Related Links: Pritzker picked for Commerce Dept., Froman for USTR (enr.com 5/2/03) Obama National Export Initiative The Senate has confirmed Penny S. Pritzker, a prominent businesswoman and major fund-raiser for President Obama, to lead the Dept. of Commerce. Pritzker’s nomination was approved on June 25, by a 97-1 tally, with Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) casting the lone “no” vote.Pritzker, who was sworn in to her new post on June 26, will lead a sprawling department of more than 40,000 workers. Among its wide range of agencies are the International Trade Administration, which sponsors overseas trade missions for U.S. companies in
Related Links: Senate Committee Clears Foxx for Top DOT Post (enr.com 6/11/13) Obama Selects Charlotte Mayor for Top DOT Post (ENR 5/6/13 issue) The Senate has approved President Obama’s nominee to head the Dept. of Transportation, Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx, to be the next DOT Secretary. Foxx was confirmed for the top DOT post on June 27 by a 100-0 vote. He will succeed Ray LaHood, who has led DOT since January 2009. Many tough issues lie ahead for Foxx as he moves into his new job. The top construction industry priority will be addressing the flagging financial health of the
Photo courtesy of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Froman, sworn in as USTR by Supreme Court Justice Kagan, faces new trade talks with the EU and ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. Related Links: Pritzker Picked for Commerce Dept., Froman for USTR (enr.com 5/2/13) Froman's confirmation hearing (Webcast, prepared statements) Senate Finance Committee 6/6/13 As former White House aide Michael Froman begins his new job as U.S. trade representative, he faces a full agenda, including two major multilateral trade negotiations that will have an impact on U.S. construction-equipment makers and companies in a wide range of other industries.Froman, who was
Related Links: Supreme Court June 24 Order on NLRB v. Noel Canning Link to U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Jan. 25 decision in Noel Canning v. NLRB The U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 said it would review a case during its next term that could have a significant impact on the way presidential recess appointments are made.A broad decision by the court in the case, National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, could limit a president’s ability to put a personal stamp on the board, other federal agencies and federal courts. The high court is nearing
Related Links: Summary of Rahall bill Link to letters from construction, transportation and organized labor groups supporting bill The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s top Democrat, Nick Rahall of West Virginia, has introduced a bill that would authorize $5.5 billion over two years to repair and upgrade highway bridges across the country.The measure, which Rahall introduced on June 19, would direct the funding to structurally deficient, functionally obsolete and fracture-critical bridges.The money would come from the general fund, not the Highway Trust Fund. The trust fund’s highway account, the prime federal revenue source for highway and bridge construction, has been
Courtesy of Washington State Dept. of Transportation After the Skagit bridge collapse, a temporary replacement moves forward. The accident may amplify calls for more infrastructure funding. Related Links: Link to Senate bridge hearing, including Webcast, prepared testimony Will the May 23 collapse of part of Washington state's Skagit River Bridge spark more federal funding for bridges? A senior House Democrat is seeking to boost bridge aid over two years. But intense federal budget pressure is likely to make a near-term hike a tough sell in Congress, particularly in the Republican-controlled House. Still, the Skagit bridge accident may at least amplify
Photo courtesy Savannah River Site Waste processing facility at Aiken, S.C., site was set for completion in July 2012. Related Links: Baker Concrete v. SRNS NNSA Letter DOE Looking at Cost, Schedule Problems at S.C. Nuclear Site Independent DOE Review (January 2013) of Construction Quality and Fire Protection System Design at the Savannah River Site Waste Solidification Building Claiming the Fluor Corp.-led team that manages and operates a federal nuclear-waste site in Aiken, S.C., intentionally misled it about the status of design completion on a $90-million plutonium and uranium waste-disposal project under way, Baker Concrete Construction Inc. sued the joint
The federal government announced its largest construction-related False Claims Act settlement of 2013 earlier this month involving alleged disadvantaged business enterprise fraud by a collection of Ohio-based engineering-related companies.The U.S. Dept. of Justice says it has reached a settlement with Dayton-based TesTech Inc., TesTech owner Sherif Aziz, Dayton companies CESO Testing Technology Inc., CESO International LLC, and CESO Inc., and their owners, David and Shery Oakes. They have agreed to pay $2.88 million to resolve the fraud allegations, DOJ says.The allegations were brought with the assistance of a whistleblower, former employee Ryan Parker, who will receive $562,370 of the settlement
Related Links: Study: Global Contract Disputes Worth Less, But Last Longer Construction disputes around most of the globe took longer to settle in 2012 than the year before, according to a new survey.The Middle East topped the chart in terms of both the length of disputes and the values involved.The average time needed in 2012 to settle construction disputes increased by 20%, or about 60 days, to 12.8 months.The money at stake in the disputes declined slightly, to $31.7 million.The data came from the newest Global Construction Disputes Report published by EC Harris, a U.K.-based built asset consultant and a
Related Links: ENR Blog: DOT Nominee Foxx Clears a Hurdle Link to Webcast of Foxx's 5/22/13 confirmation hearing Anthony Foxx, President Obama’s nominee to head the Dept. of Transportation, has advanced a step toward confirmation, with the Senate commerce committee’s unanimous vote June 10 to move his nomination to the full Senate.The committee’s top Republican, John Thune of South Dakota, said at Foxx’s May 22 confirmation hearing that he wouldn’t vote the nomination out of committee until DOT responded to his request for information about how it implemented budget sequester cuts to Federal Aviation Administration programs. Those cuts resulted in
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