Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, President Obama’s choice to be the next chief of the Army Corps of Engineers, got a generally positive reception from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) at a May 25 hearing. Bostick next must appear before the Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over his nomination. A floor vote would follow. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) expressed concern about Bostick’s lack of civil works experience. Bostick said that in 1993 he was executive officer to then-Corps chief Lt. Gen. Arthur Williams during severe Midwest floods. In 2007, Vitter and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) held up

With talks stalled on a multiyear Federal Aviation Administration bill, the Senate and House have approved another stopgap authorization. After the bill cleared Congress, President Obama signed it on May 31. The new bill extends Airport Improvement Program construction grants and other FAA programs through June 30. It is the 19th FAA stopgap since September 2007, when the last long-term aviation bill expired.

A ready-mix concrete company in Iowa has pleaded guilty to anti-trust charges. According to the May 18 complaint, GCC Alliance Concrete Inc., Orange City, Iowa, conspired with other competitors to fix prices and rig bids between January 2008 and August 2009. Sentencing is pending. The plea bargain comes after GCC’s former sales manager Steven VandeBrake was sentenced in February to serve 48 months in prison and a criminal fine of $829,715.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) on May 26 outlined a high-speed rail (HSR) proposal that would offer an alternative to the $117-billion, 30-year version unveiled by Amtrak last September. Although both plans offer opportunities for private investment, Mica’s proposal goes much farther—essentially transferring from Amtrak to the private sector the responsibility to develop HSR along portions of the congested Northeast Corridor.Mica only presented an outline with few details. But he said his proposal, which he plans to incorporate into legislation within the next few weeks, would allow for public-private partnerships to design, build, operate, maintain and

A bipartisan group of four key senators has reached agreement on the outline of a six-year, $339.2-billion surface transportation measure. The deal was announced on May 25 by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), along with the committee's ranking Republican, James Inhofe (Okla.), transportation and infrastructure subcommittee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and the subcommittee's ranking Republican, David Vitter (D-La.). The accord signifies progress on legislation long-awaited by the construction industry. But there is still a long way to go.And a critical element is missing: Funding a bill at the $339-billion level would require an infusion of

Some Senate appropriators are asking whether the Dept. of Energy has placed enough emphasis on nuclear-waste cleanup in its fiscal 2012 budget proposal, particularly the work at the Hanford site in Washington state. DOE has requested $5.4 billion in 2012 for overall defense-related environmental cleanup. That amount is an increase from the 2011 enacted level of $5 billion but a cut from 2010's $5.6 billion. At a May 19 appropriations subcommittee hearing on DOE's budget, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said she is concerned that Hanford's share of that $5.4- billion request is inadequate. She says, “It's disappointing that we have

As the deadline draws nearer for passing a new surface transportation bill—or at least approving another extension—lawmakers are seeking ways to augment the shaky Highway Trust Fund. Highway and transit programs have been operating under short-term measures for nearly 20 months because Congress has been unable to produce a new, multiyear authorization. The latest stopgap measure expires on Sept. 30. Another deadline is looming sometime around fall 2012, when spending from the trust fund's highway account is projected to start exceeding its income. The Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the trust fund, “has already started to think creatively” about transportation

Budgets for 2012 construction programs will be pinched in the House. Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) on May 11 said 2012 nondefense spending would be cut $47.4 billion from 2011. He specified how funds will be split among subcommittees. The Transportation-Housing panel was cut $7.7 billion, or 14%. Most line-item levels haven’t been determined yet. House-Senate talks will set final figures.

Construction industry groups and some in Congress are objecting to a draft White House executive order that would require companies and executives to disclose their political contributions when they bid on federal contracts. Stephen Sandherr, CEO of Associated General Contractors, said the plan would “create the mechanism for enforcing a political litmus test” for contractors. Mike Bellaman, president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors, said the administration proposal “would politicize the bidding process and open the door to cronyism and malfeasance.” Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), the panel's top Republican, Susan Collins of

The Environmental Protection Agency soon will issue new guidance to regulators responsible for issuing permits for surface mining, says Nancy Stoner, EPA acting assistant administrator for water. Stoner told a House subcommittee on May 11 that the Office of Management and Budget is reviewing the new guidance, which will take note of input from EPA’s Science Advisory Board and replace April 2010 interim guidance. GOP members of the subcommittee said the environmental requirements of the interim guidance make it nearly impossible to get a coal mining permit and are costing jobs in Appalachia. Stoner said the guidance is not binding