Prices of Concrete Products and Some Building Materials Continue to Rise, While Diesel Fuel, Asphalt, Lumber and Some Metals Fall in Month of July

During the week of July 25, the House and Senate passed AGC-backed legislation—the CHIPS Act of 2022—that will provide $39 billion for the building, improvement, and expansion of semiconductor manufacturing plants across the nation.

On July 26, top OSHA officials—including OSHA head Douglas Parker—met with AGC in conjunction with the association’s Construction Safety, Health & Environmental Conference in Washington, D.C. George Palko, AGC’s Highway and Transportation Division Chair, represented the group at this meeting. Robust conversations were held on the regulatory landscape facing construction contractors, including a future OSHA rulemaking on establishing a national heat standard. AGC contractors had the opportunity to impart real-world impacts of OSHA’s National Emphasis Program on Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards, including the 80 degree trigger, reduced work days to allow acclimatization for new workers and those returning from vacation, and body temperature and heart rate monitoring.

On July 27, the Department of Transportation (USDOT) published a Request for Information on the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) requirements included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that specified a new category of construction materials used for projects be produced in the United States. Specifically, they are asking:

Seeking to find ways to help America build, key congressional leaders bring in AGC to talk about its Climate Change Task Force report, the challenges of the federal environmental permitting process and more.