The Senate defeated a proposal to repeal 2010’s health-care law but voted to cancel one section that construction groups opposed. The repeal plan, from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), failed a Feb. 2 procedural vote along party lines. Also on Feb. 2, the Senate voted to strike a mandate that companies file tax Form 1099 if annual purchases of goods or services from other companies were $600 or more.
The departments of Energy and the Interior plan to put areas in the Atlantic on a fast track for wind-power projects, spending $50 million over five years in offshore infrastructure and supply chains. DOE wants to develop 10 GW of offshore wind power by 2020. But because of high development costs and lengthy permitting, no offshore U.S. wind farms are yet under construction. Under a plan announced on Feb. 7, DOE and DOI aim to trim those costs by funding research and development in areas such as ports, marine systems engineering and turbine design. Interior also says it will speed
The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent announcement that it will move to develop a new drinking-water standard for perchlorate may well lead to more work for engineering and construction firms. In 2008, the Bush Administration concluded that perchlorate did not pose enough of a risk to compel a new water standard. But EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Feb. 2 that new data indicates a new perchlorate standard is warranted. Jackson also said EPA would take steps toward regulating hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen. The American Water Works Association will argue for higher, rather than
The White House has launched a package of proposals--including a new tax credit and grant competition among states and cities--that aim to make commercial buildings 20% more energy efficient over 10 years. Related Links: Summary of the White House Plan The "Better Buildings Initiative," which President Obama announced on Feb. 3 during an appearance at Penn State University, is targeting commercial buildings, which the White House says account for about 20% of total U.S.energy consumption. Obama said the plan could save businesses nearly $40 billion over the next decade in lower energy costs. The plan has several components, some of
In an attempt to move a longsnarled aviation bill, the Senate again is preparing for a floor debate on a two-year, $34.6-billion authorization measure that includes $8 billion for airport construction grants. Senate commerce committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who introduced the measure on Jan. 27, said the new bill is the same as a proposal the Senate approved last March by a 93-0 vote. Rockefeller’s bill does not provide an increase in the current $4.50 passenger facility charge (PFC), except for a new pilot program that would remove the PFC cap completely at up to six airports. PFCs fund
Recommendations from a presidentially appointed panel that studied the 2010 Gulf oil spill have drawn a mixed reaction on Capitol Hill. In the Senate, a key Democrat plans to introduce a measure aimed at tightening safety and increasing oversight of offshore drilling. But in the House, Republican leaders gave the panel’s report an icy response. The divided views are likely to stall—or block—legislation to enact the panel’s proposals. Photo: AP/Wideworld Commission co-chairmen Reilly (left) and Graham face Senate and House questions about their panel’s recommendations. The report said there were “systemic” problems in the oil-and-gas industry and recommended changes in
Earlier-than-expected changes to ConsensusDOCS, the three-and-a-half-year-old library of model contracts for building design and construction, have been welcomed by lawyers who say the update not only enhances the original documents but demonstrates a development process responsive to industry changes. ConsensusDOCS, a coalition of 31 industry groups and a rival of the American Institute of Architects and other standard-agreement developers, says more improvements are coming soon. Photo: Russell Witherington - Fotolia.com ConsensusDOCS released the update on Jan. 19, at least 18 months ahead of the originally envisioned five-year revision cycle. One rationale is that “the economics of the construction industry today
MMR Contractors, a Baton Rouge electrical contractor, and Fluor Corp., the Woodlands, Texas, agreed to pay an instrument fitter $17,500 in back pay and clear his personnel records to resolve findings by the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration that the firms illegally terminated him for complaints about crane safety. An OSHA investigator found the worker complained numerous times to MMR, his direct employer, and to Fluor, general contractor at the Oak Grove powerplant project in Franklin, Texas, about an unsafe crane lift. Shortly after, Fluor insisted that MMR remove the worker from the site, so the subcontractor promptly terminated
The National Labor Relations Board is taking aim at newly adopted constitutional amendments that bar a federally recognized path for workers to unionize: signing cards authorizing a union. The NLRB has threatened to file lawsuits against Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah to block the amendments. The board contends the measures conflict with the National Labor Relations Act and are pre-empted by the U.S. Constitution. The amendments all were approved on Nov. 2. South Dakota’s took effect on that date; Utah’s took effect on Jan. 1. The North Dakota and South Carolina measures are to take effect soon. In
An Obama administration focus on Clean Water Act enforcement has produced a flurry of recently announced consent decrees that would mandate sewer-system upgrades at large and small cities around the country. Settlements announced since January 2010 call for more than $7 billion in infrastructure work, spread over many years. Ignacia Moreno, assistant attorney general for environment and natural resources, said on Jan. 13 that addressing municipal sewer system discharges is an enforcement priority for the Justice Dept. and Environmental Protection Agency. Justice has filed 13 such decrees in federal courts since January 2010, though six have not yet received final
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