Related Links: Link to opinion in Arkansas Game and Fish Commission v. U.S. on Supreme Court website High Court Hears Property Takings Case The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Dec. 4 against the federal government in a property “takings” case involving water releases from an Army Corps of Engineers Dam. The court also heard oral arguments in two Clean Water Act cases on Dec. 3 and 4.Although none of the cases touched on the broader question of federal versus state jurisdiction in issuing permits, construction groups are keeping a watchful eye on all three. Nick Goldstein, American Road & Transportation Builders
Photo By AP Wideworld Obama meets with Senate and House leaders as talks begin to try to prevent tax increases and spending reductions from taking hold. Related Links: Construction Starts Forecasted to Increase 6% in 2013 Construction Shifts Focus to Legislation, Regulatory Issues With only weeks remaining before a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts are set to kick in, construction industry officials are anxiously watching the progress of White House and congressional negotiations to stave off that painful outcome.If there is no deal and the economy tumbles off the so-called fiscal cliff, construction could be clobbered by three
Related Links: Shuster Voting Record (Washington Post Database) Transportation and Infrastructure Committee homepage Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), will replace John Mica (R-Fla.) at the top post of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the beginning of the 113th Congress in January.The House Republican Conference made the announcement that it had selected Shuster, who has served on the committee since coming to Congress in 2001, on Nov. 28. Shuster has previously served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, and as chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.Mica, who will begin
Related Links: Next Step in U.S. Nuclear Market Could Be Built Round Small Modular Reactors Feds OK New Georgia Units The Dept. of Energy has announced the winner of the initial part of a two-phase award for the commercial deployment of small modular reactors, or SMRs, in the U.S.The first project award, announced on Nov. 20, goes to a joint-venture team of Charlotte, N.C.-based Babcock & Wilcox and San Francisco-based Bechtel, working in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Bechtel is the architect-engineer, and B&W is the technology provider. TVA hopes to acquire a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license for
Related Links: PBGC Press Release on 2012 Annual Report Pension Agency Sees Rise in Aid to Ailing Multiemployer Plans (ENR 12/5/11) The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. program that assists multiemployer pension plans has seen its deficit widen significantly. Construction is the largest industry in PBGC's multi-employer program, with 3.9 million people, or 37.4% of the total insured in 2009, the most recent PBGC data published. Multi-employer plans are common in the industry's unionized sector.On Nov. 16, PBGC reported its multi-employer insurance-plan deficit jumped to $5.2 billion, from $2.8 billion in 2011. PBGC says its assets can meet obligations "for a
Related Links: Key House Vote Looms in September for U.S.-Russia Trade Bill U.S.-Russia Trade Bill On Fast Track to Passage A bill that would result in tariff cuts on U.S. construction-equipment exports to Russia is heading toward a Senate vote. The measure, which would establish permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia, cleared a hurdle on Nov. 16, when the House approved it on a 365-43 vote. In the Senate, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said he would work to get the bill through that chamber by late December.The measure has the support of groups such as the Association
Related Links: Ill Winds Blow Through Huge U.K. Wind Farm Project Proposals for Massive Irish Wind Farms Rankle Some A U.K. arbitration panel surprised Fluor Corp. and its investors last month with a ruling against the contractor's $480-million claim for additional compensation from owners of the Greater Gabbard wind farm off the coast of England. As a result, Fluor said on Nov. 17 it will take a $400-million charge in the fourth quarter but says the action will not materially affect cash flow."Fluor delivered a quality project, and we are extremely disappointed with this unexpected decision," said company Chairman and
Photo by AP Wideworld August fire in Washington state burned thousands of acres and more than 60 homes. Small contractors replacing the deck on a small bridge last August may have started a big fire in the dry hills of eastern Washington state. No one was killed, but property damage costs are steep, and the contractors and their liability insurers could face big claims.A dozen property owners in Washington state have filed a lawsuit that blames the bridge's general contractor and steel erector for a fire that consumed 23,500 acres and more than 60 homes in the area of Cle
Related Links: After Elections, Construction Looks for Action on Key Issues Keystone Pipeline a Litmus Test for Obama The fierce and expensive federal election campaigns produced no major power shifts: President Obama was re-elected; Democrats added two seats to their Senate majority; and Republicans held the House, though they lost seven seats.Leaving aside blue-state, red-state maps, construction officials are focusing on pressing legislative and regulatory issues. Avoiding the "fiscal cliff" is the immediate matter. Obama and Capitol Hill leaders began talks on Nov. 16 to decide the fate of billions of dollars in tax breaks that expire on Dec. 31
Infrastructure projects could get a cash boost from Nov. 6 voting, with about $3.2 billion in state measures and some $36 billion in local initiatives passed, according to analyses and media reports.The American Road & Transportation Builders Association says 68% of its tracked measures passed, totaling $2.4 billion for road upgrades, including a tax hike in Arkansas set to raise $1.3 billion over 10 years. Among local measures approved was a sales-tax hike in Orange County, N.C., set to raise $661 million over 30 years. New Jersey voters said yes to $750 million for higher education, and those in Connecticut
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