Photo by AP Wideworld In Streets of New York City, Thousands Call Upon World Leaders To Take Action on Global Warming Two days before world leaders convened a United Nations summit, participants in the People's Climate March coursed through Manhattan on Sept. 21. More than 300,000 marched along the 2.1-mile midtown route. The next day, a smaller group without a permit blocked traffic in lower Manhattan in a "Flood Wall Street" protest. They targeted companies that, they claim, harm the Earth with poor environmental practices. About 100 were arrested. Meanwhile, New York and New Jersey received new federal funds for
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has invalidated most of a $511-million loan for 12 projects related to New York's Tappan Zee Bridge replacement work, contending that the span's construction activities do not advance the water quality mandates as specified by the loan program. The agency says it will, however, award $29.1 million to five of the 12 projects. Related Links: 8/22 News Wrap: $1.3B in N.J. Water Work Ok'd; MWBEs Transport Work Up; Data Center Planned (& More) 7/14 News Wrap: Fracking Bans Upheld; Big Solar Eyes NYS; JFK Gets Energy Plan Funds; USTA NYC Update The move is a
McGraw Hill Construction, the business group of McGraw Hill Financial that includes Engineering News-Record (ENR), as well as sister units Architectural Record, Dodge and Sweet's, is set to have a new owner, expected in the fourth quarter.McGraw Hill Financial announced on Sept. 22 a definitive agreement to sell the construction group to Symphony Technology Group (STG), a strategic private equity firm based in Palo Alto, Calif. It focuses on acquiring high-performance companies that are leaders in growth markets.STG has a global portfolio of 22 companies with a combined revenue of $2.7 billion and 17,000 employees."We believe that STG will enable
Related Links: See who else is moving up, or moving on, in the AEC sector How health care and engineering went from Leidos' big play to its financial burden StevensMaj. Gen. Richard L. Stevens is named U.S. Army deputy chief of engineers and deputy commander of the Corps of Engineers, the Dept. of Defense said on Sept. 2. He will replace Maj. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, who will be deployed to Afghanistan for an as yet unannounced assignment, said the Army. Stevens was Corps deputy commander for military and international operations. No successor was announced. Semonite was deputy chief since
Dodge Construction Starts in July Up 4% Over a Year Ago Construction starts through the first seven months of this year are up 4% over the same period in 2013, according to McGraw Hill Construction Dodge. Through July, Dodge reports $312 billion in new construction starts, with the biggest boost coming from a 13% hike in non-residential building starts. "The construction expansion is getting more of a contribution from non-residential building," says Robert Murray, Dodge's chief economist. "Manufacturing-plant construction is seeing the start of numerous chemical- and energy-related projects, consistent with the nation's growing energy sector," he adds. Further, commercial
ABC's 'Construction Backlog Indicator' Hits Record High The Associated Builders and Contractors measure of its members' backlogs for new work reached a record high during the second quarter of this year, when its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) hit 8.5. That was up 5.6% from the previous quarter and 3.6% above a year ago. "The long-awaited, brisk non-residential building recovery may be upon us," says Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist. "Backlog gains were nearly ubiquitous during the second quarter, with gains registered in every industry segment in nearly all geographies and for firms of virtually all sizes," he says. Further increases
Related Links: Obama Directs Federal Contractors To List Labor Violations Text of President Obama's Executive Order The Obama administration's second-term frustrations are getting the better of common sense. On July 31, President Obama issued an executive order to "crack down on federal contractors who put workers' safety and hard-earned pay at risk," requiring them to self-report recent violations. The goal is to make federal construction contractors safer and more law-abiding, but it may simply overwhelm contracting officers with a surge of new data and saddle federal contractors with burdensome requirements. The Associated Builders and Contractors is already talking lawsuit, earning
FahoumKhaldoun Fahoum, a geotechnical engineer, soils and foundation expert and a vice president and U.A.E.-based Middle East regional manager for Langan Engineering, died on July 23 in Dubai, says the firm.The cause of death was cancer, it says. Fahoum was 51 years old, says Langan.He joined Langan in 2008 and was key to the firm’s involvement in several major projects, most notably Kingdom Tower and King Abdullah Financial District in Saudi Arabia.A 20-year industry veteran, Fahoum also was Middle East chairman of the Deep Foundations Institute and named a trustee in March.He had extensive experience in deep and raft foundations
TVA Board OKs $975 Million For 1,000-MW Plant in MemphisThe Tennessee Valley Authority won board approval last month to retire its 702-MW Allen coal-fired plant near Memphis and replace it with a 1,000-MW gas-fired unit. TVA considered a 1,400-MW gas-fired replacement plant but opted for the smaller unit to accommodate the future development of renewable generation, said William Johnson, president and CEO. The board authorized up to $975 million to build the plant. Allen will continue to operate while the gas-fired plant is being built, but TVA did not say when construction would begin. TVA’s board also approved a fiscal
Photo by AP Wideworld Early damage estimates top $1 billion from a magnitude-6.0 quake that struck Napa, Calif., on Aug. 24. Nearly 100 residential and commercial buildings have been condemned in Napa County due to structural damage, mostly to unreinforced masonry buildings. However, engineers are investigating why some recently reinforced buildings also sustained damage.Emergency rooms treated more than 200 patients, mostly for minor injuries, but there were no fatalities. Around 90 broken water mains are being repaired, and some roadways buckled, but all of the area's bridges remain safe, according to Caltrans. Dozens of minor aftershocks continue to rock Napa's
