Related Links: MAP-21 Transportation Measure Goes on the Books PDF of MAP-21 legislation As construction officials dig deeper into the many sections and subsections of the new transportation law, they see a variety of detailed provisions that they like and some disappointing omissions.The Design-Build Institute of America and the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) point to a provision in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) allowing up to 100% federal funding for projects using innovative delivery methods. This includes design-build and construction manager-general contractor procurement and innovative equipment, materials or techniques, such as prefabricated bridge

Related Links: Release announcing National Resilience Coalition PDF of 2009 DHS National Infrastructure Advisory Council report on critical infrastructure resilience Eighteen organizations, including design and emergency-preparedness groups, have launched an effort to make U.S. infrastructure better able to anticipate, withstand and quickly recover from major disruptions from natural disasters, terrorist acts and other threats.The National Resilience Coalition's co-founders are The Infrastructure Security Partnership, the Security Analysis and Risk Management Association, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Related Links: Fiscal Year 2013 Looks Rough for Construction Spending (ENR 6/4/12) Federal Construction Funding Is Growing Tighter (ENR 3/26/12) With fiscal year 2013 appropriations bills on a slow pace in Congress, few, if any, of the 12 measures that fund various federal agencies are expected to be enacted by Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins. That means Congress will turn again to a continuing resolution (CR). "Otherwise, the government shuts down," says Jeffrey Shoaf, Associated General Contractors senior executive director for government affairs. "No one wants that four weeks before the election." That CR could extend past

For the second time in 18 months, the House has passed a bill to repeal the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, whose provisions have begun to revamp the U.S. health-care system.

ENR staff Some Big BRAC Increases Related Links: GAO June 29 report on BRAC 2005 round's costs BRAC: Total Cost 48% Higher Than Initial Estimate (ENR 4/29/09) The cost of the Dept. of Defense's 2005 base closure round has ended up much higher than planners initially estimated. Increased construction expenses were the major factor, says a Government Accountability Office report.The GAO study, released on June 29, says the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission estimated the program's construction and other up-front costs at $21 billion. But in 2011, the 2005 round's final year, DOD pegged those costs at $35.1

Photo by AP Wideworld Obama's signature ends a long wait for a new transportation statute. It also launches the next stage: converting funds into projects. Related Links: Transportation Bill Negotiations Head to the Wire PDF of MAP-21 Bill As a standing-room-only crowd of lawmakers, construction and transportation officials, and others in the White House's East Room looked on, President Obama on July 6 signed into law a long-overdue $104.4-billion, 27-month highway-and-transit authorization bill. Putting down the last of the 12 pens he used to sign his name, Obama said, "All right. It's done," to a round of applause from the

The status of a highly publicized $3-billion bridge-and-road program, seen as an economic driver for the impoverished nation of Bangladesh, remains unclear after the World Bank canceled a $1.2-billion credit, citing the government's "inadequate response" to charges of corruption on the project.

Related Links: Time line of OSHA actions related to 2005 BP refinery explosion OSHA Slaps BP With Record Fine For Not Fixing Blast Hazards (ENR 11/4/09) Energy giant BP has agreed to pay an additional $13 million to settle more than 400 U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration citations for alleged willful safety violations at the company’s Texas City, Texas, refinery.The agreement, announced on July 12, is the latest development in the wake of a March 2005 explosion at the refinery that killed 15 workers—all of whom worked for Jacobs Engineering Group and Fluor Corp., contractors at the facility at

Related Links: Text of House-Senate conference report Ending more than 33 months of transportation funding via stopgap bills, President Obama has signed into law a new $104-billion highway and transit authorization measure.With key lawmakers as well as construction and transportation group leaders in attendance, Obama signed the long-delayed bill on July 6 in a brief ceremony in the East Room of the White House. The measure—titled MAP-21, for Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century—funds surface-transportation programs through September 2014.The new statute's roughly 27-month span gives state agencies and construction-industry companies more of the funding  certainty they have sought

Related Links: BLS press release w/data tables AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's analysis ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu's analysis The construction industry’s June unemployment rate declined to 12.8% from May’s 14.2%, as the industry gained 2,000 jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported.The latest BLS monthly statistics, released on July 6, also showed that construction’s jobless rate last month was down significantly from the June 2011 level of 15.6%. The rates are not adjusted for seasonal variations.Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors chief economist, says that even counting the jobs gained last month, total construction employment “has essentially been stagnant