Related Links: Link to texts of Senate committee bill, manager's amendment, other approved amendments Lawmakers Eye Harbor Maintenance Fund's Surplus (ENR 2/11/13) A new Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, has picked up steam in Congress. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on March 20 unanimously approved a bill that would authorize new Corps of Engineers projects, revise civil-works policies and give added financial help to get projects built.Industry officials say they welcome progress on the WRDA bill and generally support its provisions. But environmental groups contend some policy provisions would weaken key environmental laws."We're just really pleased that

Related Links: Text of Mikulski-Shelby Continuing Resolution proposal, before amendments Summary of CR House passed on March 6 Congress has approved a spending bill that will avert a shutdown and keep agencies operating through Sept. 30. Construction industry officials were pleased that the final version funds the federal highway program at levels contained in 2012's Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21.The Senate on March 20 passed a continuing resolution (CR) drafted by Appropriations Committee Chairman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) with the panel's ranking Republican, Richard Shelby (Ala.). The House approved the Senate measure on March 21.

Related Links: House Budget Committee's Budget Resolution Document, Legislative Text, Tables Senate Budget Committee Measure, Summary, Legislative Text, Tables The next round has begun in Congress' long-running partisan fiscal fight. The focus now is a fiscal 2014 budget resolution. House Republicans and Senate Democrats have advanced sharply differing budget frameworks. Narrowing the wide gaps will be tough, particularly with blasts of criticism flying from both sides.At ENR press time, the House was close to passing a measure that Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) says would trim outlays by $4.6 trillion over 10 years, compared with current estimated fiscal-policy levels,

Related Links: Justice Dept. 2012 release on guilty plea (9/7/12) Three Former Corps of Engineers Project Officials Indicted for Iraq Bribery (ENR 7/25/11) A former Army Corps of Engineers employee has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for taking $3.7 million in bribes and kickbacks on federal contracts in Iraq, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul J. Fishman said.Judge Jose L. Linares imposed the sentence on March 12 in federal district court in Newark, N.J.The Dept. of Justice said ex-Corps project engineer John Alfy Salama Markus had pleaded guilty last September to three counts of a 54-count indictment that

Related Links: Summary of Senate continuing resolution Aiming to avert a government shutdown, Senate Appropriations Committee leaders have agreed on a bipartisan measure to keep federal agencies operating through the end of fiscal year 2013.The bill’s construction-related provisions include language to fund federal transportation programs at the levels specified in last year’s Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).The proposed Senate continuing resolution (CR), released late on March 11, includes the $85-billion mandatory sequester cuts that kicked in on March 1. However, it also would make a variety of changes in construction and other programs.The Senate legislation,

Related Links: Summary of Rahall Buy America bill MAP-21 Toughens 'Buy America' Requirements, U.S. Industry Says (ENR 7/31/12) ARRA Buy American Mandate Draws Flak (ENR 6/17/2009) The top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has introduced legislation that would expand federal "Buy America" requirements to new types of federally aided projects, including wastewater treatment plants.But the measure, which Rep. Nick Rahall (W.Va.) introduced on March 5, has no Republican backers so far, and his proposal has sparked opposition from a major Canadian business organization.RahallThe current Buy America mandate specifies that all steel, iron and manufactured prouducts used in

Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics release, with tables AGC economist Ken Simonson release, analysis The construction industry posted strong employment figures for February, adding 48,000 jobs—the largest monthly gain in several years—and lowering its jobless rate from January and February 2012's levels.The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly employment report, released on March 8, shows that construction’s February unemployment rate fell to 15.7% from January’s 16.1%. Last month’s rate also was better than the year-earlier level of 17.1%.All construction sectors experienced a pickup in jobs last month, led by specialty-trade contractors, which added 31,700 positions. Buildings construction recorded a

9/28/12 release: U.S. intervenes in case CH2M Hill Cos. Ltd. has agreed to pay $18.5 million to settle federal civil and criminal fraud charges of overstating hours worked and inflating claims filed for work under a contract at the Dept. of Energy’s Hanford site in Washington state, the Dept. of Justice said.Under the agreement, announced on March 7, CH2M Hill, Englewood, Colo., also agreed to spend an additional $500,000 to set up accountability systems and continue to cooperate with what the Justice Dept. termed an “ongoing fraud investigation.”The case deals

Related Links: OMB Sequestration Report, With Program-by-Program Spending Reductions House-Passed Bill Has Billions for Post-Sandy Rebuilding (ENR 1/28/13) The budget "sequester" knife has fallen on federal spending, and many construction programs did not escape. Mandatory cuts of 7.8% to defense accounts and of 5% to non-defense categories add up to a hit of more than $4 billion this year, ENR estimates.Programs suffering the largest cutbacks include the Dept. of Energy's environmental cleanup programs at former nuclear-weapons plants, Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure and military construction.In all, the sequestration directive that President Obama signed late on March 1 requires $85.3 billion

Photo Courtesy of AASHTO Senate panel chair Boxer (above) and House committee Chair Shuster and already have met to discuss bill to succeed MAP-21 in 2014. Photo Courtesy of AASHTO Related Links: AASHTO Videos of Shuster, Boxer Feb. 28 Speeches MAP-21 Transportation Measure Goes on the Books (ENR 7/16/12) State transportation departments are busy carrying out 2012's Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act and gearing up for the next highway-transit bill. They hope it will become law before MAP-21 expires on Sept. 30, 2014, but funding the program will be a problem.At the American Association of State