Welcome to the launch of the ENR Energy newsletter. I have to confess: As a reader, I have no use for editors’ notes at the beginning of a new publication.
Related Links: Probe, Lawsuit Eye Post-Sandy Inspection Reports ASCE: Engineering Investigations of Hurricane Damage Recent news reports involving storm damage investigations performed by engineering firms have raised serious issues regarding professional practices. The firms are accused of colluding with insurance firms and of fraudulently altering reports, leading to lawsuits and criminal probes. These allegations are extremely damaging to the engineering profession and they undermine trust that the public rightfully places in engineers.These cases involve engineering firms that were hired by insurers to inspect properties damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Typically, insurers asked the engineers to distinguish damage caused by wind and
While it was being built, credible reports claimed, Chinese hackers had gained access to the digital files of a "prime contractor" and stole floor plans and other vital information related to data and communications systems.
Pursuing alleged crimes in which other prosecutors have shown little interest, Loretta E. Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, has arrested Darius X. Johnson in Atlanta for alleged wire fraud and money laundering in selling fraudulent surety bonds.
Related Links: Surety Bond Misconceptions A P3 Makeover for the Standard Surety Bond (subscription required) Public-private partnerships (P3s) will back many of the most important projects in the years ahead and some concessionaires have chosen to adopt what is known as the European or Canadian model, which focuses on guarantees in the form of letters of credit and liquidity. Even within the insurance industry, some are trying to make bonds look more like LOCs. This is very troubling.The U.S. infrastructure has always been supported by surety bonds. As a purist, I believe that if we choose to use P3 as
Image Courtesy Denis Hayes and Gail Boyer Hayes Related Links: COWED Denis Hayes Developed a Model for Office Buildings to Rely on Nature for Their Needs Super-Sustainable Bullitt Center is ENR Editors' Choice for Best Project in 2013 "To cow" means, among other things, to frighten with threats, to intimate and to overawe. The noun "cow" means, among other things, mature female cattle, especially domesticated cattle. "To have a cow" means to be amazed, angered or upset.A thoughtful presentation of the negative impacts of domesticated cows, "Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America's Health, Economy, Politics, Culture
Related Links: Website of Tsoi/Kobus & Associates Imagine it's 8:30 a.m. on a Monday morning. You're in a dim, windowless room that's always too hot in summer or too cold in winter, and it's packed full of colleagues gasping for every last particle of fresh oxygen. It's a balmy 75% relative humidity, and the elevated CO levels from endless banter suffocate the life right out of you. Groggy andyawning, your eyelids gradually sputter like clumsy, old garage doors until your lifeless head falls, and you are jolted back to life. Coffee, anyone?Unfortunately, we've all been there. Although it could be
Related Links: Teaching the Elephant to Dance Continuum Advisory Group Ten years ago, I left the construction industry because I needed a change. I wanted a break from the constant travel, and I wanted to get to know my home town of Denver again. So I took an opportunity to run a foundation and, later, became assistant dean at the University of Denver's business school. Last year, I was coaxed back to the construction industry to become president of Continuum Advisory Group, a management consulting firm focused on our industry. After a decade away, I decided to catch up on