The Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority on May 25 filed a countersuit at the Hillsborough County Circuit Court in Tampa, Fla., against locally based PCL Civil Contractors Inc. PCL, which built and rebuilt reversible lanes on the Selmon Crosstown Expressway, filed suit April 1 againist the agency. It seeks $21 million that it claims it is owed and alleges breach of contract. In the countersuit, the authority contends that PCL owes a refund of $6 million. According to Authority General Counsel Patrick Maguire, five items were paid either as a result of fraud, misrepresentation or deliberate overbilling.

Upset with a perceived lack of opportunities for Richmond, Va.’s minority contractors, the executive director of the NAACP’s Virginia state conference has threatened “direct action” against current and planned city construction projects. King Salim Khalfani alleges that only 6% of city contracts have minority involvement in planning or construction, reported the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Unless that figure is improved, Khalfani said, the NAACP will disrupt various projects. One tactic would be parking unmarked dump trucks at construction sites to block access. The organization is focusing on projects that are publicly funded or receive government-backed financing. Potential targets include the Richmond Redevelopment

President Obama has directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to create a first-ever national policy to increase fuel economy and likewise decrease greenhouse-gas emissions for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Photo: Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental Inc. Fuel-economy regulations are coming for heavy construction trucks. This new directive, signed on May 21 and impacting model years 2014-2018, comes about a month after EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had finalized similar rules for passenger cars and light trucks that will be manufactured in 2012-2016. Large trucks consume more than 2 million barrels

As the fallout from the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues, the Obama administration is making policy and organizational changes, and lawmakers in Congress are trying to move legislation to address the spill and prevent future accidents from occurring. But some question how effective the administrative actions will be, and legislative proposals have been stalled by congressional opponents. The administration’s actions so far include ordering inspections on all deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico, placing a moratorium on new permits for drilling wells until a 30-day safety and environmental review is conducted and restructuring the Interior

Democrats in both chambers of Congress are hoping to pass a bill the week of May 21 they say would create jobs and extend expiring tax benefits. The bill would extend unemployment insurance and Consolidation Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) benefits through Dec. 31 and would attempt to provide tax relief to businesses and state and local governments to help spur investment and create jobs. It includes a one-year extension of the Research and Development tax credit for businesses and would extend the Build American Bond program to spur infrastructure development through 2012. The price tag would be $141 billion,

Arizona officials have enacted new “prompt pay” rules to keep cash flowing to struggling contractors, caught by banks and developers that have been withholding project payments in tough times. Gov. Janice K. Brewer (R) on May 11 signed into law a bill establishing retainage and final-payment timetables for properly completed construction work. Failure to comply results in penalties of 1.5% monthly interest charges. “Retention issues should be dealt with immediately and not be dragged out for cash-flow purposes, ” says Michael F. Markham Sr., president of Markham Contracting Co. Inc., Phoenix. “The banks have been a problem with this. They

Stephen T. Ayers, acting Architect of the Capitol since 2007, was confirmed on May 12 by the Senate for a 10-year term as head of the Capitol architect’s office. AOC oversees maintenance and operations of the Capitol building, Library of Congress and other facilities. Ayers, a licensed architect, joined the AOC office in 1997. He rose to chief operating officer in 2005 and became acting AOC chief in 2007, when Alan M. Hantman retired.

The Environmental Protection Agency on May 12 released a strategy for restoring the Chesapeake Bay that includes developing a tough, new total maximum daily load (TMDL) for pollutants. EPA says the TMDL, with a Dec. 31 deadline, will be the most complex ever, affecting 483 large treatment plants and thousands of smaller facilities. The plan requires federal agencies to set milestones every two years to ensure measurable environmental goals are met. On May 11, EPA announced a settlement of a 2009 lawsuit filed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The agreement sets dates by which EPA must take certain actions, such

The EPA announced a final rule on May 13 to require large powerplants and other “stationary sources” of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions to get additional Clean Air Act permits. The “tailoring” rule will be phased in. It first will take effect for some facilities in January 2011. It would subject only facilities with GHG emissions of 100,000 tons or more per year to Clean Air Act state permitting requirements. Sources with lower GHG emissions would be exempt. EPA estimates that 900 additional permitting actions covering new sources and modifications to existing facilities would be subject to review each year. Jeff Holmstead,

The idea of a national infrastructure bank has prominent advocates who see it as a way to turn a modest federal stake into much bigger dollars for public works. But if a bank is authorized, it will happen later rather than sooner. Plans have been floated but have not generated strong momentum. The short congressional schedule makes the odds even longer for passage this year. One proposal on the table is a bill introduced last year by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). DeLauro told a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing on May 13 her bill would create “an independent, government-owned