Photo by AP/WideWorld POSTER CHILD President Obama praised Solyndra and its technology during a facility tour in May 2010. The bankruptcy of a Silicon Valley-based solar panel manufacturer, announced Aug. 31, followed by an FBI raid on the company a week later, sent shock waves through the solar industry and provided an easy opening for congressional Republicans to question the wisdom of the federal government's $535-million loan guarantee as well as its investment in renewable projects in general.But solar industry sources claim the bankruptcy of Solyndra LLC is an isolated case. And the Obama administration so far is showing no
With the Oct. 1 start of fiscal year 2012 around the corner and none of the spending bills for that year enacted yet, congressional appropriators are again turning to a stopgap funding measure to keep federal agencies operating.On Sept. 12, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) said he planned to introduce a continuing resolution soon. There was no word at press time on how many weeks' funding the bill would provide.As of Sept. 12, the House had approved six of the 12 appropriations bills funding various departments and agencies for 2012. The Senate had passed just one: the military
In a move that business praised and environmentalists decried, President Obama told the Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 2 to withdraw an ozone rule issued in July. He said the rule would harm the economy. The rule required utilities in 27 states to trim emissions or buy pollution allowances starting in 2012. Then, in 2014, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions would have needed to be cut by 73% and 54%, respectively, from 2005 levels.
A congressionally established commission estimates that between $31 billion and $61 billion have been lost due to contract waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan. The panel says reforms are needed to prevent the same problems from cropping up in future contingency operations.In a final report, released on Aug. 31, the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan made 15 recommendations to cut down on future fraud and waste. They include establishing a full-time inspector general for contingency operations and taking action to mitigate the threat of additional waste from projects that are not sustainable. The panel did not
With Wilma Liebman's departure as the National Labor Relations Board chairwoman in late August, when her term expired, the five-member board is now down to three members, the minimum needed to issue major rulings. But that number could be down to two by 2012.“It's just so uncertain what's going to happen with the [board's] composition,” says Denise Gold, the Associated General Contractors of America's associate general counsel.Board member Craig Becker, a Democrat, is serving under a recess appointment that extends only until the end of December. President Obama has nominated Becker twice for full NLRB terms, but a Senate vote
Construction industry and labor union officials say a new federal report that construction fatalities declined 10% last year suggests the industry is getting safer. The officials also were encouraged that construction's 2010 fatality rate, a better indicator of safety trends, was down as well.However, construction still has more fatalities than any other industry.According to preliminary data released on Aug. 25 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 751 workers in the construction industry died on the job last year, compared with 834 in 2009. BLS will release its final 2010 numbers next spring.BLS suggests the sluggish economy could have contributed
AP Photo/Seth Wenig Construction workers disassemble a temporary building on the beach that was set up for an upcoming surfing competition in Long Beach, N.Y., anticipating Hurricane Irene hitting the East Coast. Related Links: U.S.G.S. Hurricane Irene Tracking Map, Surge Data You could call it the Great Button Up. Or the Big Batten Down.Either way, contractors, owners and government agencies all along the Northeast U.S. coast secured jobsites in anticipation of Hurricane Irene making landfall over the Aug. 27-28 weekend. As of Friday afternoon, Irene was classified as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. For some, the
Construction groups are pleased that the Environmental Protection Agency will revisit a proposed rule specifying how much sediment stormwater runoff from construction sites can contain.The EPA announced on Aug. 17 that it would reconsider a proposed new limit so it could gather more data from construction sites “to ensure that these standards to protect Americans' water quality from harmful pollution are flexible and achievable.”But industry officials are unhappy that the EPA still plans to set a nationwide numeric limit on how turbid the water discharged from construction sites can be. Industry officials claim that approach would be difficult to achieve
A federal district court has dismissed a class action lawsuit filed by Henry Gifford, owner of New York-based Gifford Fuel Savings Inc., and others who claimed that the U.S. Green Building Council made false claims to consumers.In an Aug. 17 ruling, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said that Gifford and the other plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to sue because they do not compete with the USGBC. As a result, the court did not address the broader question of the credibility of the organization's claims about the energy efficiency of buildings it certifies under
Photo Courtesy of Chesapeake Energy Critics have said the entire natural gas production cycle poses environmental risks; industry sources say they are working to improve the process. Related Links: View the Fraking/Drinking Water Infograph DOE Advisory Panel Releases Shale Gas Recommendations Industry sources say they are generally supportive of the recommendations of the Dept. of Energy’s Subcommittee on Shale Gas Production released on August 11. But environmental groups say the report lacks substance, and some are calling for a moratorium until safety and environmental concerns can be addressed.The DOE advisory panel, established at the request of President Obama this spring,
