After more than four years of short-term funding, a multiyear aviation bill seems to be finally on its way to passage. Senate and House leaders on Jan. 20 resolved a thorny labor issue that had blocked a multiyear authorization for Federal Aviation Administration programs, including its Airport Improvement Program, or AIP, grants, which fund runways and other projects.Those programs have been operating under a long series of stopgap bills since September 2007, when the last long-term FAA law expired. The 22nd extension is slated to lapse on Jan. 31.Some issues remain to be worked out. One item is believed to
Construction groups and other organizations have launched a lobbying drive, aiming to nudge Congress to pass a new multiyear highway and transit bill. They see a window of opportunity—if not necessity—between now and March 31, when the current stopgap authorization runs out.To be sure, industry officials have been campaigning for a new bill for a long time, beginning even before the last major surface transportation measure lapsed in September 2009. But now they are turning up the intensity. They know November's elections will keep the 2012 congressional session short, and if there's little progress toward a long-term transportation bill in
Market Outlook AGC Sees 2012 Funds Up for Education, Down for Highway Construction contractors see a mixed picture for 2012, says a Jan. 23 Associated General Contractors survey of 1,300 members. About 34% of respondents foresee more demand for higher-education-related construction, but 40% say highway funding will fall and 38% say the dollar volume of public-buildings work will decline. Even so, 32% of firms say they plan to add jobs in 2012, and only 9% foresee layoffs. Last year, 37% said they cut payroll. AGC says the number of new positions "are likely to be modest at best." Most firms
Related Links: First Phase of California High-Speed Rail Project Ready to Take Off Engineers Will Finally Be Paid For California High-Speed Rail Work The resignations in January of the California High-Speed Rail Authority's chief executive officer, Roelof van Ark, and its chairman, Thomas Umberg, several months before construction is scheduled to begin the first leg of high-speed-rail construction in the Central Valley, puts the alternative transportation initiative under renewed scrutiny. During Van Ark's 20-month tenure, costs were revised. Estimates more than doubled, to $98.5-billion. That huge dollar amount further erodes public support for the project and undermines its funding.Gov. Jerry
After two previous reports that were highly critical of Pacific Gas & Electric's natural-gas pipeline operations in the fatal 2010 San Bruno blast, its pipeline network and its record-keeping, the utility received another report that may turn out to be the most critical and the most costly of all.The California Public Utility Commission's Consumer Protection and Safety Division (CPSD) released its incident investigation report on Jan. 12. It alleged PG&E violated the Public Utilities Code and federal and state pipeline safety regulations and failed to follow accepted industry standards.On Sept. 9, 2010, a 30-in.-dia PG&E natural-gas transmission pipeline ruptured and
Related Links: No FAA Bill Deal Yet, Another Extension Likely FAA Contractors Resume Work After Stopgap Extension Passes Aviation Bill Fight Shuts Down Airport Grants Senate and House leaders have reached agreement on a thorny labor issue, clearing the way for a final deal on a multiyear Federal Aviation Administration authorization, which is more than four years overdue.FAA programs, including the agency's airport construction grants, have been operating under a long series of stopgap measures since September 2007, when the last long-term aviation bill expired. The latest stopgap, the 22rd in that series, lapses on Jan. 31.The agreement, between Senate
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has reinstated the original compliance date for the boiler maximum achievable control technology (MACT) and solid-waste incinerator rules that the Environmental Protection Agency published in March 2011.In May, EPA had asked for a stay of the rules to give the agency more time to incorporate information from industry that it had not been able to include in the March 2011 rules. EPA issued a revised proposal in December 2011.But district court Judge Paul L. Friedman said in a Jan. 9 ruling that EPA's request for a delay of the rules was
The latest in a long line of stopgap authorizations for Federal Aviation Administration programs is due to expire on Jan. 31. With Congress in session for only a few days before that date and no deal yet on a multiyear measure, it looks as if at least one more extension is in the cards.For construction, the key issue is how much will be authorized—and when—for FAA's Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants, which finance work on runways, taxiways and other infrastructure.The current stopgap is the 23rd since September 2007, when the last long-term aviation bill lapsed. Jane Calderwood, Airports Council International-North
President Obama has asked Congress to reinstate his authority to reorganize and consolidate numerous federal agencies. But while some lawmakers in Congress support the idea, others—even some leading Democrats—have reservations.In announcing his proposal on Jan. 13, Obama said that having the reorganization authority would allow him to streamline duplicative agencies and create a government that "works better." He said he would first use the power to consolidate six agencies that focus on business and trade. Those agencies include the Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and parts of the Commerce Dept.Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max
Related Links: Text of the legislation NTSB San Bruno Explosion Report Centers on Pipeline Seam Welds PG&E Faces Blast Aftermath Under a newly enacted pipeline safety bill, oil and gas pipeline companies could face additional safety requirements, and pipeline operators that violate federal rules will have to pay stiffer fines. But the legislation’s impact on safety and industry won’t be clear for many months because its implementation deadlines for key regulations are not until 2013 or 2014. Further, the law gives the U.S. Dept. of Transportation substantial leeway to consider the economic impact of the new rules.Other provisions call for federal
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