Photo Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Senate bill would phase in higher trust-fund spending for dredging projects. Related Links: Senate Clears Water-Resources Bill (enr.com 5/15/13) WRDA Bill Clears Senate Committee (ENR 4/1/13 issue) More than five years after the last Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, became law, it is increasingly likely that Congress will pass a successor bill this year. The outlook brightened on May 15, when the Senate passed a new WRDA by a strong 83-14 vote. The bill authorizes Army Corps of Engineers' projects, changes Corps project-review policies and boosts funding. Interest groups now are zeroing
Related Links: Issues Mount at Hanford Site, Including Nuclear Waste Treatment Plant Design (ENR 4/22/13 issue) Obama Names Picks to Lead EPA, DOE (ENR 3/11/13 issue) Ernest Moniz, President Obama’s nominee to head the Dept. of Energy, has breezed through confirmation, winning Senate approval on May 16 by a 97-0 vote.Moniz, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor and DOE undersecretary during the latter part of the Clinton administration, will succeed Steven Chu as DOE secretary.Among the challenges Moniz will face at DOE are overseeing the long-running, multibillion-dollar cleanup effort at former nuclear-weapons facilities, such as the Hanford complex in
Related Links: WRDA Bill Clears Senate Committee (ENR 4/1/13) Link to Boxer-Vitter revised version of WRDA bill (Senate amendment S.799) On May 14 the Senate was moving toward approving a bill to authorize new Corps of Engineers civil-works projects, revamp Corps policies and provide new water-infrastructure funding sources.When the pending Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) cleared the Environment and Public Works Committee in March, the Congressional Budget Office estimated its authorizations at $7.7 billion over five years, including $4.5 billion for 27 Corps projects. To comply with the congressional earmark moratorium, the bill doesn't name the projects but says they
Related Links: Dept. of Justice press release Other related documents from Justice Dept. In the latest development in a long-running federal case, a former Willbros International Inc. consultant has been sentenced to a prison term for taking part in an alleged conspiracy to bribe Nigerian officials in connection with a pipeline project in the Niger Delta, the U.S. Dept. of Justice said.In federal district court in Houston on May 3, Paul G. Novak was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Novak also was directed to pay a $1-million fine and serve two years of supervised release after his prison term.According
Related Links: BLS unemployment report for April 2013 AGC economist Ken Simonson's analysis ABC economist Anirban Basu's analysis Construction’s unemployment rate continued to improve in April, falling to 13.2% from 14.7% in March. However, the industry lost 6,000 jobs last month.The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest monthly employment report, released on May 3, also shows that construction’s April jobless rate declined from the year-earlier level of 14.5%.But the 8,500 jobs gained in the industry's residential sector were not enough to offset losses in non-residential categories. The non-residential specialty-trade contractor segment was hit hardest, shedding 11,100 positions. Heavy-civil engineering construction lost
White House photo by Chuck Kennedy Obama announces his selection of Pritzker for Commerce secretary, Froman for U.S. trade representative. Related Links: Pritzker bio Froman bio (from State Dept. 2009) Seeking to fill top economic posts in his administration, President Obama has selected Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker as his nominee to lead the Commerce Dept. and White House aide Michael Froman to be U.S. Trade Representative.The choices, announced on May 2, are of keen interest to design firms, contractors and construction equipment and materials companies that want to expand their business overseas or fight what they view as unfair trade
Related Links: Text of Senate-passed Bill Sequester's Construction Cuts Exceed $4 Billion (ENR 3/2/13) Industry officials are disappointed a newly approved bill lets the Federal Aviation Administration shift construction funds to pay for the cancelled furloughs of air traffic controllers.The Senate passed the bill on April 25, the day it was introduced, and the House cleared it on April 26. President Obama is expected to sign the bill.The bipartisan action was sparked when the FAA, citing mandatory budget sequester cuts, began furloughs on April 21, which caused flight delays. Under the sequester, which took effect on March 1, most FAA
Related Links: Foxx bio Obama remarks announcing Foxx's selection Moving to fill one of the few remaining Cabinet vacancies for his second term, President Obama announced on April 29 that he will nominate Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx to lead the U.S. Dept. of Transportation.FoxxIf the Senate confirms Foxx, he would face major infrastructure issues. Topping the list, construction and transportation industry officials say, is finding a way to shore up the ailing Highway Trust Fund and provide more-assured financing for roads and transit beyond next year.In addition, DOT like all federal agencies, will continue to face severe near-term pressure
Related Links: Foxx biographical sketch Obama remarks announcing Foxx's selection Moving to fill one of the few remaining Cabinet vacancies of his second term, President Obama has announced that he will nominate Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx to lead the U.S. Dept. of Transportation.If the Senate confirms Foxx, he will face major infrastructure issues. Topping the list, construction and transportation industry officials say, is finding a way to shore up the ailing Highway Trust Fund and, beyond next year, provide more-assured financing for roads and transit.In announcing the selection on April 29, Obama said Foxx will be "extraordinarily effective" at
