Related Links: Construction Groups Say Obama Immigration Directive Will Slow Search for Legislative Fix (enr.com 11/20/2014) [subscription] DHS Feb. 17 Statement on Judge's Ruling A fight is heating up in the courts and in Congress over President Obama's executive order to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation.The Justice Dept. on Feb. 23 sought a stay of a federal judge's injunction, issued one week earlier, that temporarily blocked the directives that Obama issued last Nov. 20 from going into effect.JOHNSONOn Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats stalled action on a House-passed Dept. of Homeland Security spending bill, objecting to a provision barring
Photo courtesy Ocelleye LLC Currently, there are no regulations pertaining to commercial drones. Related Links: Coming Soon: More Drone Insurance Options Drone Users Await U.S. Regulations Unmanned aircraft systems—aka drones—have taken off in the civilian world. Nearly $17 million worth of drones were bought on eBay last year. Drones have come dangerously close to passenger aircraft, so it's no wonder that the Federal Aviation Administration fears disaster—thousands of tiny helicopters with spinning rotors and cameras are flying through the air.Despite the concerns, however, the FAA knows that drones will become a vital part of the commercial environment. Congress demanded that
Legislation to authorize the beginning of construction on the $3.3-billion Keystone XL pipeline has cleared the House and Senate. But project advocates' victory may be short-lived: President Obama has vowed to veto the bill when it reaches his desk.
Related Links: Obama Budget Features Proposed $478-Billion Transport Bill (enr.com 2/2/2015) [subscription] For Inhofe, Transportation Bill Tops Agenda (ENR 2/2/2015 issue) As the May 31 highway and transit authorization deadline approaches, Congress is working on potential new bills. So far, lawmakers haven't located the revenue needed to fund that legislation.SHUSTERHouse Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) says he is drafting a bill. "But the driving force behind it is going to be the funding," he says. "We don't want another two-year bill. We want a five- [or] six-year bill."Shuster told reporters after a Feb. 11 hearing on the
Related Links: Construction Groups Say Obama Immigration Directive will Slow Down Search for Legislative Fix (ENR, 11/21/14) DHS Secretary Johnson's statement on judge's injunction A federal judge in Texas has put a temporary hold on President’s Obama’s executive actions aimed at protecting millions of illegal immigrants from being deported.The injunction, which U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen issued on Feb. 16, came just two days before a new program that the president's directives established was to go into effect. The. Justice Dept. says that the president was on solid legal ground in issuing the directives on Nov. 20 and adds that
The House has approved a measure to authorize building the Keystone XL pipeline, but the 270-152 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority required to override a promised presidential veto.
Related Links: Obama executive order on flood-risk standard White House fact sheet on flood-risk standard Corps of Engineers study of North Atlantic coast flood risks The Obama administration has issued tougher risk-management standards for federal agencies to use in determining where federally funded buildings, highways and other infrastructure projects in floodplains should be situated.The new requirements, contained in an executive order that President Obama signed on Jan. 30, drew praise from state floodplain officials and environmental advocates, but also sparked criticism from a construction group and some lawmakers— including eight Republican U.S. Senators, who question the standard's legality.John Podesta, counselor
President Obama’s nearly $4-trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2016 has a picture of a bridge on its cover, reflecting one of the main elements inside the book: substantial spending on infrastructure, especially the initial year's $478-billion, six-year surface-transportation bill.
The Senate has approved legislation authorizing construction to begin on the controversial and long-delayed $3.3-billion Keystone XL oil-pipeline project. The Senate passed the bill on Jan. 29 by a 62-36 vote.
Related Links: Boxer, Inhofe Float New Transportation Bill Proposal (ENR 6/11/2012 issue) [subscription] Video of House Committee Chairman Shuster's remarks at U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting (1/23/15) A surface-transportation authorization is construction's No. 1 legislative priority this year and tops the agenda for Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the new chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW). Inhofe is seeking "a fiscally responsible, long-term transportation bill that builds upon reforms in MAP-21, better coordinates funding needs with private and state partners, and eliminates wasteful spending," according to a document provided for a media briefing in early January.INHOFEInhofe, who chaired
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