Members of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan were sharply critical of the State Dept’s handling of private contractors in Iraq and questioned whether the agency is prepared to take over responsibility for overseeing contracting in Iraq when the military pulls out in October. Members of the congressionally mandated panel met on June 6 in Washington to hear from the State Dept.’s undersecretary for management, Patrick F. Kennedy. The commission’s co-chairman, Christopher Shays, a former Republican congressman from Connecticut, asked Kennedy why the State Dept. had said it would be too burdensome for State officials to document
The National Labor Relations Board has upheld unions’ right to display large, inflatable rats at workplaces of secondary employers, including companies that hire nonunion firms to build or retrofit buildings. In a May 26 decision, NLRB’s three Democrats—Chairman Wilma Liebman and members Craig Becker and Mark Pearce—said the use of rats at such workplaces is not coercive. They said unions protesting at a hospital did not shout, block access or otherwise disrupt hospital operations. The board’s only Republican, Brian Hayes, dissented. He said, “For pedestrians or occupants of cars passing in the shadow of the rat balloon, which proclaims the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) has outlined a proposal that essentially would transfer the responsibility to develop high-speed rail (HSR) on the Northeast Corridor from Amtrak to the private sector. Amtrak wants to keep control over the route and last September proposed its own $117-billion, 30-year HSR plan. Map Courtesy Of Amtrak Mica says his proposal, which he unveiled at a May 26 hearing, would let public-private partnerships design, build, operate, maintain and finance high-speed passenger service along the corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston. He says his plan would be finished in 10 years—much faster
Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, President Obama’s choice to be the next chief of the Army Corps of Engineers, got a generally positive reception from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) at a May 25 hearing. Bostick next must appear before the Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over his nomination. A floor vote would follow. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) expressed concern about Bostick’s lack of civil works experience. Bostick said that in 1993 he was executive officer to then-Corps chief Lt. Gen. Arthur Williams during severe Midwest floods. In 2007, Vitter and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) held up
With talks stalled on a multiyear Federal Aviation Administration bill, the Senate and House have approved another stopgap authorization. After the bill cleared Congress, President Obama signed it on May 31. The new bill extends Airport Improvement Program construction grants and other FAA programs through June 30. It is the 19th FAA stopgap since September 2007, when the last long-term aviation bill expired.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) on May 26 outlined a high-speed rail (HSR) proposal that would offer an alternative to the $117-billion, 30-year version unveiled by Amtrak last September. Although both plans offer opportunities for private investment, Mica’s proposal goes much farther—essentially transferring from Amtrak to the private sector the responsibility to develop HSR along portions of the congested Northeast Corridor.Mica only presented an outline with few details. But he said his proposal, which he plans to incorporate into legislation within the next few weeks, would allow for public-private partnerships to design, build, operate, maintain and
Some Senate appropriators are asking whether the Dept. of Energy has placed enough emphasis on nuclear-waste cleanup in its fiscal 2012 budget proposal, particularly the work at the Hanford site in Washington state. DOE has requested $5.4 billion in 2012 for overall defense-related environmental cleanup. That amount is an increase from the 2011 enacted level of $5 billion but a cut from 2010's $5.6 billion. At a May 19 appropriations subcommittee hearing on DOE's budget, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said she is concerned that Hanford's share of that $5.4- billion request is inadequate. She says, “It's disappointing that we have
Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency plan move to forward with rule making procedures on a controversial new air quality standard, despite industry claims that the agency's data used to develop the rule is flawed. Related Links: Florida Pols Fight EPA Over Pending Water-Quality Rule EPA: New Rule Limits Mercury Emmissions From Cement Kilns Gina McCarthy, the EPA's assistant administrator for air and radiation, says the issues raised about the EPA's data will not cause any delays in moving forward with the Mercury and Air Toxic standards rule.In a May 18 letter to the Utility Air Regulatory Group (UARG), McCarthy
Budgets for 2012 construction programs will be pinched in the House. Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) on May 11 said 2012 nondefense spending would be cut $47.4 billion from 2011. He specified how funds will be split among subcommittees. The Transportation-Housing panel was cut $7.7 billion, or 14%. Most line-item levels haven’t been determined yet. House-Senate talks will set final figures.
Construction industry groups and some in Congress are objecting to a draft White House executive order that would require companies and executives to disclose their political contributions when they bid on federal contracts. Stephen Sandherr, CEO of Associated General Contractors, said the plan would “create the mechanism for enforcing a political litmus test” for contractors. Mike Bellaman, president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors, said the administration proposal “would politicize the bidding process and open the door to cronyism and malfeasance.” Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), the panel's top Republican, Susan Collins of
