Last week, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed streamlining updates to multiple sections of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In addition, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is considering an AGC-supported discussion draft of a new bill to amend the Act.

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, released the following statement...

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, released the following statement...

Forty-three states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between June 2017 and June 2018, while 32 states and D.C. added construction jobs between May and June, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials cautioned that continued job gains may depend on improving the training and education pipeline for workers to enter the industry.

Collective bargaining negotiations settled from January through June 2018 resulted in an average first-year wage-and-benefits increase of 3.0 percent or $1.65, according to the Construction Labor Research Council’s (CLRC) latest – and redesigned – Settlements Report. While most first-year increases were in the 2.1-2.5 percent and 2.6-3.0 percent ranges, CLRC reported a “noticeable” percent of first-year increases of over 5 percent. For newly negotiated multi-year agreements, the average increase for both the second and the third year of the contract was 2.8 percent. The Insulators had the highest average first-year increase at 4 percent, while the Boilermakers had the lowest at 2.1 percent.

The U.S. Department of Labor has published a final rule rescinding the controversial “Persuader Rule” issued under Pres. Obama. This is a victory for AGC and others who opposed the regulation and urged the Trump administration to rescind it.

Early Bird Rates End August 14

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Following Scott Pruitt’s resignation late last week, Deputy Administrator Andrew Wheeler assumed the role of acting administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 9. In his first address to EPA staff, Wheeler indicated that he would continue President Trump’s goals for the agency to reign in federal regulatory overreach and refocus EPA on its core responsibilities. AGC supported Andrew Wheeler’s confirmation as deputy administrator in a letter to the senate earlier this year.

Construction costs accelerated again in June