A new report offers a harsh assessment of BP, its service contractors and the U.S. Minerals Management Service in their role in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The preliminary report from a National Academy of Engineering/National Research Council committee, released on Nov. 17, suggests that BP and its service contractors “lacked a suitable approach for managing the inherent risks” at the Macondo well and learning from “near misses.” “Important decisions made to proceed toward well abandonment despite several indications of potential hazard suggest an insufficient consideration of risks,” says Donald Winter, former secretary of the
Construction groups cheered when the joint chairmen of a high-profile fiscal policy panel called for a boost in the federal gasoline tax. However, they shouldn’t take the idea—floated by former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, a Democrat, and ex-U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.)—to the bank. Bowles and Simpson, co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, released on Nov. 10 a draft proposal that includes the gas-tax provision, but the full commission has until Dec. 1 to vote on a final report. Bowles and Simpson propose hiking the gas tax “gradually” by 15¢ a gallon, starting
Environmental advocates and industry groups have differing views about the newly issued Environmental Protection Agency guidance to state and local agencies to help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions using the best available control technologies. The EPA released the guidance document on Nov. 10, aiming to assist air-permitting authorities in identifying cost-effective options under the Clean Air Act to cut pollution from greenhouse gases. A new federal preconstruction permit program begins on Jan. 2, 2011. Nathan Willcox, Environment America’s federal global warming program director, calls the EPA’s approach “reasonable.” But industry officials have blasted the guidance, saying it could stall construction of new
In its current session, Congress faces deadlines on key appropriations, surface transportation, aviation and tax measures. Construction officials would love to see lawmakers pass multi-year transportation and aviation bills, but they say further stopgaps are likely. The first deadline applies to a continuing resolution (CR) that keeps appropriations flowing through Dec. 3. American Highway Users Alliance President Greg Cohen says an omnibus spending bill is in the works, but adds, “I think that that will be very difficult. … If they have to go to a CR, then it’ll probably be extended … at least until January 31 or later.”
A new government report offers a harsh assessment of BP, its service contractors, and the U.S. Minerals Management Service in their respective roles in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Related Links: NAE Interim Report No Fault Assigned by Oil-spill Panel Uncalculated Risks ENR Coverage of Gulf Oil Spill The preliminary report from the National Academy of Engineering, released Nov. 17, suggests that BP and its service contractors “lacked a suitable approach for managing the inherent risks” at the Macondo well and learning from “near misses.” Click here to see full report. “Important decisions made to
The Environmental Protection Agency on Nov. 9 issued a subpoena to oil-field services contractor Halliburton for failing to provide information the agency needs to complete its congressionally mandated study on hydraulic fracturing, or “hydrofracking.” Eight other hydrofracking firms that received voluntary information requests in September agreed to submit “timely and complete information” to EPA, the agency said. But Houston-based Halliburton took another tack, refusing to give EPA full data on the company’s hydraulic fracturing operations over the past five years. “Because the agency’s request was so broad, potentially requiring the company to prepare approximately 50,000 spreadsheets, we have met with
Environmental and energy efficiency advocates are praising the Environmental Protection Agency for issuing guidance to local and state permitting authorities to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions using best available control technologies (BACT). But industry groups have blasted the guidance, saying it could result in a moratorium on the construction of new powerplants and industrial facilities. The EPA released BACT guidance on Nov. 10 to help states and local air permitting authorities identify cost-effective pollution reduction options for greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act. The new preconstruction permit program among the states begins on Jan. 2, 2011. Gina McCarthy, assistant
Republicans’ takeover of the House and gains in the Senate could spell bad news for construction’s goal of seeing large funding increases for infrastructure programs in 2011. Graphic: Walter Konefal With some races still unsettled, the GOP projects a net increase of 65 seats, which would total 243 House seats. Democrats did hang on to the Senate, though their majority dwindled to 53 from 59. Among the Democrats’ House casualties were three committee chairs, including Transportation and Infrastructure panel leader James Oberstar (Minn.), a fixture on the committee for more than 30 years. Jeffrey Shoaf, the Associated General Contractors’ senior
The BP Oil Commission’s lead investigator, Fred Bartlit, refused to blame any firm involved in the Gulf of Mexico spill, saying that a combination of factors caused the deadly explosion at the Macondo oil well on April 20. Bartlit presented preliminary findings at the opening of the presidentially appointed commission’s Nov. 8-9 public meeting in Washington, D.C. He said BP and workers on the oil rig made conscious decisions to depart from the planned procedures in light of unexpected developments, and some of those decisions may have made sense. There is no evidence to suggest those decisions were financially based,
While environmental groups acknowledge that they lost many supporters in the 2010 mid-term elections, they add that the election was not a referendum on environmental issues, but on the economy and jobs. “This was an election about unhappiness over the economy, first and last, and the majority paid the price,” says Rodger Schlickeisen, president, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. “We lost a lot of champions and a lot of long-timer supporters,” says Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. But he adds that voters still overwhelmingly support clean energy and curbing pollution. Brune points to California voters’ rejection of
