President Obama, continuing to stump for a follow-up round of economic-recovery actions, has proposed letting companies write off the costs of their 2011 capital expenditures in that year, instead of spreading the deductions over a longer period of time. In announcing the "expensing" plan in a speech in Parma, Ohio, on Sept. 9, Obama said that "this will help small businesses upgrade their plants and equipment and will encourage large corporations to get off the sidelines and start putting their profits to work in places like Cleveland and Toledo and Dayton." He also repeated the call he had made two
President Obama’s Labor Day call for a new transportation infrastructure program could move public-works spending closer to the national political debate’s front burner. So far, Obama and White House officials have offered only an outline that doesn’t specify how much they want to spend or precisely how the program would work. Photo: Ap/pablo Martinez Monsivals If the framework were converted to detailed legislative language, it would face a tough path on Capitol Hill this year. For one thing, Obama’s plan quickly drew harsh blasts from congressional Republicans. Moreover, the Hill is on a tight schedule: Only about three weeks remain
Construction's unemployment rate moved down slightly in August but remains highest among all industries. Construction's unemployment rate edged downward in August, to 17.3%, from 17% in July, but it was slightly worse than the August 2009 level, reports the U.S. Labor Dept.'s Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS's latest monthly look at the nation's employment picture, released on Sept. 3, says that construction added 19,000 jobs in August, but noted that 10,000 of the jobs gained were workers who returned after a strike in July. Although BLS doesn't say so, it's likely that some or most of those workers were involved
The construction industry is gearing up to carry out one of the most important federal safety actions in years: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s overhaul of its 39-year-old standard governing cranes and derricks. Related Links: W.S. Atkins to Acquire PBSJ Moss & Associates Expands With Carolinas Division OSHA, which is part of the Dept. of Labor, says its final crane-safety regulation, released July 28 and published in the Federal Register on Aug. 9, will affect about 267,000 certification organizations and construction and crane-rental companies that altogether employ 4.8 million workers. The first key date is Nov. 8, when most
As the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act moves past the 18-month point, some of its key construction programs have nearly all their funds awarded or under contract. As sectors—for example, highways and wastewater treatment—dry up as sources of future ARRA work, a few other programs, such as high-speed rail, are in their early implementation stages and still present prospects for design and construction firms in months to come. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s latest monthly ARRA update, released on Aug. 26, shows that of the $38 billion ARRA allocated for highway, transit and wastewater-treatment programs under the committee’s jurisdiction,
The amount of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-financed projects under contract in highways and other infrastructure sectors is slowly rising closer to the 100% mark, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's latest update on the economic-stimulus measure shows. With the ARRA programs now in the 18th month since the measure was signed, the month-to-month gains in funds under contract are modest. The committee's latest monthly stimulus scorecard, released Aug. 26, says that of the $38 billion that ARRA allocated for highway, transit and wastewater-treatment programs under the panel's jurisdiction, $34.1 billion, or 90%, was under contract as of July 31.
Obama administration officials say the home weatherization program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is making gains. Vice-President Joe Biden went to Manchester, N.H., on Aug. 26 to announce the 200,000th home to get energy-efficiency upgrades under the program. "We've hit the accelerator on the weatherization program," Biden said in a statement. He added that the goal is to weatherize 600,000 homes using the economic-stimulus act funding. Biden said more than 80,000 homes are undergoing energy-efficiency improvements this summer, compared with 3,000 in summer 2009. According to the Dept. of Energy, as of Aug. 20 it had awarded
The Federal Railroad Administration is aiming to pick up the pace in dispersing to states more of its initial $8-billion round of high-speed-rail funds. At the same time, FRA plans to move quickly to select winners of another $2.3-billion batch of rail money. FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo told reporters on Aug. 20 that, for round one, his agency so far has obligated about $585 million for 13 projects. He says the grant agreements “are very near completion” for seven additional projects totaling $209 million. Another seven projects, valued at $120 million, are waiting in the wings. All that still leave
The Dept. of Energy has chosen Pennsylvania State University to head a new research center to find ways to design buildings to be more energy-efficient. DOE said on Aug. 24 the new Energy-Efficient Building Systems Design Hub, to be based in Philadelphia, will combine federal, private-sector and university researchers. It will get up to $22 million in federal funds this year. DOE will ask Congress for an additional $25 million in each of the succeeding four years.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has asked U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to open “consultations” with Canada over lumber pricing. In an Aug. 18 letter to Kirk, Baucus contends the British Columbia government is selling timber it owns for softwood lumber production “at fire-sale stumpage prices.” He claims such sales “circumvent the intent” of the 2006 U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement. A B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range spokesman says the province has been honoring the 2006 agreement, saying, “There is no basis for U.S. trade action against British Columbia.” He adds: “Rather than launching formal trade action, the
