Related Links: Information on House milcon/VA spending bill Summary of Senate milcon/VA spending bill It's becoming clearer that the Dept. of Defense construction budget faces deep cuts for 2015. The Senate Appropriations Committee on May 22 approved a measure that slashes DOD construction 33%, to $6.6 billion.That total is roughly the same amount the House approved for DOD in the military construction-veterans affairs bill that it passed on April 30. It also equals President Obama's request.The Senate panel's bill provides $4.3 billion to fund military mission-critical construction projects worldwide, $2.9 billion below 2014 levels. It allocates $1.19 billion for family
Related Links: Text of design-build amendmend added to House DOD bill Text of individual-sureties amendment added to House DOD bill A House-passed Defense Dept. authorization bill has two provisions that would alter federal construction contracting policies.The bill, which the House cleared May 22, includes an amendment that aims to ensure design-build shortlists are short. It requires two-step procurement for federal DB contracts of $1 million or more. Groups including the Design-Build Institute of America and American Institute of Architects backed the provision. They say one-step DB leads to long shortlists, requiring teams to prepare costly proposals while facing long odds
Related Links: EPA Final regulations on cooling water intake structures at existing facilities A final Environmental Protection Agency rule to protect fish and other aquatic life from cooling-water intake structures at existing powerplants and factories has received lukewarm praise from some industry groups, but environmental advocates say they are deeply disappointed in the rule, released on May 19. The final rule will require existing powerplants to develop design and construction solutions to reduce the impact of large cooling-water intakes on local fish and other aquatic life, ranging from Chinook salmon to sea turtles. Reed Super, principal and founder of the
Related Links: Supreme Court Reverses 9th Circuit in L.A. Water Pollution Case August 2013 opinion by 9th Circuit Court of Appeals The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal to a controversial Clean Water Act case that has pitted the County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District against the Natural Resources Defense Council and Santa Monica Baykeeper.The case, initiated by the environmental groups in 2008, already has been before the nation's high court. In January 2013, the court ruled on a narrow question: whether polluted water pumped from one part to another part
Related Links: D.C. Water Undertakes Three Major Environmental Projects DC Water Fact Sheet on Biosolids Project The District of Columbia's water and sewer authority is coming close to finalizing work on its $470-million biosolids project. George Hawkins, DC Water's general manager, says the 90%-complete project should be up and running by late summer or early fall.The system will convert wastewater sludge from the Blue Plains advanced wastewater treatment facility, which currently treats approximately 370 million gallons a day of wastewater, into a Class-A biosolid using thermal hydrolysis. The process is a proven technology in Europe but has never been used
Related Links: Link to Page with National Climate Assessment President Obama's Climate Action Plan A new White House-sponsored report concludes that climate change already is having an impact throughout the United States, with infrastructure feeling some of the effects, and says urgent action is needed to ensure that catastrophic results don't materialize.The third U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA), which the White House released on May 6, says that rising sea levels, heavy downpours and extreme heat are damaging infrastructure of all types—including roads, rail lines and airport runways. It adds that the costs are expected to climb significantly in coming
Related Links: Supreme Court's April 29 ruling High Court Hears Arguments in Air Quality Case Industry observers say that the low cost of natural gas, as well as regulatory actions by the Environmental Protection Agency, could temper the immediate impact of the Supreme Court's April 29 ruling that upheld an air-quality rule for emissions that move across state lines.Still, the EPA contends the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) would require some $800 million annually in powerplant retrofits, mostly in upwind states. Some sources argue the court's decision may embolden the agency to interpret its Clean Air Act authority broadly in
Related Links: Prepared text of Ex-Im chairman's April 24 speech Congress Approves Three-Year Ex-Im Bank Measure (enr.com 5/28/2012) [subscription] A Capitol Hill battle is shaping up over the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. The bank provides financial aid to U.S. exporters, including heavy-equipment makers and construction firms. Its authorization expires on Sept. 30. A White House bill to keep Ex-Im running for five years has business groups' support. But at least one key House Republican opposes the proposal.The White House bill, sent to Congress on April 23, would extend Ex-Im through 2019 and raise its aid cap, in steps, to
Related Links: Russia Moving To Expand Global Nuclear Power Market Share Nuclear Resurgence Dims Due to Rising Costs, Low Demand Additional nuclear powerplant shutdowns will make it harder for the United States to meet its climate goals, a new policy brief from the nonprofit Center for Climate and Energy Solutions concludes.Further, more retirements could lead to more widespread blackouts, similar to those seen in the Northeast during 2014's polar vortex, said Bill Mohl, president of Entergy Wholesale Commodities, a division of Entergy Corp., on April 28.Since October 2012, four power companies have said they will retire five nuclear reactors earlier
Construction industry and union groups are blasting the Obama administration for again postponing a decision on the proposed $5.3-billion Keystone XL oil pipeline.
