the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s infrastructure construction market could benefit from a similar spirit of international competition, say construction executives. Photo: Fotolia.com Brazil will need plenty of new infrastructure, but international contractors haven’t won much work yet. Competition bidders for infrastructure projects financed by multilateral agencies and prospective contractors must complete all the formalities to prequalify for important projects in Brazil. For example, they submit price and technical proposals that are evaluated by the appropriate agencies. Yet companies from outside Brazil have failed to win a very large or complex project,
President Obama's $3.7-trillion fiscal 2012 budget proposal would freeze total non-security related discretionary funding, but within that overall freeze, calls for sharp increases in surface transportation accounts, to kick off a proposed $556-billion, six-year highway-transit-rail measure. On the other hand, Obama's budget request, sent to Congress on Feb. 14, recommends cuts in other construction accounts, including airport grants, Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure and General Services Administration new construction. The release of the budget proposal intensifies the debate that has already begun over federal spending. Congressional committees will dig into the details in hearings over the next several months. Congressional
After pouring billions of stimulus dollars into “greening” federal facilities, the White House now wants to spur similar upgrades to commercial buildings, which account for 20% of total U.S. energy consumption. President Obama’s newly proposed “Better Buildings Initiative” includes tax, lending and grant provisions to encourage private owners to install energy-efficiency improvements in their existing buildings. Federal agencies can carry out some of the new steps on their own, but others will require convincing a more heavily Republican Congress to approve them. The plan, announced on Feb. 3, aims to make commercial buildings 20% more energy efficient in 10 years.
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