South Carolina is gradually moving into recovery mode following widespread flooding from an early October storm that dumped as much as 26 inches of rain across the state's midland and coastal areas.
A federal appeals court has blocked an Army Corps of Engineers-Environmental Protection Agency rule that aimed to clear up the murky definition of which bodies of water fall under federal regulation.
A wide-ranging plan to restore damaged Gulf Coast wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas has received a boost with oil giant BP’s agreement to pay federal, state and local governments $20.8 billion to resolve civil claims stemming from its massive 2010 Gulf oil spill.
Construction’s unemployment rate dropped again in September from August’s level and also was down sharply from its year-earlier rate, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has tightened its standard governing ozone levels to 70 parts per billion from the current 75 ppb, a move that sparked strong criticism from industry groups and only modestly positive comments from environmentalists.
Construction spending rose slightly in August from the previous month’s level, but posted a double-digit gain year over year, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported.
Racing against a midnight Sept. 30 deadline, Congress approved a 10-week government-wide spending bill and a separate extension to keep Federal Aviation Administration programs, including construction grants, operating for six months.
After high-level talks with the U.S., China has agreed to flesh out its earlier pledge to limit greenhouse-gas emissions through a set of new programs and policies.
The Obama administration is expanding its efforts to speed up federal regulatory reviews for major infrastructure projects, with modest changes to existing “streamlining” tools.
