Although the Obama administration is not planning on releasing its fiscal 2013 budget proposal until Feb. 13, some details about the planned cuts to Dept. of Defense spending have been trickling out.Perhaps of most interest to construction and engineering firms, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that the president will ask Congress to reinstate another round of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program.
TransCanada, the Calgary-based energy company that wants to build the pipeline stretching from Alberta through parts of the American Midwest down to the Gulf of Mexico, says it will reapply for the federal permit. In addition, furious GOP leaders in Congress say they will push to ensure that the pipeline eventually gets built.
The World Bank has approved a $189.35-million project to dredge about 3.4 million cubic meters of sediment out of about 15 different waterways in the flood management system in Jakarta. The bank’s board of executive directors on Jan. 17 approved a $139.64-million loan to support the project. The Indonesian central government and the Special Capital City district of Jakarta will contribute an additional $49.71 million. The Jakarta Emergency Dredging Initiative, a five-year project, will dredge approximately 67.5 kilometers of 11 key channel sections and 65 hectares of four retention basins in the provincial government’s flood management system. Further, about 42
Water industry veteran David Sherman had been working in the water sector for close to 40 years when the new Indianapolis mayor, Greg Ballard, asked him to come on board in 2008 to be the new director of public works for the city.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has reinstated the original compliance date for the boiler maximum achievable control technology (MACT) and solid-waste incinerator rules that the Environmental Protection Agency published in March 2011.In May, EPA had asked for a stay of the rules to give the agency more time to incorporate information from industry that it had not been able to include in the March 2011 rules. EPA issued a revised proposal in December 2011.But district court Judge Paul L. Friedman said in a Jan. 9 ruling that EPA's request for a delay of the rules was
President Obama has asked Congress to reinstate his authority to reorganize and consolidate numerous federal agencies. But while some lawmakers in Congress support the idea, others—even some leading Democrats—have reservations.In announcing his proposal on Jan. 13, Obama said that having the reorganization authority would allow him to streamline duplicative agencies and create a government that "works better." He said he would first use the power to consolidate six agencies that focus on business and trade. Those agencies include the Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and parts of the Commerce Dept.Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max
The controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline has suffered a major setback, with President Obama's Jan. 18 announcement that the State Dept. denied a permit for the $7-billion project.
When Congress begins its new session in earnest later in January, construction industry officials and renewable-energy advocates want to see legislators extend key tax breaks that were allowed to expire on Dec. 31. Among them are the production tax credit (PTC) for solar, wind and other renewable-power sources. But some observers are pessimistic about prospects for such extensions any time soon.The House and Senate are slated to take up a further continuation of one break—the payroll-tax cut, which on Dec. 23 was extended through February. Some congressional leaders say they are ready to work on a long-term fix for the
Related Links: Business Groups Challenge New NLRB Rule NLRB Members Vote in Favor of Streamlining Union Election Process President Obama has sparked a wave of controversy by using recess appointments to fill three slots on the National Labor Relations Board.Labor union officials praised Obama's Jan. 4 announcement naming two Democrats and one Republican to the NLRB. But leading congressional Republicans and business organizations are outraged. When the three appointees were sworn in as board members on Jan. 9, it brought the panel up to its full, five-member complement and allowed the NLRB to make major decisions, something it was unable to
Industry officials say the president’s plan to cut back on Dept. of Defense spending, while short on details, is likely to mean cuts in military construction programs. But they say the reductions are not unexpected, given the nation’s tepid economy and huge national debt.Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and President Obama announced the DOD’s new budget strategy on Jan. 5 at the Pentagon. The comprehensive defense review was conducted as a result of the enactment of the Budget Control Act of 2011, which, among other things, requires the DOD reduce spending by $465 billion over 10 years.Obama said the strategy “will
