Related Links: White House announcement Macfarlane bio from George Mason University ENR December 2011 blog: The Mess at the NRC Moving rapidly to put new leadership atop the unsettled Nuclear Regulatory Commission, President Obama has nominated George Mason University professor Allison M. Macfarlane as a commissioner and also said he would name her as the NRC’s new chair.Macfarlane was a member of a blue-ribbon panel charged with recommending ways to deal with the growing problem of how to dispose of the country’s nuclear waste. Since 2006, Macfarlane has been an associate professor of environmental science and policy at George Mason,
Courtesy of U.S. Supreme Court The U.S. Supreme Court may review Jacobs v. Minnesota. Related Links: Jacobs' petition to the U.S. Supreme Court (via Scotusblog.com) Friend of the court brief filed by AGC, ACEC, ASCE, CIRT (via Scotusblog.com) The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge by Jacobs Engineering Group to Minnesota’s attempt to collect millions of dollars from the company to fund payouts made to victims of the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis.The case, Jacobs Engineering Group v. Minnesota, was one of more than 150 on the high court's May 29 "order list" that it decided
Courtesy of U.S. Senate Photo Studio House and Senate conferees gather for their initial meeting, but industry officials say to watch for the outcome of behind-the-scenes negotiations on the revenue portion of the bill. Related Links: House, Senate Nearly Set for Talks on Highway-Transit Bill Congressional Budget Office cost estimate of Senate-passed version of transportation bill House and Senate lawmakers have come to the negotiating table to begin talks aimed at producing a new surface-transportation law. Construction and state transportation officials, who have put up with nine short-term highway-transit measures since 2009, would love a quick deal. But negotiations are
Related Links: Fact Sheet on Project An ambitious plan to build a transmission line to support electricity-producing wind farms off the East Coast has moved closer to becoming a reality following an Interior Dept. determination that no competitors had come forward with a similar proposal.If the proposal gains other regulatory approvals, it would be the first project of its kind in the U.S. It could cost more than $5 billion and take 10 years to construct.Interior's May 14 finding means that its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is likely to grant the project a right-of-way on the Outer Continental Shelf
Related Links: Text of Judge James Boasberg's May 14 opinion Business Groups Challenge New Rule NLRB Members Vote in Favor of Streamlining Union Election Process A federal judge has invalidated a new National Labor Relations Board rule that advocates say simplifies the process for workplace unionization elections, but opponents contend makes it harder for employers to prepare for those contests.In his May 14 decision, Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia concluded that the NLRB did not have the necessary three-member quorum when it voted in December to approve the regulation. Boasberg did
Opinions are split on whether TransCanada's revised proposal to build the Keystone XL crude-oil pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico will pass muster with the Obama administration.
Related Links: Odebrecht Helps Reopen Haiti Airport A new law signed on May 1 by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) banning state and local governments from hiring firms with business activity in Cuba or Syria has put Odebrecht in the spotlight over its work in the Caribbean nation.Set to take effect on July 1, the law faces potential legal action. Though Scott has since said the state would enforce the law, he also issued a signing statement that indicated congressional action would be required first. The governor cited the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Crosby v. National Federal Trade Council,
The Dept. of Transportation has selected two projects in California and one each in Colorado, Texas and Virginia to apply for loans under its Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program.The five winners, announced on April 24, were chosen from among 26 projects. Those not picked—including New York's $6-billion replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge—are eligible for future TIFIA consideration.The two projects in California are a $1.3-billion extension and added lane for state Route 91 between Orange and Riverside counties and a $960-million bridge in Long Beach. Also making the cut are a $140-million U.S. 36 corridor program in
The resignation of the top official in the Environmental Protection Agency's South and Southwest region—the heart of oil and gas country—is providing further ammunition to GOP lawmakers who have been vocal critics of the agency.Al Armendariz, EPA's Region 6 administrator, resigned after a two-year-old video in which he used the word "crucify" to describe his enforcement approach to firms that break environmental laws became public and caused a national stir.Armendariz, appointed by President Obama in 2009, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on April 29 apologizing for the remarks. Jackson accepted his resignation on April 30.In the 2010
After a year-long wait, the Senate has approved Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick to be the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 53rd commanding general. The Senate confirmed Bostick as Corps chief on April 26, more than 12 months after President Obama nominated him.Bostick's path was slowed by holds put on his nomination by at least two senators, David Vitter (R-La.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Bostick has been serving as the Army Deputy Chief of Staff. His earlier assignments have included leading the Corps division in Iraq.Planning has begun for a ceremony, tentatively in late May, at which Bostick will assume
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