Two Senate committees have cleared bills crafted to address aspects of the Gulf oil spill. But whether those measures will become vehicles for wider-ranging energy policy, or climate-change provisions, remains an open question. Some political observers are skeptical that the Senate will be able to approve any sort of wide-ranging bill in a congressional session that will be cut short by the mid-term elections. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a bill on June 30 that would toughen safety requirements for offshore drilling operations, provide adequate funding for more comprehensive inspections of offshore rigs and mandate reforms at

The Justice Dept. has filed a lawsuit seeking to bar Arizona's new immigration law from taking effect, contending that the state statute is unconstitutional and will "undermine" federal immigration enforcement. Related Links: Arizona's Immigration Law Troubles State's Contractors Justice Dept. Complaint Statement by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) Statement by Arizona Senators McCain (R) and Kyl (R) At issue is Arizona Senate Bill 1070, which Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signed into law on April 23. The measure, which is to take effect on July 29, directs police, while stopping an individual, to try to determine that person's immigration status when

A Senate report sees troubling indications that Haiti’s post-earthquake reconstruction has “stalled.” The June 22 Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democratic staff report says items to be addressed include developing “a feasible, comprehensive rebuilding strategy” and getting the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission fully operational. The Jan. 12 quake caused about 230,000 deaths and an estimated $11.5 billion in damages.

An apparent agreement between House and Senate conferees on a rewrite of federal financial regulations itself underwent an emergency revision on June 29 as the lead Senate negotiator, Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), won approval for an amendment he hopes will get the bill through the chamber. Construction officials theorized that if the measure becomes law, its new regulatory mandates and costs could prompt banks to make already-tight credit even more dear. Photo By Ap/wideworld Frank (left), Dodd led House and Senate conferees on bill, including late amendment. Dodd saw that objections to a $19-billion “assessment” on banks and hedge funds was

In a decision with implications for software vendors and construction firms, the U.S. Supreme Court on July 28 ruled business methods, such as formulas or strategies for improving efficiency, are patentable. The case, Bilski v. Kappos, appealed a lower-court ruling upholding the U.S. Patent Office’s denial of a patent for a formula for minimizing risk in buying and selling energy. The appeals court cited logic that limited patent protection to inventions involving new machinery or physical transformations of items. In the court’s 5-4 opinion, the justices upheld the rejection of the patent application, saying the formula was too abstract to

Single-employer and multi-employer pension plans that suffered losses when financial markets plunged in 2008 and 2009 have gained some relief under legislation enacted on June 25. The measure allows multi-employer plans, which affect unionized workers and companies in construction, to spread 2008-2009 investment losses over 30 years, instead of 15 years. The pension provisions moved to enactment when lawmakers shifted them from a stalled package of tax-break extensions to a bill that temporarily halts a cut in Medicare payments to physicians. It was the Medicare-pensions bill that President Obama signed. Meanwhile, the tax “extenders” bill was blocked in the Senate

The second major eminent domain decision in 13 months for the New York State Court of Appeals has Columbia University poised to move ahead on its $6.3-billion expansion in Harlem in upper Manhattan. Image: Columbia University In A recent court decision clears Columbia University to move forward on its planned 17-acre expansion, the southwestern corner of which is shown in the above rendering. In a unanimous decision, a panel of judges in Albany, N.Y., overturned an earlier ruling that prevented the state from seizing by eminent domain a small amount of property currently home to private businesses. Columbia already owned

As the State Dept. tackles U.S. embassy construction needs around the world, it is moving ahead on a set of new priorities. The department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has launched a “design excellence” initiative, plans to build greener facilities and seeks to cut into a huge maintenance backlog. Industry firms will be watching for details of how OBO fleshes out its plans. NAMM Adam E. Namm, OBO’s acting director, told an ENR/Construction Users Roundtable forum on June 16 the bureau has 33 facilities under way. That pace continues a wave of 72 projects completed over the past 10

Five months after a severe earthquake devastated parts of Haiti, a Senate report, released June 22, says there are troubling indications that the process of reconstructing the country has "stalled." Related Links: View Report The report, by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic staff, gives a blunt analysis of the situation, saying that "Haiti is at a significant crossroads." It lists "critical issues" to be addressed in 10 key areas, including developing "a feasible, comprehensive rebuilding strategy" and getting the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission fully operational. The committee staff analysis also calls on Haitian President Rene Preval to "take a

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the National Labor Relations Board lacked authority to issue decisions when it had just two members. In a 5-4 opinion handed down on June 17, the court likely invalidated nearly 600 NLRB judgments from January 2008 to March 2010. It said a minimum quorum of three members is necessary. Unions criticized the court’s ruling, saying it will delay action on important labor disputes. But Denise Gold, the Associated General Contractors’ associate general counsel, says the decision should have a minimal impact. The Senate on June 22 confirmed two NLRB nominees: Republican Brian Hayes and