Senate floor debate on an $848- billion health-care measure is poised to start. The chamber on Nov. 21 voted 60-39 to take up the bill, the minimum margin needed. The measure builds on packages cleared by two committees and contains a public insurance option, which many moderate lawmakers oppose. Labor unions support the Senate bill, but several construction groups and most GOP legislators oppose it. The House passed its version on Nov. 7.
Powerplants and large industrial facilities that emit more than 25,000 tonnes of CO2 annually must begin monitoring and reporting on their greenhouse-gas emissions yearly as a result of an Environmental Protection Agency rule that goes into effect on Dec. 30. The regulation will cover approximately 85% of the nation’s greenhouse-gas emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities, EPA says. The first reports will be due in 2011. Andy Byers, associate vice president of Overland Park, Kan.-based Black & Veatch’s environmental management practice division, says the rule will create opportunities for some engineering firms. “Those facilities that are subject [to the
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office says employers consistently underreport worker injuries and illnesses and concludes that some employer safety programs can create disincentives for reporting injuries. Union groups say the findings, released on Nov. 16, confirm safety programs that discourage the reporting of workplace injuries are undermining the safety and health of American workers. But employer groups maintain federal and state policies that emphasize fines and penalties over assistance create a culture that discourages employers from addressing safety problems before they lead to injuries. GAO examined Occupational Safety and Health Administration audits from 2005 to 2007
Stricter requirements for removing nutrients are driving advances in technology and new projects to refit older wastewater plants. Work crews place rebar for North Las Vegas plant that will be fitted with MBR system. Blue Plains Treatment Plant, outside Washington, D.C., is designing a $935-million upgrade. Related Links: Green Building Innovations Building Smarter: BIM and Beyond Heavy BIM Special Report Building Foundations for Future Organizational Development Sacramento Market Report Construction Firms Need to Prepare for New Mechanic�s Lien Procedures Many municipal wastewater systems built in the 1970s and 1980s are nearing the end of their useful lives, forcing municipalities and
Although a key Senate committee has cleared a sweeping climate-change bill, the measure faces a difficult road ahead. The Environment and Public Works Committee on Nov. 5 approved a measure, introduced by John Kerry (D-Mass.) and panel Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), by a 11-1 tally, with Republicans boycotting the vote. But a small group of lawmakers, including Kerry, is working behind the scenes to craft a more moderate bill that could garner bipartisan support. Some industry sources say that proposal may have better odds of clearing the full Senate. Still, with Congress focused on health-care reform and other fiscal issues,
Worried about an unemployment rate that now tops 10%—and is much higher for the construction sector—Congress has reacted with a package of extended and broadened tax breaks aimed at spurring housing and giving a boost to businesses in general. President Obama signed that bill on Nov. 6, but he and key congressional Democrats and industry officials agree more action is needed to turn around the grim jobless figures. In a move that could provide targeted help for construction, the White House is considering increased public-works funds as part of a recovery plan. + Image Note: Rates are not seasonally adjusted.
The Environment and Public Works Committee on Nov. 5 approved comprehensive climate change legislation by a vote to 11-1, with no Republicans voting. But the bill faces an uphill battle, with little GOP support. Moderate Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, was the lone Democrat to oppose the bill. Republicans on the panel, led by ranking member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) boycott the meetings held over three days to mark up the bill and said that more analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency was needed. Committee Chair Barbara Boxer countered that extensive analysis had already been done and
The Senate at press time was nearing a vote on extensions and expansions of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act tax and benefit provisions. Advocates won a procedural vote on Nov. 2, moving the bill closer to final action. The measure would extend ARRA’s $8,000 first-time homebuyers’ tax credit to contracts through April 30. It also would give a $6,500 credit to those who owned and lived in their present house for five years and seek to buy a new home. The bill would widen ARRA’s small-business five-year operating-loss carry-back to cover all companies. It extends unemployment benefits for 14 weeks,
A new federal scorecard says the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has preserved or created 640,329 jobs so far, including more than 80,000 in construction. An Oct. 30 report from the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board says those jobs were generated by $160 billion of the ARRA funds and tax breaks made available through Sept. 30. An additional $179 billion in ARRA aid isn’t covered by the board’s report. The White House says when that additional amount is factored in, the jobs impact rises to more than one million. House GOP Leader John Boehner (Ohio) continues to contend that ARRA
The Office of Management and Budget is directing federal agencies to streamline procurement, including a 7% cut in spending on contracts by the end of fiscal 2011. OMB also wants agencies to reduce their non-competitive and high-risk contracts by 10% by 2010. OMB Deputy Director for Management Jeffrey Zients told a Senate panel on Oct. 28 that the changes could save $40 billion annually.