Officials in New Jersey, New York and other East Coast states seeking to rebuild from Hurricane Sandy—and construction firms that would carry out the reconstruction projects—are hoping for quick Senate approval of a $50.5-billion recovery aid package that the House cleared on Jan. 15.
The measure's largest infrastructure allocations are $10.9 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and $5.3 billion for Army Corps of Engineers civil-works projects. John Doyle, special counsel with the law and lobbying firm Jones Walker LLP, notes that the Corps allotment would equal civil works' regular appropriations for all of fiscal 2013, based on the current funding rate. For contractors and engineering firms that pursue Corps projects, he says, "This is good news." Similarly, the Sandy bill's FTA funding exceeds the agency's total 2012 budget.