The industry's April unemployment rate improves to 6.3% from year-earlier 7.4%, but ticks upward from March.

A U.S. Dept. of Transportation plan to reshape and rename the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grants has come under fire from senior Senate appropriators. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the appropriations subcommittee responsible for DOT’s budget, and Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the panel’s top Democrat, say DOT’s plan to make states’ and localities’ ability to raise transportation revenue a grant-selection criterion is a bad idea.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, appearing at two House hearings on April 26, faced criticism about the agency’s proposed fiscal year 2019 budget request and also was grilled about controversies surrounding his management and use of agency resources.

The regional operator of the MidAtlantic power grid has said the closure of three nuclear units totaling 4,048 MW in Ohio and Pennsylvania will not threaten electric reliability, though some transmission projects may need to be accelerated to connect new supply.