PHOTO COURTESY OF Associated General Contractors CEO Stephen Sandherr, Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood, who was active in the negotations, and FAA Administrator Randy Babbit (from left) held a media event at LaGuardia Airport. PHOTO Courtesy OF Swinerton Builders A control-tower project at Palm Springs, Calif., International Airport, idled by a congressional stalemate, is set to resume. Passage of a stopgap Federal Aviation Administration extension bill through Sept. 16 has ended a congressional stalemate—at least temporarily—that had forced the agency to issue stop-work orders on more than 200 airport modernization contracts, including construction and engineering projects, estimated at more than $10.5
In an Aug. 5 consent decree signed with regulators and environmentalists, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District has agreed to set a schedule for $4.7 billion of upgrades to its sewers and treatment plants over the next 23 years.Under the pact, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) will be required to install a variety of pollution controls, including construction of three large storage tunnels from about two miles to nine miles in length, and expansion of capacity at two treatment plants. The settlement was signed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Missouri and the Missouri Coalition
A report from a non-profit think tank highlights some of the barriers several cities and states have experienced in implementing new building-energy benchmarking and disclosure policies, as well as some suggestions for ways to overcome those barriers.Within the past five years, five cities and two states have adopted policies that require owners of large, commercial buildings to measure their properties' energy consumption and make the data publicly available. The jurisdictions are in New York City, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Austin, Texas, San Francisco and the states of California and Washington.Although the policies are on the books, some of the jurisdictions have
Related Links: Drilling for Treasure Hydrofracking and Water: No Place for Secrecy A Dept. of Energy advisory panel says that it accepts the “prevailing” view that hydraulic fracturing for shale gas is unlikely to contaminate drinking water sources, but called for the government and industry to take steps to ensure that the gas is retrieved in a way that minimizes negative environmental impacts. In draft recommendations released on August 11, the Shale Gas Subcommittee of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board called for industry leadership in improving environmental performance, underpinned by strong regulations and rigorous enforcement of those regulations.The subcommittee was
The Senate on August 5 approved by unanimous consent a Federal Aviation Administration stopgap bill that keeps the agency funded through Sept. 16.The bill is the measure that passed the House on July 20 and includes a controversial rider that trims the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes flights to rural airports.Passage of the bill ends a congressional stalemate—at least for now—that had forced the FAA to issue stop-work orders on more than 200 airport projects, including a number of construction and engineering projects.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced on August 4 that Senate leaders had broken through the
The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District has agreed to spend $4.7 billion to make extensive improvements in its sewer systems and treatment plants over the next 23 years as part of a settlement with the federal government, the State of Missouri, and the Missouri Coalition of the Environment Foundation.In the settlement announced August 5, MSD will be required to install a variety of pollution controls, including building three large storage tunnels ranging from approximately two miles to nine miles in length, and to expand capacity at two treatment plants.MSD says it has already spent $2.3 billion over the past two
The House has approved legislation that would require the Obama administration to accelerate its decision on whether to build a $7-billion, crude oil pipeline that would run from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to the Texas Gulf Coast. But the White House opposes the bill, calling the measure "unnecessary," and some observers say the bill has little chance of passing the Senate.The State Dept. must issue a special permit for the 1,700-mile TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, because it would cross international boundaries. The measure, which the House approved on July 26 by a 279-147 vote, would require the State
Sentiment against the Environmental Protection Agency is running high among Republicans in the House of Representatives, where GOP legislators have pushed to pass or introduced measures that would restrict EPA's ability to move forward with key water and air regulations.Environmental advocates have cried foul, but construction industry officials say many of the EPA rules could stall construction projects. They also say the Republicans are merely responding to businesses' legitimate worries.Steve Hall, the American Council of Engineering Cos. vice president of government affairs, says, “I think Congress is sensitive to [business] concerns. [Business] affects the economy; it affects jobs.” But Hall
Industry sources say a new report from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Japan Task Force recommending a sweeping overhaul of the regulations ensuring that the nation's 104 nuclear powerplants operate safely is a positive first step, but it is by no means a definitive response to the crisis at Fukushima. Photo by AP Wideworld GREGORY JACZKO, NRC Chairman Related Links: The NRC Near-Term Task Force Review of Insights from the Fukushim Dai-Ichi Accident “It's hard to make concrete recommendations based on a situation that is still evolving,” says Ralph Hunter, senior executive and vice president for the commercial nuclear division at
President Obama has issued an executive order that broadens an earlier directive aimed at making federal regulations less burdensome. The July 11 executive order would apply to independent agencies, such as the National Labor Relations Board and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Building on a directive issued in January for Cabinet departments, the order asks agencies to develop plans in 120 days to streamline redundant or overly burdensome rules. Cass Sunstein, administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, says the January order could save $1 billion a year and eliminate millions of hours of paperwork.
