Related Links: EPA page on ELG rule, with settlement agreement New EPA Stormwater Permit Omits Numeric Turbidity Limit The National Association of Home Builders, the Utility Water Act Group, the Wisconsin Builders Association and the Environmental Protection Agency have reached a settlement in the industry groups' long-running lawsuit over the agency's 2009 rules to control the discharge of pollutants from construction sites. The agreement should allow contractors to breathe a collective sigh of relief, construction officials say.In December 2009, under court order, the agency finalized effluent limitation guidelines (ELGs) for the construction and development industry to establish the minimum technology
Related Links: C-SPAN PDF: Link to Lawmakers' Blueprint U.S. Chamber of Commerce Policy Page on Comprehensive Immigration Reform A bipartisan group of eight senators led by Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) has outlined a guiding set of principles for a comprehensive immigration reform legislative package that they hope to pass some time this spring. Noting that lawmakers have unsuccessfully tried to pass comprehensive immigration reform in the past, Sen. Schumer, speaking to reporters on Jan. 28, said, “We believe that this is the year Congress finally gets it done.” The framework would give a “tough but fair path
Related Links: U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Jan. 25 Ruling NLRB Appointments Generate New Wave of Controversy The National Labor Relations Board says it will continue to press forward in deciding new cases even in the wake of 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 recess appointments of Democrats Sharon Block and Richard Griffin and Republican Terence Flynn were invalid because they were not
Related Links: EPA Releases Framework to Give Cities More Flexibliity in Managing Wastewater Jan. 18 Environmental Protection Agency Memo A Jan. 18 Environmental Protection Agency memo could prove crucial in giving communities more flexibility in how they build and pay for major water infrastructure projects, according to water utility groups.The memo stresses EPA's commitment to work with mayors on how its regional offices evaluate localities' ability to finance water infrastructure programs that are mandated by consent decrees. In June 2012, EPA released a framework, called the integrated planning and permitting process, for giving municipalities more flexibility in scheduling and setting
Photo Courtesy of Corbis Images Obama pledges to work to address climate change during his second term. Related Links: EPA Moves Forward with Greehouse Gas Regulations EPA Carbon Proposal Could Shutter More Coal Plants Environmental groups are cheering the portion of President Obama's inaugural address promising second-term action on climate change. They say Obama probably will focus on regulatory actions to curb air emissions and will not try to push climate legislation.In his Jan. 21 speech, Obama said, "We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future
Related Links: EPA Releases Framework to Give Cities More Flexibility in Managing Wastewater Copy of EPA memo A Jan. 18 Environmental Protection Agency memo could prove to be an important step in giving communities more flexibility in how they build and pay for major water infrastructure projects, according to water utility groups.The memo stresses the agency’s commitment to working with the mayors of municipalities and localities on how regional offices evaluate the ability of communities to pay for major water infrastructure programs mandated by consent decree. In June 2012, EPA released a framework--called the integrated planning and permitting process (IP3)--for
Related Links: SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program Website One little-noticed provision of the recently enacted defense authorization bill could be a big boon to small and emerging contractors.The Defense Authorization Act of 2013, signed into law on Jan. 2, includes language that increases the size of projects that are eligible for the Small Business Administration’s Surety Bond Guarantee Program. The provision benefits small businesses in construction and other industries by expanding their ability to obtain bonds through the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee program for federal, state, local and private contracts.The SBA program has traditionally sought to give small firms access
Related Links: Supreme Court Jan. 8 ruling in L.A. Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council ENR article: Nation's High Court Tackles Three Water Cases Construction industry officials say they are pleased with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jan. 8 ruling in the first of two water-related cases argued before the court in December. The court unanimously ruled in Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council and L.A. Waterkeeper that the flood-control district did not violate its State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit when it simply transferred already polluted water from one portion of its
U.S. Dept. of Labor Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Related Links: Dept. of Labor's Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda, released Dec. 21 Copy of Letter to DOL employees from Solis announcing her resignation Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced on Jan. 9 that she would step down from the top post at the Labor Dept., although she did not specify when she would leave. Solis is known for her tough enforcement approach. In a Jan. 9 letter to DOL employees, Solis said the agency’s enforcement and informal resolution programs “resulted in the recovery of almost $5 billion for retirees and their families.” Moreover, in
Photo By AP Wideworld Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) blasted House leadership for deferring initial Jan. 1 vote. Related Links: House Ends Session without Considering Sandy Bill From ENR New York 1/3/13: Tri-State Lawmakers, Industry Blast 112th Congress Over Inaction on Sandy Relief When Congress approved $9.7 billion for flood insurance claims from Superstorm Sandy victims on Jan. 4, government and construction-industry officials from areas hardest hit by the powerful late-October hurricane viewed the vote as a positive move. But they also insisted that those funds need to be supplemented—and soon—by an additional $50 billion to rebuild damaged infrastructure and construct
