An infusion of funds through a federally negotiated settlement with Greenville, S.C.-based AVX Corp., if approved by a federal court, will slash the cleanup schedule for the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site in Massachusetts, officials say.
Related Links: Transcripts of Supreme Court Oral Arguments High Court to Hear Water, 'Takings' Cases In one of the first cases it heard in its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court plunged into the murky task of determining whether damage caused by federally directed flooding is a "taking" of private property.The court heard oral arguments on Oct. 3 in Arkansas Game & Fish Commission v. U.S. The commission contends that water releases from an Army Corps of Engineers dam in six consecutive years destroyed valuable timber. The commission says the flooding is a property "taking," which under the Fifth Amendment
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual Library Parts of the Corps' waterway network, including Lock and Dam No. 25 on the Mississippi, are more than 50 years old. Related Links: National Research Council Report ENR Blog: Signs of Life for a New WRDA Bill A new National Research Council study says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is losing ground in maintaining and upgrading the agency's huge, aging water-resources infrastructure.The Corps-sponsored report, released on Oct. 4, comes as there are stirrings in the Senate about a new, multiyear water-resources bill that would authorize Corps river locks and dams, harbor
In a settlement with federal agencies, AVX Corp. has agreed to pay more than $366 million, an infusion that officials say will dramatically speed up the long-running cleanup of the PCB-contaminated New Bedford, Mass., harbor.
Related Links: BLS employment report for September (release and tables) Associated General Contractors analysis Associated Builders and Contractors analysis Construction’s jobless rate rose in September, to 11.9% from August’s 11.3%, although the industry added 5,000 jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The upturn in the construction rate was the first since March.The latest BLS monthly unemployment statistics, released on Oct. 5, also showed that the construction jobless rate last month was down from the September 2011 level of 13.3%—the 24th-straight month of year-over-year improvement.Construction officials focused on what the new BLS numbers indicated about the industry’s longer-term
Related Links: New Corps of Engineers Commander Bostick Taking Stock ASCE Report Sees Big Maritime Infrastructure Funding Gap ENR Blog: Signs of Life for a New WRDA Bill The Army Corps of Engineers is facing an “unsustainable situation” in maintaining its huge and aging water infrastructure, as current funding isn't keeping up with the needs, a new National Research Council study says.The report, released on Oct. 4, says that the Corps' sprawling network of river locks and dams and other civil works “is wearing out faster than it is being replaced or rehabilitated.” The system includes about 700 dams, 14,000
Related Links: Supreme Court docket file for Arkansas Game & Fish Commission v. U.S. Supreme Court docket file for L.A. County Flood Control District v. NRDC As the U.S. Supreme Court begins its new term, construction officials will be watching the cases that deal with water issues. Two cases on the court's docket focus on aspects of the Clean Water Act, and a third centers on whether timberland damaged by water releases from an Army Corps of Engineers dam are a federal "taking" of property.First up is the takings case, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission v. U.S., on which the
Related Links: Amid PPP Slowdown, India Turns to Cash Contracts Green Building Booms in India The American Institute of Architects and the Commerce Dept. are gearing up for a trade mission, which will begin on Oct. 14, to major cities in India. The aim is to promote the services of U.S. design and architecture firms in India and Sri Lanka.The trip, which comprises Chennai, Calcutta and Bangalore, is the first of three such missions planned over the next three years. All of the trips will be financed by a recently announced Commerce Dept. grant to AIA as well as the
Related Links: Congressional Budget Office funding estimate of continuing resolution The Senate has approved a temporary spending bill that would avert a shutdown of federal agencies on Oct. 1 and keep construction and other programs running through the first six months of fiscal year 2013. It would boost funding slightly over 2012 levels.Senate passage, which came about 1 a.m. Sept. 22 on a 62-30 vote, is the final congressional action on the continuing resolution (CR). It next will go to the White House for President Obama's expected signature.The CR provides a small 0.6% across-the-board hike over 2012 levels for domestic
A little more than three months into his tour as the 53rd U.S. Army Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick is analyzing what he has learned from a round of site visits and assessments of the state of the Corps.
