Photo Courtesy of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee The agency is expected to advance a rule to curb powerplants' air emissions. Related Links: Perez and McCarthy Nominations to Get Full Senate Vote Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings on EPA, DOE Nominees Despite opposition from some Senate Republicans and one Democrat from a coal state, Gina McCarthy was sworn in as the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator. She receives high marks from industry and environmental groups. Both are waiting to see the shape of regulations the EPA issues on McCarthy's watch.McCarthy, whom the Senate confirmed on July 18 by a 59-40 vote,
Related Links: Immigration Bill Focus Shifts to House After Senate Vote Video of Boehner 7/11/13 press briefing (C-span) Video of Pelosi 7/11/13 press briefing (C-span) House Republicans’ plan for taking up immigration legislation is coming into sharper focus but still isn’t completely clear.Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), in a July 11 press conference, stated strongly that the U.S. immigration system needs to be changed. He reiterated that the House will take up several separate bills dealing with specific immigration issues and not vote on a wide-ranging overhaul such as the one the Senate recently passed.Boehner didn’t provide a timetable for that
Following the Obama administration's announcement that the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate will be delayed by one year, House Republican leaders are pushing to extend that delay to the ACA mandate for individuals, as well.
Related Links: Committee release w/summary of GSA bill Text of House committee bill A House committee has approved a bill that would set limits on the number of courtrooms in new federal courthouses and freeze the amount of total real estate space the General Services Administration controls.The measure, which the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee cleared on July 11 by a voice vote, has strong support on the panel. Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and the committee’s top Democrat, Nick Rahall (W.Va.), have signed on as co-sponsors.The bill may go to the House floor before the August recess, a GOP aide
Related Links: Obama, House GOP Skirmish Over Fiscal 2014 Spending Bills (ENR 6/17/13) Summary of Senate Appropriations Committee-approved FY14 DOT-HUD bill Summary of House Appropriations Committee FY14 DOT-HUD bill (excluding committee-approved amendments) As congressional appropriators move ahead on fiscal year 2014 spending bills, some major construction programs, such as highways, are faring reasonably well given the tight budget environment, but others could face cuts.Framing the appropriations action is a wide gap between House and Senate ceilings on overall FY 14 discretionary spending. The Senate cap is $1.058 trillion; the House's is $967 billion. In light of that spread, House appropriators
Related Links: Link to June 27 Senate subcommittee hearing Contractor Sues Fluor Team over DOE Site Project Design (subscribers only) A June 27 Senate subcommittee hearing spotlighted the difficulties with contracts for nuclear-waste cleanup under the Energy Dept.'s Office of Environmental Management (EM).Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight, highlighted the problems at legacy sites, saying, "Unfortunately for the taxpayer, for EM's large contracts, cost overruns, schedule delays and technical failures are the rule, not the exception." For example, the cost of the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at the Savannah River site, near
Related Links: Supreme Court Decision in Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District Supreme Court Order Granting Certiorari in NLRB and EPA cases The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the last decisions of its October 2012 term on June 26, issuing rulings in closely watched affirmative-action and same-sex-marriage cases. But perhaps more significant for the construction and engineering industry are the cases the court agreed to hear in its next term.The first, National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, could have significant ramifications in the way presidential recess appointments are made.The second, Environmental Protection Agency v. EME Homer City
Related Links: Senate Committee Clears Foxx for Top DOT Post (enr.com 6/11/13) Obama Picks Charlotte, N.C., Mayor to Head DOT (enr.com 4/29/13) As Anthony Foxx moves into his new job as head of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, he will face tough infrastructure issues. Leading the list for Foxx—who was confirmed 100-0 by the Senate on June 27 and sworn in as DOT secretary on July 2—will be addressing the ailing Highway Trust Fund.The trust fund is the prime financing source for major highways and an important revenue stream for transit projects. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the
Photo By Associated Press Key Players Schumer (center), with other members of the Senate "Gang of Eight" who pushed for the bill, called the vote "a giant step forward." Related Links: Text of Senate-passed immigration bill Bipartisan Group of Senators Outlines Plans for Immigration Reform (enr.com 1/28/13) With the Senate's passage of a wide-ranging immigration bill, the legislative focus moves to the House. In contrast to the Senate's comprehensive measure, approved on June 27 by a 68-32 vote, GOP House leaders are going piece by piece, moving bills on various immigration issues through committees.Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), one of the
Courtesy California Expo Rail Authority Concrete is placed on a bridge deck last month for the light rail line expansion to Santa Monica. A Los Angeles light rail line being expanded by Skanska USA faces a court challenge that could shut down work.The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hand down a decision by Aug.7 in a challenge by local residents to Phase II of the Los Angeles Exposition Rail line, now under construction through the city’s west side and due to start operating in 2015.The main issue is whether a construction authority has the discretion to use existing or
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