Related Links: Webcast/video of Jan. 21 House VA Committee hearing Searching for a Better Way to Build Big Veterans' Hospitals (ENR 12/29/14 issue) [subscription] Federal Ruling Halts Construction of Massive VA Hospital Near Denver (enr.com 12/11/14) [subscription] Facing strong Capitol Hill criticism for poor management of big hospital projects, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs now is open to considering transferring that part of its construction program to the Army Corps of Engineers, a top VA official says. Testifying at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on Jan. 21, VA Deputy Secretary Sloan D. Gibson said he’s “perfectly willing” for the VA
Related Links: Judge's ruling on BP Spill Estimate Energy company BP says it hopes to reduce its Clean Water Act fines in the Deepwater Horizon oil-spill trial's penalty phase, which began on Jan. 20, to the "lower end of the statutory range."U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier ruled on Jan. 15 that BP should pay penalties for 3.2 million barrels of oil spilled in the 2010 disaster. That number is much lower than the 4.19 million bbl the federal government cited. Barbier said both sides presented strong arguments, adding, "There is no way to know with precision how much oil
Related Links: White House Statement Threatening Veto Press Release from Bill Sponsor, Rep. Bob Goodlatte The House has passed legislation that would require federal rules to undergo more rigorous cost and scientific analyses.Supporters say the bill, sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and approved on Jan. 13 by a 250-175 vote, would modernize the regulatory process and make it more transparent. However, opponents warn that it would stymie efforts to write health and environmental rules. The White House has issued a veto threat.
Related Links: Construction Groups Say Obama Immigration Directive Will Slow Search for Legislative Fix (enr.com 11/20/2014) [subscription] Intensifying a dispute over federal immigration policy, the House has passed legislation that would cut off funding to implement President Obama’s 2014 immigration directives and end a two-year-old program that shields illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children from being deported.When Obama announced his plan last year, construction industry officials warned that the ensuing controversy could dim the Capitol Hill outlook for comprehensive legislation to revamp immigration policies. The new House immigration provisions are included in a bill funding the Dept. of
AP Wide World photo Biden wants proposed new infrastructure bond, other actions to help boost private sector's 3% share of total U.S. infrastructure investment. Related Links: White House fact sheet on new infrastructure proposals and plans Recommendations of interagency working group on infrastructure finance Obama Pushes for More Private Financing for Infrastructure (ENR 7/28/2014 issue) [subscription] The Obama administration has unveiled a new batch of proposals and initiatives aimed at drawing more private money to invest in U.S. infrastructure, with a particular focus on water projects.The new plans, announced on Jan. 16, flesh out President Obama’s Build America Investment Initiative,
Related Links: 1/13/15 Supreme Court Oral Argument Transcript Supreme Court's New Term Include Two New Cases U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical of arguments that the 1942 Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act should cover civil, as well as criminal, offenses, during Jan. 13 oral arguments in a case involving contractor Kellogg Brown & Root. If the court rules that the law does apply to civil offenses, federal contractors, including construction companies, could face more liability.The case centers on allegations by Benjamin Carter, an ex-KBR employee, that the company fraudulently billed the government for services at an Iraq water-purification plant in
Related Links: Construction Officials Urge Swift Passage of Terrorism Insurance Bill (enr.com 12/29/2014) Congressional Budget Office report on terrorism risk (01/06/2015) Ending a 12-day lapse in the federal terrorism-insurance backstop, President Obama has signed into law a bill that reinstates the program and extends it for six years.Obama signed the extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) on Jan. 12, four days after the Senate had approved the measure by a strong 93-4 vote, shortly after the new Congress convened.The House on Jan. 7 also had passed the measure overwhelmingly, by 416 to 5.Industry officials had warned that if
The controversial $3.3-billion Keystone XL pipeline has cleared two more hurdles, with a Nebraska court victory and House passage of a bill authorizing the project's construction, but the White House says its threat to veto the pipeline legislation still stands.
House and Senate supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline are moving quickly in the new Congress on legislation that would advance the long-pending $3.3-billiion project toward construction.
Related Links: State Dept. release on Nuevo Laredo project State Dept. release on Matamoros project The State Dept. is moving ahead with plans for two new U.S. consulate complexes in Mexico, near the Texas border, continuing a program to improve some facilities and build new ones in a country where the U.S. consular operation is its largest in the world.The department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) announced on Jan. 2 that it had awarded a construction contract to B.L. Harbert International, Birmingham, Ala., for a consulate project in Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas. The department estimates the
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