Related Links: Fact sheet on proposed rules. Court Strikes Down New NLRB Rule (May 2012 ENR story) The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) plans to reissue a proposal to streamline the union representation election process. The proposal, to be published in the Feb. 6 Federal Register, is virtually identical to a controversial rule first proposed in June 2011. Employer-oriented construction and business groups opposed the original changes, saying that they would not give employers enough time to prepare for union representation elections. The groups successfully challenged the 2011 rule in court. In May 2012, the U.S. District Court for the
Photo by AP Wideworld Joe Oliver, Canada's natural-resource minister, said he was "encouraged" by State Dept.'s EIS. Related Links: State Dept. Information on Keystone XL EIS EPA Says Ketystone Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Insufficient The State Dept. has issued a final environmental impact statement on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that determines the project probably would not have a major effect on carbon emissions during its construction period.The EIS, which the State Dept. released on Jan. 31, is not the final up-or-down ruling on whether the project can be constructed. Still to come is an Obama administration decision on
Related Links: Philadelphia Energy Benchmarking Report Released Jan. 29 City Energy Project A new initiative spearheaded by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) will help 10 U.S. cities develop customized plans to boost the energy efficiency of their largest buildings.According to Cliff Majersik, IMT's executive director, NRDC and IMT will provide technical assistance over the next three years to help each of the participating cities develop and implement individualized plans. NRDC estimates that the City Energy Project (CEP), funded by partnerships with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation, will
Related Links: Link to Cities' energy survey Information on President's State, Tribal and Local Leaders Task Force on Climate Change and Resilience City leaders who gathered in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' annual winter meeting were decidedly upbeat about the economy and their ability to have a voice in shaping federal policies, including those dealing with energy, water infrastructure and climate change.Speaking to reporters on Jan. 22 at the opening of the three-day meeting, Mesa, Ariz., Mayor Scott Smith (R) said, “The tone of this conference is much different than the funeral wake we've experienced in the
Related Links: Information on ESBWR reactors NRC Information on licensing of new reactors A subsidiary of General Electric has agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle allegations that it made false statements to the federal government about a component of an advanced nuclear reactor under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In a Jan. 23 announcement, the Justice Dept. alleged that Wilmington, N.C.-based GE Hitachi concealed known flaws with the steam dryer component of its Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR) n its steam-dryer analysis. The steam dryer removes water droplets from steam produced by the nuclear reactions that generate electricity
Related Links: EPA's web page on Bristol Bay Pebble Mine Partnership website A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency watershed assessment of the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska suggests the mine and its related infrastructure could destroy as much as 94 miles of streams and up to 5,300 acres of wetlands, ponds and lakes.Backers of the controversial mine say the project—which could include a large containment pond, waste treatment facilities, roads, a pipeline and a highly engineered earthen dam to store waste by-products, or tailings—could cost up to $8 billion to construct.The site contains billions of metric
Related Links: Pew Charitable Trusts study Proposals Sought for Largest Ever Army Renewables Program A new study says the Dept. of Defense is well on its way to meeting its goal of an electric grid that uses more renewable and energy-efficient components.The report, which the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Charitable Trusts released on Jan. 15, found that DOD energy-efficiency projects more than doubled, to 1,339 in FY 2012 from 630 in FY 2010. Renewable-energy projects jumped 54%, to 700, in that same period.By the end of 2018, renewable-energy capacity on U.S. military bases could rise more than fivefold, to 2.1 GW,
Related Links: No Deal Yet on New WRDA Bill (ENR 12/20/13 issue) [subscription] Congressional Budget Office testimony on Highway Trust Fund status (7/23/2013) A new highway-transit reauthorization bill and the first water-resources measure since 2007 lead the list of unfinished construction legislation as the 113th Congress begins its new session.By far, construction's top 2014 legislative priority is a successor to the 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21, the current surface-transportation law. The statute expires on Sept. 30, putting public-works committees under severe time pressure to produce a new bill.House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman
Related Links: Jan. 13 oral argument transcript High Court to Hear Arguements in NLRB Appointments Case The U.S. Supreme Court Justices seemed to be skeptical of the Obama administration’s position during Jan. 13 oral arguments in a case centering on the president’s ability to make recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board, courts, and other government offices.The case, NLRB v. Noel Canning, is significant for construction because it involves two appointments to the NLRB, the body that adjudicates labor cases important to construction firms and unions, that were invalidated as unconstitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Related Links: Data and tables for December 2012 from Labor Dept.'s Bureau of Labor Statistics Construction Jobless Rate Down In November as Industry adds 17,000 Jobs Mirroring the slowdown in construction volume in cold-weather months, the industry's December unemployment rate climbed to 11.4% from November’s 8.6% as the industry shed 16,000 jobs.But last year also proved to be much better for the construction workforce than 2012, as the industry added an average of 10,000 jobs per month, according to the latest Dept. of Labor monthly employment figures, released on Jan. 10,In addition, the industry’s jobs results last month reflected a
