Related Links: Highway, FAA Extensions Advance in House FAA Contractors Resume Work After Stopgap Extension Passes Aviation Bill Fight Shuts Down Airport Grants The path wasn't smooth, but Congress has approved a measure extending federal highway, transit and aviation programs--and the taxes that finance them. President Obama signed the measure on Sept. 16.Final congressional action came less than 24 hours earlier, when the Senate passed the measure by an overwhelming 92-6 vote.The bill had sailed through the House on Sept. 13, on a unanimous voice vote.The bill's enactment will continue a pattern of living by stopgaps for state transportation and
Construction companies that rely on federal highway, transit and airport contracts can breathe a little easier as legislation is moving in Congress to extend surface-transportation and aviation programs as well as the taxes that finance them. But the relief is only temporary. The new legislation continues highway and transit programs through March 31 and extends airport grants and other Federal Aviation Administration programs through Jan. 31.The House passed the new stopgap measure on Sept. 12, on a voice vote. Senate action was expected to follow. Lawmakers were aiming to wrap up the bill before the current short-term aviation bill expired
This story was updated Sept. 15. The earlier version had an incorrect figure for the total allocated to infrastructure spending. President Obama's $447-billion job-creation package would offer a significant lift to the struggling construction industry, including $105 billion in infrastructure spending plus new or extended tax incentives aimed at small businesses. The tax breaks could find receptive ears in Congress, but the funding for transportation, school upgrades and housing faces a steep, uphill trek.In outlining his proposed “American Jobs Act” on Sept. 8, Obama urged lawmakers to pass it “right away.” Immediate action isn't likely, however. House Republicans, who have
A crane set up on the south side of the historic Washington National Cathedral fell over at 10:55 a.m. Wednesday, according to a post on the cathedral's web page.The crane had been erected to stabilize debris shaken loose from the cathedral by the Aug. 23 magnitude 5.8 earthquake whose epicenter was in central Virginia.The crane operator suffered “slight injuries” and was treated on the scene, says Lon Walls, spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Dept. There were no other injuries, Walls says.According to the cathedral’s statement, the crane did not hit the cathedral, but did fall against
Related Links: Read the Bureau of Labor Statistics press release View analysis by AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson View analysis by ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu The construction industry's unemployment rate edged downward in August, to 13.5% from July’s 13.6%, the Labor Dept.'s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Last month's rate also was an improvement over the August 2010 level of 17.0%. But the latest monthly BLS unemployment report, released on Sept. 2, also said construction lost 5,000 jobs in August and construction’s jobless rate was still the highest among U.S. industry categories. Ken Simonson, the Associated General Contractors' chief
White House photo/Chuck Kennedy Obama, with DOT Secretary LaHood and engineering and construction workers behind him, urges Congress to pass transportation bills. Related Links: Read Obama's remarks on transportation bills Obama memorandum on expediting priority infrastructure projects President Obama has called on congressional lawmakers to pass bills to extend surface-transportation and aviation programs “as soon as they come back” from the August break.The seventh stopgap highway-transit authorization since 2009 is set to expire on Sept. 30 and the 21st Federal Aviation Administration extension since 2007 is slated to lapse on Sept. 16.In remarks delivered on Aug. 31 in the White
State transportation officials and construction firms are hoping that shortly after Congress returns from its summer recess, lawmakers will extend the federal motor-fuels tax as well as the federal highway and transit programs. But Congress will have to move quickly: When legislators go back into session after Labor Day, there will be only 11 legislative days before the gas-tax and highway-transit authorizations expire on Sept. 30.Industry officials are hopeful Congress will act in time. Greg Cohen, president of the American Highway Users Alliance, says, "I think there's broad agreement on the need to extend the gas tax. it's not controversial."
Related Links: OMB Director Lew's memo to agencies (pdf) In another example of how federal spending has tightened, the Office of Management and Budget has instructed federal departments and agencies to develop budget proposals for fiscal year 2013 that reflect cuts of 5% and 10% from enacted 2011 levels. In an Aug. 17 memo to department and agency heads, OMB Director Jacob J. Lew noted the discretionary-spending caps and 10-year, $2.4-trillion deficit-reduction target set in the recently enacted Budget Control Act of 2011.“By providing budgets pegged to these two [5% and 10%] scenarios, you will provide the President with the
U.S. Army Army has some renewable-energy installations in place, such as solar array (above) at Fort Carson, Colo., but now plans major expansion for renewables. Related Links: DOD press release on new energy task force GAO's 2010 briefing for Congress on DOD's renewable-energy initiatives The U.S. Army, aiming to boost its use of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, is setting up a new task force to help it reach the ambitious goal of deriving 25% of its domestic-use energy from renewables by 2025, up from just 2% now.The Army estimates it will cost as much as $7.1
Related Links: USA Today Editorial: Fight Over FAA Squanders Millions An 11th-hour attempt failed to break a deadlock over a short-term Federal Aviation Administration bill before the August congressional recess began on Aug. 2, raising the prospect of a extended, severe cutback to airport construction around the country.Since the last aviation stopgap expired at midnight on July 26, FAA has had to issue stop-work orders for $10.5 billion in contracts, including nearly $800 million in airport construction projects that were under way.In a second blow to construction, the lack of a new bill prevents FAA from approving new Airport Improvement
