Construction safety, including safety of crane operations, is a priority for David Michaels, the chief of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Michaels, who became assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health last December, signed a voluntary agreement on May 17 with the National Center for Construction Education and Research, for crane-operator certification--the fourth such program to receive formal OSHA recognition since 1999. Before moving to the top OSHA post, Michaels was professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University�s School of Public Health and Health Services. Earlier, he was the Dept. of Energy's assistant
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has expanded the list of organizations whose crane-operator certification programs it formally recognizes, with an agreement with the National Center for Construction Education and Research, Gainesville, Fla. Related Links: Ten Minutes With OSHA Chief David Michaels OSHA chief David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, and NCCER President Don Whyte signed the voluntary agreement on May 17 at the Dept. of Labor headquarters in Washington. In March, OSHA finalized a similar agreement with The Crane Institute of America Certification Inc. OSHA's first such crane-operator program agreement came in 1999, with
Stephen T. Ayers, acting Architect of the Capitol since 2007, was confirmed on May 12 by the Senate for a 10-year term as head of the Capitol architect’s office. AOC oversees maintenance and operations of the Capitol building, Library of Congress and other facilities. Ayers, a licensed architect, joined the AOC office in 1997. He rose to chief operating officer in 2005 and became acting AOC chief in 2007, when Alan M. Hantman retired.
The Environmental Protection Agency on May 12 released a strategy for restoring the Chesapeake Bay that includes developing a tough, new total maximum daily load (TMDL) for pollutants. EPA says the TMDL, with a Dec. 31 deadline, will be the most complex ever, affecting 483 large treatment plants and thousands of smaller facilities. The plan requires federal agencies to set milestones every two years to ensure measurable environmental goals are met. On May 11, EPA announced a settlement of a 2009 lawsuit filed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The agreement sets dates by which EPA must take certain actions, such
The EPA announced a final rule on May 13 to require large powerplants and other “stationary sources” of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions to get additional Clean Air Act permits. The “tailoring” rule will be phased in. It first will take effect for some facilities in January 2011. It would subject only facilities with GHG emissions of 100,000 tons or more per year to Clean Air Act state permitting requirements. Sources with lower GHG emissions would be exempt. EPA estimates that 900 additional permitting actions covering new sources and modifications to existing facilities would be subject to review each year. Jeff Holmstead,
The idea of a national infrastructure bank has prominent advocates who see it as a way to turn a modest federal stake into much bigger dollars for public works. But if a bank is authorized, it will happen later rather than sooner. Plans have been floated but have not generated strong momentum. The short congressional schedule makes the odds even longer for passage this year. One proposal on the table is a bill introduced last year by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). DeLauro told a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing on May 13 her bill would create “an independent, government-owned
Stephen T. Ayers, acting chief of the office of the Architect of the Capitol for the past three years, has been confirmed for a full, 10-year term as the Capitol Architect. Related Links: Bio of Stephen T. Ayers Ayers' Senate confirmation came on May 12 by unanimous consent. President Obama had sent his nomination to the Senate on Feb. 24. The "AOC" is in charge of maintaining and operating the Capitol building, Library of Congress, Supreme Court and other federal facilities on Capitol Hill. Ayers, a licensed architect, joined the AOC's office in 1997 and has been its acting head
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
