Related Links: Obama Names Picks to Lead EPA, DOE EPA's Lisa Jackson Announces Resignation The Senate appears to be on course to approving all three of President Obama's picks to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, the Dept. of Energy, and the Dept. of Interior.On April 10, the Senate confirmed Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) CEO Sally Jewell, Obama's nominee to serve as Interior Secretary by an 87-11 vote.A day earlier, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing on Obama's pick to lead the Dept. of Energy, Ernest Moniz. And on April 11, the Environment and Public Works
Photo AP Wideworld Obama released his budget almost two months later than usual. Congressional wrangling will likely delay final approval. Related Links: 2014 Budget documents President Obama's fiscal year 2014 budget proposal again makes a strong pitch for boosting federal infrastructure funding, but only some construction programs would share in the increases.Under the president's budget request, sent to Congress on April 10, highway and transit accounts would receive modest hikes compared with 2013 levels, and General Services Administration funding for federal buildings would soar. However, airport grants and wastewater-treatment facility aid would be cut.The proposal's fate will depend on congressional
Related Links: Link to FY 2014 budget documents President Obama’s fiscal year 2014 budget proposal again makes a strong pitch for boosting federal infrastructure funding, but only some construction programs would share in the increases.Under the president's budget request, sent to Congress on April 10, highway and transit accounts would receive modest hikes compared with 2013 levels and General Services Administration funding for federal buildings would soar. But airport grants and wastewater-treatment facility aid would be cut.The voluminous proposal's fate will depend on congressional budget and appropriations committees. Reactions split along party lines. Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said
A rainstorm, a flood, children trapped in a minivan. Rushing water sweeps a senior citizen into a sewer. The shocking nature of the deaths belie the bigger issues involving neglected urban infrastructure and the potential liability of engineering consultants.Personal injury attorneys often file lawsuits that engineering companies and engineers consider frivolous. These "shotgun" lawsuits really are attempts to intimidate the engineers into a settlement, insurance broker Jeffrey Cavignac wrote years ago, because the cost of defending against the lawsuits can easily surpass any fees earned on the project and it's cheaper to give in.How does a long-neglected piece of urban
Photo courtesy CIC Inc. Some industry experts think the new OSHA rules governing operator testing need to be changed. Here, a crane operator rodeo tests skills. Related Links: In One Week, Crane Operators Receive a License to Learn Final OSHA Cranes and Derricks Rule A wide range of crane-market representatives asked U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials to make changes to the agency's controversial crane-and-derrick standard at a stakeholder meeting held in Washington, D.C., on April 2-3.Numerous individuals at the meeting said that OSHA has misinterpreted the original rule-making committee’s intent. A key issue discussed was the fine line
Related Links: Copy of National Research Council report Engineering News-Record A recent National Research Council study of the Defense Dept.'s use of green-building certification systems concludes DOD should continue its current practices. They including using the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the Green Building Initiative Green Globes and other rating systems.But the authors of the NRC report also say that DOD should improve its evaluations of how its facilities actually perform in energy-efficiency and other green areas.The study found that although most certified green or high-performance buildings generally perform better than conventional buildings, some
Related Links: Bipartisan Group of Senators Outline Their Plans for Immigration Reform Workforce, Immigration Issues Loom Large for ABC Firms An agreement between union leaders and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce could set the stage for a bipartisan group of senators to introduce a comprehensive bill to revamp federal immigration policy within weeks. The group of eight senators is led by Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).AFL-CIO and Chamber officials said on March 29 that they had reached general agreement on two issues that had been sticking points in the talks. Both dealt with the guest-worker program. But some
Engineers Surprised by Damage To Modern Buildings in Christchurch Quake-Damaged Building Implosion in Christchurch One for the Books Demolition experts say one of the lessons learned in the ongoing recovery efforts after the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, is that contractors should have more involvement in emergency preparedness.Meeting on March 23-26 in San Diego—in a state that potentially has much to learn from the New Zealand experience—the National Demolition Association
Related Links: Senate Spending Bill Would Restore Highway Funds (ENR.com 3/12/13) Budget Battle Heats Up on Capitol Hill (ENR 3/25/13 issue) Congress has cleared a six-month continuing resolution (CR) to keep federal agencies, including construction programs, operating through Sept. 30, when fiscal 2013 ends.The CR, which President Obama signed March 26, includes sequestration cuts, which affect many construction accounts. But the bill adds nearly $700 million to highway and transit programs, setting them at 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act levels.The House and Senate also have passed budget resolutions for fiscal 2014 that differ greatly. The
Related Links: NRC March 19 Memo Nuclear Energy Institute Response to decision on filtering rulemaking The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will adopt one recommendation from its post-Fukushima task force and postpone another.In a March 19 memo, NRC commissioners directed staffers to make final within 60 days requirements for hardened venting systems at 31 boiling-water reactors that have Mark I and Mark II containment designs.But the commissioners also said they will give the staff a year to produce a technical evaluation to support a rule-making on filtering systems to prevent significant radiation releases during potential accidents.While the Nuclear Energy Institute praised the
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