Related Links: Federal Appeals Court Invalidates NLRB Recess Appointments NLRB Appointments Generate New Wave of Controversy After a Jan. 25 federal appeals court decision determined that two appointments to the National Labor Relations Board were technically invalid, President Obama is under pressure to nominate board members that can be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.In Noel Canning v. NLRB, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that the appointments of Sharon Block and Richard Griffin—both Democrats—were unconstitutional because Congress was technically not in recess when the appointments were made. Organized labor, as well as some Democrats,
Related Links: Summary of Sanders-Boxer bill Lawmakers Unveil Climate-Change Bill (ENR 5/19/2010) Sens. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) have introduced a measure that would set fees on carbon emissions from large fossil-fuel-powered plants to help pay for renewable-energy and home weatherization projects.The bill would give consumers rebates to offset fossil-fuel-using companies' efforts to raise prices.The lawmakers announced the bill on Feb. 14, surrounded by leaders from environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and 350.org. But the bill faces an uphill battle. A 2010 Senate cap-and-trade bill failed, and the new one is likely to run into strong
Related Links: EPA's Contaminant Candidate List page EPA's page on Chromium in drinking water Pushed by public health concerns and pressure from environmental advocates, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to move forward in 2013 with more stringent regulations related to inorganic and organic contaminants in drinking water. Those regulations likely will drive engineering and construction projects at municipal drinking-water plants, industry sources say."I think what the future holds is a lot of additional treatment to deal with regulations we see on the horizon," says Tim Worley, executive director of the American Water Works Association's (AWWA) California-Nevada region, which held
Related Links: EPA's Draft Climate Change Adaptation Plan Federal Register Notice The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comments on its draft Climate Change Adaptation Plan, published Feb. 8 in the Federal Register.The plan is a snapshot of ways climate change could affect EPA’s core mission and key goals. The agency said, “It is essential that EPA adapt to, anticipate and plan for future changes in climate.”EPA and other federal agencies are drafting climate change adaptation plans in response to a 2009 executive order from President Obama requiring them to do so.EPA says it has not yet conducted a detailed
Related Links: DOE's Chu: Natural Gas Is a 'No-Brainer' DOE's Chu Defends Decision to Support Solyndra Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced that he will leave his post by the end of February or when a successor is approved and in office.Chu, who announced his decision on Feb. 1, has led the Dept. of Energy since early 2009, a period during which several U.S. regions experienced the start of a natural-gas boom. At DOE, Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, oversaw energy-efficiency block grants and the growth of the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E), which supports high-risk, high-reward technology development.Chu also
Related Links: Water Groups' Blueprint (PDF) http://enr.construction.com/business_management/workforce/2010/0609-careerwebsite.asp Industry Associations Launch Career Website in Water Niche Three major water groups have developed a document they hope will be a springboard for legislative and regulatory changes that could help modernize how the Clean Water Act is interpreted and implemented.The document, titled "Water Resources Utility of the Future: Blueprint for Action," was released on Jan. 31 by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Research Foundation and the Water Environment Federation. It highlights the ways utilities have evolved.The blueprint is a living document, its authors say, and "represents an
Related Links: Chu's letter to DOE employees announcing decision to step down Energy Secretary Chu Defends Decision to Support Solyndra (enr.com 11/17/11) Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced that he will leave his post by the end of February or when a successor is approved and in office.Chu, who announced his decision on Feb. 1, has led the Dept. of Energy since early 2009, a period during which several regions of the United States experienced the start of a natural gas development boom.At DOE, Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, oversaw the growth of the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) which
Related Links: C-SPAN PDF of Senators' Framework White House webpage with President Obama's speech A bipartisan group of senators, led by Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), on Jan. 28 outlined a set of principles for a not-yet-drafted, comprehensive immigration measure that they hope to pass by early summer.Schumer said the framework would give unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. a "tough but fair path to citizenship." However, the path is contingent on securing U.S. borders.The plan also would include a mandatory employment-verification system. President Obama praised the outline in a Jan. 29 speech, saying the main points "are
Related Links: Treasury Secretary Geithner's debt-limit letter to Capitol Hill leaders New Fiscal Fights Ahead After 'Cliff' Deal (ENR.com 1/9/13) The Senate at ENR press time neared a vote on a House-approved measure allowing the U.S. to exceed its $16.4-trillion debt limit until May 18. If enacted, the bill would avert a financial crisis—temporarily.On Jan. 14, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner notified Congress that between mid-February and early March, Treasury would exhaust interim steps to avoid default on the country's obligations.The bill the House cleared on Jan. 23 doesn't specify a new debt-ceiling level but lets the U.S. incur debt needed
Related Links: PDF of Appeals Court Ruling NLRB Appointments Generate New Wave of Controversy The National Labor Relations Board says it will continue to decide new cases despite a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that invalidated three recess appointments to the board in January 2012.A three-judge panel from the federal appeals court ruled on Jan. 25 that President Obama's appointments of Democrats Sharon Block and Richard Griffin and Republican Terence Flynn were invalid because they were not made during a true congressional recess. The ruling, if upheld, could nullify all rulings made since Jan.
