Related Links: List of firms that took part in trade mission Text of Pritzker's prepared remarks for meeting in Riyadh Text of Pritzker's prepared remarks for meeting in Abu Dhabi Drawn by the potential for hundreds of billions of dollars in construction projects, top executives from 21 U.S. engineering, architecture and energy firms recently traveled to the Middle East on a U.S. Commerce Dept.-arranged, infrastructure-focused trade mission.Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker led the March 8-14 trip, which included visits to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Interest in the program was high: The 21 firms were selected from 80
Related Links: Webcast of 3/12/14 House subcommittee hearing on DOT budget Webcast of Senate subcommittee 3/13/14 hearing on DOT budget House and Senate appropriations committee members have criticized some parts of the Dept. of Transportation's fiscal year 2015 budget and praised others. Republicans seemed more critical than Democrats.During DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx's March 12 appearance before the House transportation-housing subcommittee, Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), the full committee's chairman, blasted the proposal's new transportation trust fund and its hike on the airport passenger facility charge. He called them "budget gimmicks that Congress has time and again said no to."Foxx also said
Related Links: Detailed GSA FY15 Budget Request Obama FY15 Budget a Mixed Bag (ENR 3/10/2014) After Congress drove the General Services Administration's new- construction account down to just $50 million in fiscal years 2012 and 2013, the agency's building program is rebounding.GSA construction appropriations leaped to $506 million this year. President Obama's 2015 budget plan would boost that program 47%, to $745 million, and hike GSA's renovations account 13%, to about $1.3 billion. On March 4, GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini told reporters, "There are still vital investments that need to be made."But 2015's total non-defense discretionary cap is barely above
Bruce Buckley for ENR Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson sought union support for Keystone pipeline. Related Links: Pipeline Bursts Heat Up Safety Questions Over Keystone XL Shale-gas Project Boom Drives Solutions to Shortfalls in Craft, Tech and Management Jobs North America's Building Trades Unions Link to Tradeswomen' Annual Conference: Women Building California and the Nation, April 25-27 Chemical Producer Methanex Moves Plant from Chile to Louisiana Construction labor is locking arms with the petrochemical industry in hopes of clearing a political path for the Keystone XL pipeline and other stalled oil and gas projects.Union presidents joined with industry leaders at the
Related Links: FTA Proposed FY15 Capital Grant Report, Project Profiles Obama Rolls Out $302B, Four-Year Transport Bill Proposal (ENR 3/10/2014 issue) Transit agencies found much to smile about in President Obama's fiscal year 2015 budget proposal, which seeks to boost the Federal Transit Administration's total budget by 63%, to $17.6 billion. "This is a terrific proposal for public transportation," says Rob Healy, American Public Transportation Association (APTA) vice president for government affairs.For design and construction firms, a particular focus is the $2.5 billion Obama is seeking—up 29% from 2014—for FTA capital investment grants, which fund new starts. But the request
Chart by ENR/McGraw Hill Construction President Obama's budget request would boost funding for highway and transit programs and GSA's federal buildings accounts. It would slice funds for Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure, Dept. of Defense construction, Army Corps of Engineers civil works and Dept. of Energy defense environmental cleanup. Related Links: Obama Rolls Out $302B Transportation Bill Proposal DOT FY2015 Budget Details New Finance Panel Chair Wyden Will Be Key Player on New Transportation Bill President Obama's fiscal year 2015 budget request would give big boosts to federal highway and transit programs as well as to General Services Administration federal
AP Wideworld President Obama visits St. Paul, Minn., transit facility shortly before unveiling his proposal. It includes $72 billion for transit over four years. Related Links: White House Summary of Obama Transportation-Bill Plan House Ways and Means Release on Chairman Camp's Tax-Reform Plan The drive for a new federal surface-transportation bill has shifted into a higher gear with President Obama's new $302-billion, four-year proposal and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp's proposed tax-code overhaul that includes $126.5 billion over eight years to shore up the faltering Highway Trust Fund.Construction industry and state transportation officials, deeply worried Congress won't
Related Links: Consent decree filed March 5 in federal district court Complaint filed in federal district court by U.S., W.Va., Pa., Ky. In a settlement with the U.S. Dept. of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency, Alpha Natural Resources Inc., a major U.S. coal company, has agreed to pay a record $27.5 million in civil fines and spend about $160 million for projects to curb discharges of pollutants from its mines in five Eastern states.Under a consent decree filed on March 5 in federal district court in Charleston, W.Va., the company, based in Bristol, Va., will settle thousands of permit violations
Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics release and data tables Statement and analysis from AGC's Ken Simonson Statement and analysis from ABC's Anirban Basu Construction’s unemployment rate rose in February to 12.8% from January’s 12.3%, but the industry continued to add jobs, picking up 15,000 in the month.The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest monthly employment report, released on March 7, also showed that construction’s jobless rate improved markedly from its February 2013 level of 15.7%.Last month’s rate was the industry’s lowest February figure since 2008.The BLS unemployment rates for construction and other individual industries are not adjusted for seasonal
Related Links: White House fact sheet on transportation proposal Obama Feb. 26 speech on transportation proposal (White House transcript) House Ways and Means release on Camp's tax-reform proposal (links to draft text, summary, cost estimate) President Obama has plunged into the suddenly hotter discussion over a new surface-transportation bill, unveiling the outline of a proposed $302-billion, four-year highway-transit reauthorization measure.Obama’s plan, announced on Feb. 26, came about two hours after House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) released his proposal to provide a $126.5-billion, eight-year infusion to the ailing Highway Trust Fund.Construction and transportation industry officials welcomed the
