Negotiators face tight time pressure to produce final compromise version this year

Contractor groups see big construction potential in converting old federal facilities to private residential and commercial uses.

South Carolina Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall lost her job briefly on May 18, when the state Supreme Court invalidated Gov. Nikki Haley’s (R) power to appoint her.

Expecting to gain in an oil-services market that is showing signs of a recovery, sector engineering- construction giant Technip, Paris, and FMC Technologies, Houston, are set to merge next year to create an estimated $20-billion megafirm, the companies announced on May 19.

Misaligned mirrors are being blamed for a fire on May 19 at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California’s Mojave Desert.