In another congressional reaction to the Gulf Coast oil spill, six Senate Democrats from the West Coast have introduced a bill that would permanently ban new oil and gas drilling off the shores of California, Oregon and Washington state. The measure, introduced May 13, would reinstate--only for the West Coast--a longstanding congressional and White House prohibition on Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas exploration. That nationwide drilling ban had been lifted in 2008. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and was co-sponsored by her California colleague Dianne Feinstein, as well as Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden
Construction's unemployment rate posted its second-consecutive monthly decline, as the industry added 14,000 jobs in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. BLS's latest monthly employment report, released on May 5, showed that construction's April jobless rate improved to 21.8%, from March's 24.9%. But it remained higher than the April 2009 level of 18.7%. Construction's unemployment rate hit a 10-year peak in February, reaching 27.1%. The industry's rates are not adjusted for seasonal variations, and thus tend to improve as the volume of work rises in the spring and summer and hit bottom in the winter lull. Over all,
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation said on May 7 that it is proposing changes in its requirements for disadvantaged-business-enterprise firms (DBEs), which include small companies owned by women and minorities. The last highway-transit authorization, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users and other statutes, set a goal of having at least 10% of the federal funds for highways, transit and airport construction go to small businesses controlled by those who are "socially and economically disadvantaged." The proposed rule, to be published in the Federal Register on May 10, would increase the ceiling on a DBE
Airport construction grants will flow through July 3 under a Federal Aviation Administration extension enacted on April 30. It is the 13th stopgap since September 2007, when the last multiyear FAA bill lapsed. The House and Senate have passed new, differing long-term bills. One difference concerns passenger facility charges (PFCs): The House hikes the PFC cap to $7 from $4.50. The Senate keeps the $4.50 cap, except at six airports, which would have no limit.
House appropriators aren’t happy that the General Services Administration’s $676-million fiscal 2011 budget request to construct new federal buildings doesn’t include money for any courthouse projects. Members of the House financial services and general government subcommittee made their views clear at an April 28 hearing on GSA’s budget. “It’s a shame that the request came the way it came,” subcommittee Chairman José E. Serrano (D-N.Y.) told GSA Administrator Martha N. Johnson. “You put us in a difficult situation when you don’t ask,” he added. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said the Fort Lauderdale courthouse has problems. She said judges there
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has launched what surely will be a tough competition for the second round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants to help fund projects that aim to produce major regional or national transportation benefits. DOT has $600 million in fiscal 2010 appropriations for the new batch of grants. Demand was huge for the $1.5- billion first TIGER round, which was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That initial group of grants, whose winners were announced on Feb. 17, drew more than 1,400 proposals totaling about $60 billion. DOT’s funding-availability notice, published in
Canada is prepared to begin talks with the U.S. later this year about procurement issues on non-federal contracts, says Peter Van Loan, minister of international trade. The provision for such talks was part of a U.S.-Canada pact signed in February that deals with “Buy American” issues. Van Loan says he “indicated clearly” in an April 22 meeting with U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk “that we’re prepared to go ahead with those discussions in the second half of this calendar year.” Van Loan says the pact gives Canada a waiver of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s “Buy American” requirements in
A federal judge has slammed the Environmental Protection Agency, threatening to hold the agency in contempt of court for failing to curb nutrient pollution in the Florida Everglades. Judge Alan Gold of the Southern District of Florida on April 15 ordered EPA to establish specific milestones to ensure Florida reduces phosphorus to levels mandated by the Clean Water Act. The judge also suspended the state of Florida’s power to issue new water-pollution discharge permits and required EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to appear in person before the court in October to provide a progress report. EPA says it is reviewing the
More than 100 House Democrats have asked President Obama to help find a “dedicated revenue source” for the high-speed-rail program. In an April 14 letter to Obama, the 106 lawmakers did not specify which options they favor. High-speed rail got $8 billion in the stimulus package and $2.5 billion in 2010 appropriations. However, the legislators say that with budgets tight, high-speed rail cannot keep relying on authorizations and appropriations.
Some construction industry groups are concerned about a potential proposal from the White House they say would allow federal procurement officers to “blacklist” contractors based on an new pre-screening scoring system. President Obama reportedly is considering issuing an executive order to make changes in the Federal Acquisition Regulation, says Marco Giamberardino, a senior director at the Associated General Contractors. He says the proposal may resemble recommendations from the National Employment Law Center for “high-road” contracting, which gives preference to firms that provide wages or benefits exceeding current federal requirements. The recommendations also raise questions about what criteria would be used