Related Links: Link to Industry Letter The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate the disposal of coal ash.The bill, supported by industry and opposed by environmental groups, would leave the regulation of coal combustion waste to the states and would prevent the material from being labeled as “hazardous“ by the EPA.The House passed the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act 265-155 on July 25. No comparable legislation has been introduced in the Senate.A number of construction and industry groups supported the bill, including the American Road & Transportation Builders
Related Links: Report Details Litany of Problems with Silver Spring Transit Center Dispute over Stalled Transit Center Intensifies The problems continue at the over-budget and behind-schedule Montgomery County, Md., Silver Spring Transit Center project.Concerns over cracking in the concrete on the $120-million transportation hub at the center of Silver Spring's revitalized downtown prompted the county to commission a study last year, led by Washington, D.C.-based KCE Structural Engineers. The study, released in March, found significant design and construction deficiencies and recommended fixes.However, the nature of how those fixes should be made is under dispute. The county worked with the general
Photo Courtesy of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee The agency is expected to advance a rule to curb powerplants' air emissions. Related Links: Perez and McCarthy Nominations to Get Full Senate Vote Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings on EPA, DOE Nominees Despite opposition from some Senate Republicans and one Democrat from a coal state, Gina McCarthy was sworn in as the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator. She receives high marks from industry and environmental groups. Both are waiting to see the shape of regulations the EPA issues on McCarthy's watch.McCarthy, whom the Senate confirmed on July 18 by a 59-40 vote,
Related Links: Link to June 27 Senate subcommittee hearing Contractor Sues Fluor Team over DOE Site Project Design (subscribers only) A June 27 Senate subcommittee hearing spotlighted the difficulties with contracts for nuclear-waste cleanup under the Energy Dept.'s Office of Environmental Management (EM).Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight, highlighted the problems at legacy sites, saying, "Unfortunately for the taxpayer, for EM's large contracts, cost overruns, schedule delays and technical failures are the rule, not the exception." For example, the cost of the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at the Savannah River site, near
Related Links: Supreme Court Decision in Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District Supreme Court Order Granting Certiorari in NLRB and EPA cases The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the last decisions of its October 2012 term on June 26, issuing rulings in closely watched affirmative-action and same-sex-marriage cases. But perhaps more significant for the construction and engineering industry are the cases the court agreed to hear in its next term.The first, National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, could have significant ramifications in the way presidential recess appointments are made.The second, Environmental Protection Agency v. EME Homer City
Related Links: Supreme Court June 24 Order on NLRB v. Noel Canning Link to U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Jan. 25 decision in Noel Canning v. NLRB The U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 said it would review a case during its next term that could have a significant impact on the way presidential recess appointments are made.A broad decision by the court in the case, National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, could limit a president’s ability to put a personal stamp on the board, other federal agencies and federal courts. The high court is nearing
Related Links: More about EPA's national enforcement initiative Link to Consent Decree In a settlement with federal agencies, Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, Kan., has agreed to pay a $2.5-million penalty and spend about $30 million on pollution-control improvements to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations, U.S. officials have announced.The company's agreement with the Dept. of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency is the latest settlement in a nationwide EPA enforcement drive to reduce emissions from the largest air-pollution sources, including portland cement manufacturing facilities, according to DOJ.Under a consent decree lodged on June 19 in federal district court
Related Links: Frost and Sullivan Analysis An analysis of the global water and wastewater membrane-technology market suggests the market could see its revenues double by 2020.The analysis by Mountain View, Calif.-based Frost & Sullivan, a market research firm, found the market earned revenue of $5.54 billion in 2012 and estimates it will reach $12.07 billion by 2020.Although well established in the U.S., much of Asia and parts of Europe, the use of membranes for wastewater and water purification and treatment is used less widely in Eastern Europe and developing countries, says Paulina Szyplinska, Frost & Sullivan energy and environment industry
Related Links: Corps Develops Strategies for Expected Climate Adaptation New Climate Cycle Marked by Storms, Floods & Drought Sandy-Flooded Sewage Plants Seek Ways to Keep Pumps Running the Next Time Twice a year, Miami experiences extreme high tides, known as "king tides," brought on by gravitational forces. Without any help from rainfall, they can leave streets, yards and driveways under nearly a foot of water. These days, the phenomenon is becoming more of a rule than an exception in the Sunshine State. Experts say it is due to climate change, which is likely to force even higher tides that will
Photo courtesy of USACE The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting several studies on the effects of climate change, including one in the Rio Grande River Basin shown here. Related Links: Cover Story: Water Sector Takes Brunt of Changing Weather According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, its entire portfolio of existing and proposed civil-works water-resources infrastructure projects and programs could be affected by climate change.As a result, Jo Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, released a policy statement in June 2011 that called for integrating climate change and adaptation into all the projects
