Related Links: EPA will Revise Flawed Effluent Rule for Construction Sites EPA Summary of Proposed Stormwater Rule The Environmental Protection Agency's draft rule for post-construction stormwater runoff—originally expected to be released by a court-ordered date of June 10, with final action by June 2014—could be facing some hurdles.All eight Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee have asked EPA's acting assistant administrator for the Office of Water, Nancy Stoner, to delay releasing the proposal, saying the planned rule-making is "clearly inconsistent" with the Clean Water Act and that the agency has failed to allow small businesses to participate
Related Links: Information on ASHRAE's bEQ program NYC Building Energy Reprt Called a Step Toward Saving Energy An energy labeling program, which allows commercial building owners to get a better sense of how efficiently their buildings operate, has expanded to include an "As Designed" label.The program, called Building Energy Quotient (bEQ) and originally developed as a pilot program in 2010 by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), now has two labels that building owners can obtain: an As Designed label, which rates the building's potential energy use under standardized conditions, independent of the building's occupancy and
The Zuellig Building, a $171-million, 33-story office building in the Makati Central Business District in Manila, was the first building in the Philippines to be pre-certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Related Links: Crane Experts Challenge OSHA Rules Viewpoint: OSHA Crane Rules Must Change Viewpoing: OSHA Crane Rules Have Merit The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that it might revisit the controversial standard for cranes and derricks for construction.Since the rule was finalized in August 2010, stakeholders ranging from crane certification companies to union officials have raised concerns about the cane operator certification requirements and whether the perception could exist that operators who receive their certifications could be considered “qualified” to operate cranes on construction jobsites simply because they have received a certification.To fully understand those concerns, OSHA held
Related Links: BLM Proposal Industry Website on Fracking A new proposal to update 30-year-old regulations for hydraulic fracturing on federal and tribal lands is being criticized by environmental and industry groups.The Dept. of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on May 16 released a draft proposal that modifies an initial draft proposal from 2012. The newly released draft is a response to feedback from more than 177,000 public comments to the 2012 draft.Approximately 90% of wells drilled on federal and American Indian lands use hydraulic fracturing, but the BLM’s current regulations for hydofracking are more than 30 years old and
Related Links: Archived Environment and Public Works Webcast of May 16 McCarthy Vote Republicans Block Votes on EPA, Labor Nominees After a weeklong standoff, Senate committees on May 16 approved the nominations of two candidates to serve in top posts in the Obama administration: Gina McCarthy for the Environmental Protection Agency and Tom Perez for the Dept. of Labor.The Environment and Public Works Committee approved the nomination of McCarthy, currently assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, by a 10-8 vote along party lines. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who is 89 and in ill health, made a rare
Related Links: WRDA Bill Clears Senate Committee Bill Summary and Status The Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) easily on May 15, by an 83-14 vote.The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer and David Vitter (R-La.), would authorize new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, revise civil-works policies and give financial help to get projects built. A comparable bill has not yet been introduced in the House, but Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) has called WRDA his panel’s “highest priority.”The bill also would implement some reforms in the way projects are delivered, such as accelerated reviews
Related Links: Summary of S. 761 Letter opposing amendmends to bill Advocates of an energy-efficiency bill in Congress are hopeful the measure can pass both chambers sometime this year.The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on May 8 approved S.761 by a voice vote. However, three GOP senators said they wanted to go on the record as voting against the measure. At the meeting, ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said, "It's encouraging to see senators from both sides of the aisle coming together to work on bipartisan energy legislation." Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) added, "To anybody who calls this
Related Links: U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit May 7 Ruling NLRB Fact Sheet on Posting Requirement In a victory for employers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has quashed the National Labor Relations Board's "posting requirement" rule, which the agency issued in August 2011.The final rule, which has not gone into effect because of the legal dispute, requires most businesses to post notices in conspicuous places informing workers of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Some of those rights include forming, joining or assisting a union as well as collectively bargaining through
Related Links: EPA's response to Sandy and guidance to states on funding Hurricane Construction Crews Converge for Hurricane Repairs, Restoration The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on May 2 that it would provide $569 million to New York and New Jersey for improvements to wastewater and drinking water facilities hit by Hurricane Sandy last year.The funds were appropriated in the post-Sandy spending bill, which was signed into law in January. The Sandy bill contained $600 million for improvements to treatment plants affected by the monster storm. With the sequester in place, the number was trimmed to $570 million.A total of
