Related Links: USTR Press Release Announcing Negotiations on Services-Sector Trade Link to Commerce Dept. Data on Goods and Services Exports, Imports Exports of design and construction services, a bright spot in U.S. international trade, could get a further boost under a recently announced new round of multilateral negotiations focused on the services sector.Talks are to begin by mid-April in Geneva among the U.S., the European Union and 18 other countries, including China and Japan. Announcing the talks on Jan. 15, U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk said services exports could rise substantially. But he added, "To begin to realize this potential,
Related Links: Senate Vote Next Step for $50.5B Post-Sandy Funding Bill (ENR 1/23/13) Text of bill Three months after Hurricane Sandy slammed into the Mid-Atlantic coast, a $50.5-billion package to help New Jersey, New York and other states in the region rebuild from the powerful storm has cleared Congress and been enacted.President Obama, who had pledged to "sign this bill into law as soon as it hits my desk," signed the measure the evening of Jan 29. The final congressional vote came the previous day, when the Senate approved the bill by a 62-36 tally. The House had passed the
Related Links: PDF of Appeals Court Ruling NLRB Appointments Generate New Wave of Controversy The National Labor Relations Board says it will continue to decide new cases despite a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that invalidated three recess appointments to the board in January 2012.A three-judge panel from the federal appeals court ruled on Jan. 25 that President Obama's appointments of Democrats Sharon Block and Richard Griffin and Republican Terence Flynn were invalid because they were not made during a true congressional recess. The ruling, if upheld, could nullify all rulings made since Jan.
Courtesy of U.S. DOT Related Links: LaHood 1/29 message to DOT employees Obama statement on LaHood's announcement Ray LaHood, who has led the U.S. Dept. of Transportation since January 2009, has announced he is leaving his post as DOT Secretary after a successor is named and confirmed. LaHood, who announced his decision on Jan. 29 in a message to DOT employees, did not say what he plans to do after he leaves the department.Speculation about whether LaHood, 67, would leave the Cabinet has been circulating for weeks—along with rumors about possible successors.Among the possible candidates mentioned in the rumor mill are:
Related Links: C-SPAN PDF: Link to Lawmakers' Blueprint U.S. Chamber of Commerce Policy Page on Comprehensive Immigration Reform A bipartisan group of eight senators led by Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) has outlined a guiding set of principles for a comprehensive immigration reform legislative package that they hope to pass some time this spring. Noting that lawmakers have unsuccessfully tried to pass comprehensive immigration reform in the past, Sen. Schumer, speaking to reporters on Jan. 28, said, “We believe that this is the year Congress finally gets it done.” The framework would give a “tough but fair path
Related Links: U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Jan. 25 Ruling NLRB Appointments Generate New Wave of Controversy The National Labor Relations Board says it will continue to press forward in deciding new cases even in the wake of a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that invalidated three recess appointments to the board in January 2012. A three-judge panel from the federal appeals court ruled on Jan. 25 that President Obama’s recess appointments of Democrats Sharon Block and Richard Griffin and Republican Terence Flynn were invalid because they were not
Related Links: House Clears $9.7B for Sandy Flood Aid, N.Y. and N.J. Want More House Ends Session Without Considering Post-Sandy Aid Officials in New Jersey, New York and other East Coast states seeking to rebuild from Hurricane Sandy—and construction firms that would carry out the reconstruction projects—are hoping for quick Senate approval of a $50.5-billion recovery aid package that the House cleared on Jan. 15.The measure's largest infrastructure allocations are $10.9 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and $5.3 billion for Army Corps of Engineers civil-works projects. John Doyle, special counsel with the law and lobbying firm Jones Walker
Related Links: EPA Releases Framework to Give Cities More Flexibliity in Managing Wastewater Jan. 18 Environmental Protection Agency Memo A Jan. 18 Environmental Protection Agency memo could prove crucial in giving communities more flexibility in how they build and pay for major water infrastructure projects, according to water utility groups.The memo stresses EPA's commitment to work with mayors on how its regional offices evaluate localities' ability to finance water infrastructure programs that are mandated by consent decrees. In June 2012, EPA released a framework, called the integrated planning and permitting process, for giving municipalities more flexibility in scheduling and setting
Photo Courtesy of Corbis Images Obama pledges to work to address climate change during his second term. Related Links: EPA Moves Forward with Greehouse Gas Regulations EPA Carbon Proposal Could Shutter More Coal Plants Environmental groups are cheering the portion of President Obama's inaugural address promising second-term action on climate change. They say Obama probably will focus on regulatory actions to curb air emissions and will not try to push climate legislation.In his Jan. 21 speech, Obama said, "We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future
Related Links: Summary of new ASCE report on infrastructure investment ENR 8/1/11: ASCE Report Warns of Crumbling Infrastructure, Job Losses [surface transportation] The investment shortfall in U.S. infrastructure could total $1.1 trillion in 2020 and may reach $4.7 trillion in 2040, according to a new report by the American Society of Civil Engineers.The report, released on Jan. 15, concludes that if shortfalls hit those levels, the economy could suffer significantly in the coming years, and have negative effects on businesses and households.The report, “Failure to Act: The Impact of Current Infrastructure Investment on America's Economic Growth,” is the fifth and
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