Related Links: ENR Editorial "Easy Ways to Help Small Firms" (11/10/2014) House DOD Bill Includes Design-Build Individual Sureties Amendements A U.S. House-approved $585-billion Dept. of Defense authorization bill includes design-build provisions that will benefit contractors and architects who seek DOD projects, including a cap on the number of short-listed firms and a ban on "reverse auctions."The bill, which the House passed on Dec. 4 by a bipartisan 300-119 vote, is expected to clear the Senate before the lame-duck session ends. The House had approved a different version of the measure in May but the Senate never acted on it.The newly
A former Bechtel Corp. vice president has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he took $5.2 million in kickbacks on electric-power contracts in Egypt over a 15-year period, the Dept. of Justice has said.Asem Elgawhary, 73, a former Bechtel principal vice president, pleaded guilty on Dec. 4 in federal district court in Greenbelt, Md., to one count each of mail fraud, conspiracy to engage in money laundering and interfering with administration of tax laws.Elgawhary’s attorney did not immediately reply to an ENR request for comment.DOJ said that, from 1996 to 2011, Elgawhary was general manager of Power Generation Engineering and
Related Links: Transcript of 12/1/14 oral arguments Supreme Court's New Term Includes Two Key Cases The U.S. Supreme Court justices asked tough questions of both sides during Dec. 1 oral arguments in a case that centers on the government’s authority to issue interpretations of its own regulations without public input.The case could have significant implications for construction employers and small businesses that face real costs to comply with federal regulations.The case stems from an interpretive rule, issued by the Labor Dept. in 2010, that requires mortgage banks to pay loan officers overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.The Mortgage Bankers
Related Links: EPA proposed regulation for ground-level ozone (signed 11/26/14 EPA press release on proposed ground-level ozone (smog) standard The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a tougher standard for levels of ground-level ozone, or smog, contending that the change will prevent hundreds of premature deaths and tens of thousands of asthma attacks.Environmental groups and their congressional allies praised the proposal, but leading Republican lawmakers strongly criticized the plan.The proposal, which EPA Administration Gina McCarthy signed on Nov. 26, would trim the ozone limit to a range of 65 to 70 parts per billion (ppb), from the current level of 75
Related Links: EPA announcement Private Sector Taps Federal Funds to Jumpstart Biofuels Infrastructure The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to postpone the release of its 2014 renewable fuel standard regulations will create uncertainty within the biofuels market and may cause investors to scuttle plans to build refineries in the U.S., biofuel advocates told reporters at a Nov. 24 briefing. The standards—known as renewable volume obligations—set requirements for blending biofuels, such as ethanol, into gasoline at gasoline pumping stations.EPA announced on Nov. 21 that it would not issue its 2014 renewable percentage standards until sometime in 2015. In addition, EPA will
Related Links: White House transcript of Obama's address on immigration executive order President Obama has announced that he will issue an executive order that would prevent millions of immigrants now in the U.S. illegally from being deported, but only temporarily and if they meet certain conditions, including registering with the government, passing a background check and paying what he termed their “fair share of taxes.”The directive, which Obama announced on Nov. 20 in an evening address to the nation, also provides deportation protection only to those who have been in the U.S. for more than five years and those who
Related Links: NASBO State Expenditure Report for FY 2014 (see chapter 8 for capital spending) States hiked their total spending on infrastructure, equipment and other capital-budget items by an estimated 2.4% in fiscal year 2014, to a total of $91.8 billion, a new National Association of State Budget Officers report says.NASBO’s latest annual state expenditures report, released on Nov. 20, says that transportation accounted for the largest share of overall FY 14 capital spending, with an estimated $56.1 billion, up 3.7% from 2013. Brian Sigritz, NASBO director of fiscal studies, says, “We saw a handful of states that increased gas
Related Links: PBGC FY 2014 annual report Officials Hope Multiemployer Pension Changes Will Be Enacted This Year The federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. has warned that its program to help financially troubled multi-employer plans has weakened dramatically.Multi-employer plans are important in unionized construction, covering nearly four million workers and retirees.In its latest annual report, released on Nov. 17, PBGC said its multi-employer program deficit had widened to a record $42.4 billion in fiscal year 2014, which ended on Sept. 30, from $8.3 billion in 2013.The main reason for the bigger deficit is that more multi-employer plans are expected to become
The Senate has narrowly rejected a proposed extension of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline, falling one vote short of the 60 needed to end debate on a bill that would authorize the project to proceed.
Related Links: White House summary of U.S. and China plans Sen. McConnell statement on emissions plan President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinpeng have announced aggressive new goals for cutting or capping carbon dioxide emissions over the next 10 to 15 years.But a battle is looming with congressional Republicans over Obama’s part of the plan—that is, sharper U.S. CO2 reductions.Under an agreement which Obama and Xi announced on Nov. 11 in Beijing, the U.S. will aim to trim its net greenhouse-gas emissions 26% to 28% below their 2005 levels by 2025.That amounts to a doubling of the pace of average
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