Photo Courtesy of Caltrans Work to correct defects at the Bay Bridge included installation of saddle braces to replace the clamping force of broken bolts. Related Links: Temporary Fix Allows San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to Open on Time Repairs on Broken Bay Bridge Rods Could Prove Tricky The California Dept. of Transportation is in the hot seat over allegations of cover-ups and faulty components on the new $6.4-billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The agency's management was grilled at a state Senate hearing on Jan. 24. To add fuel to the fire, an independent report on Jan. 30 prescribes a need
Related Links: NAPA Website Asphalt Producers Warm To New Mix Technologies Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) and recycled materials in asphalt (RAP) are the hot ticket on road projects, according to results of a survey by the National Asphalt Pavement Association under contract to the Federal Highway Administration. A survey of 1,141 U.S. asphalt plants found that they produced about 86.7 million tons of WMA during 2012 construction—almost a quarter of all asphalt mixes. This marks a 416% increase since a 2009 survey.Conducted in mid-2013 and released on Jan. 29, the study also found that about 68.3 million tons of RAP and
Photo Courtesy of Xcel Energy PUC's new cost guidelines could make coal-fired power less viable. Related Links: Quebc and California Link Credit Trading for Greenhouse-Gas Emissions EPA Proposes to Cut Carbon Emissions at New Powerplants EPA: the FederaL Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) A late-December regulatory decision will increase the weight Minnesota utilities give in their integrated resource planning to the social and environmental costs of carbon-dioxide emissions, reducing the competitive advantage enjoyed by fossil-fueled powerplants over renewable-energy power generation.The decision's immediate impact will be felt only in Minnesota, but it comes at a time of growing national concern over
Related Links: Elk River Chemical Spill Triggers Lawsuits, Investigations Toxic Chemical Spill Fouls Drinking Water Supply in Charleston, W. Va. Freedom Industries Inc. has until March 15 to remove all the chemicals from its storage farm that leaked into the Elk River near Charleston, W.Va., shutting down the drinking-water supply for about 300,000 people in January.Meanwhile, the state Legislature is acting on proposed regulations of similar aboveground storage tanks, residents continue to experience water problems, and grants are going to researchers to study water issues.Freedom must start "to dismantle, remove and properly manage the disposition of all aboveground storage tanks,
Related Links: Philadelphia Energy Benchmarking Report Released Jan. 29 City Energy Project A new initiative spearheaded by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) will help 10 U.S. cities develop customized plans to boost the energy efficiency of their largest buildings.According to Cliff Majersik, IMT's executive director, NRDC and IMT will provide technical assistance over the next three years to help each of the participating cities develop and implement individualized plans. NRDC estimates that the City Energy Project (CEP), funded by partnerships with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation, will
Rendering courtesy of HKS Group Construction of stadium, scheduled to open for the 2016 football season, is just getting under way. Related Links: Minnesota Stadium Amenities Likely Getting Trimmed to Meet $975M Budget Estimate The Minnesota Supreme Court dismissed a motion by former Minneapolis mayoral candidate Doug Mann and several co-petitioners that delayed a crucial $468-million bond sale meant to pay for design and construction work—already performed—on the $1-billion Minnesota Vikings Stadium just getting under way. In a five-page order, the court says it does not have jurisdiction over the case.State budget officials are moving quickly to start the bond
Related Links: Information on ESBWR reactors NRC Information on licensing of new reactors A subsidiary of General Electric has agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle allegations that it made false statements to the federal government about a component of an advanced nuclear reactor under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In a Jan. 23 announcement, the Justice Dept. alleged that Wilmington, N.C.-based GE Hitachi concealed known flaws with the steam dryer component of its Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR) n its steam-dryer analysis. The steam dryer removes water droplets from steam produced by the nuclear reactions that generate electricity
Related Links: EPA's web page on Bristol Bay Pebble Mine Partnership website A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency watershed assessment of the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska suggests the mine and its related infrastructure could destroy as much as 94 miles of streams and up to 5,300 acres of wetlands, ponds and lakes.Backers of the controversial mine say the project—which could include a large containment pond, waste treatment facilities, roads, a pipeline and a highly engineered earthen dam to store waste by-products, or tailings—could cost up to $8 billion to construct.The site contains billions of metric
Photo by Nicholas Zeman/ENR Work continues on new crossing in Long Beach, Calif., as heads roll. Related Links: http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/transportation/2012/1231-long-beachs-long-term-view.asp http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/transportation/2012/1231-long-beachs-long-term-view.asp A major port improvement program in Long Beach, Calif., is struggling in stormy waters amid personnel upheavals and the recent repeal of a cargo fee meant to help fund more than $4 billion in road, rail, environmental and dredging construction projects.Scores of contractors are in the midst of billions of dollars' worth of work, including the new Gerald Desmond Bridge on which site-prep complications added $136 million to its $1-billion price tag. Also, the $1.2-billion Middle Harbor project estimate recently
photo Courtesy of Poet-DSM The EPA is expected to cut biofuel requirements for 2014, putting plantssuch as this one in Emmetsburg, Iowaat risk. Related Links: Kansas Ethanol Plant Prepares To Fire Up Anaerobic Digester China Backs Cellulosic Ethanol Producer That DOE Rejected A trio of cellulosic ethanol plants in the final stages of construction in Iowa and Kansas are being threatened by an Environmental Protection Agency proposal aiming to cut federal renewable-fuel mandates.Officials at Poet-DSM, Dupont Chemical and Abengoa Bioenergy say the plants—each worth $200 million to $250 million—have taken more than a decade to develop and build. According to
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