AGC’s head of Environmental Law and Policy Leah Pilconis testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at a hearing entitled “Infrastructure Project Streamlining and Efficiency: Achieving Faster, Better, and Cheaper Results.” AGC took the opportunity to discuss many of the ideas in its new document “Reforms for Improving Federal Environmental Review and Permitting,” which were well received.
Kathy Nanowski, Fuss & O'Neill
Along with many of you, I receive many marketing journals and articles about the newest trends in managing marketing and business development processes. I bring most of these articles home and highlight what might be relevant to me and my firm. Of course, if I did half the things I highlighted, I would run around frantically, driving senior leadership crazy.
Unfortunately, what many people do instead of selectively committing to some of the work is do none of it. What is the best process or metric or program that will give you the biggest return on your investment? Because let’s face it, any new program will require an investment of time and money, both of which are very precious.
There are numerous marketing and business development metrics out there. Some of the most popular include: total sales, sales dollars spent versus winning rates, hit rates, and the list goes on. I measure more than seven different sales metrics on a monthly and YTD basis.
Knowing that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the most and the costliest regulations over the last decade, President Donald Trump’s focus on rolling back federal agency rules appears to be hitting EPA the hardest. Many of Trump’s executive orders during his first 100 days have focused on environmental matters; such as those that seek to expedite environmental reviews and permitting for infrastructure work and others that direct agencies to review (and then revise or repeal) key Obama-era rulemakings and practices (e.g., “Waters of the United States” definition, Clean Power Plan, mitigation policies and practices under the Endangered Species Act).
Come join us September 13-14, 2017 in Crystal City, Virginia!
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is seeking public input on its evaluation of existing rules pursuant to President Trump's government-wide Executive Order 13777 on Enforcing the Regulatory Agenda and Executive Order 13771 that directs agencies to “identify” at least two existing regulations for elimination whenever any new rule is proposed or issued (the 2-for-1 EO, Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs).
Whether you work on horizontal or vertical construction projects, public and private owners alike are interested in sustainability. Some construction firms along with other industries have responded with developing sustainability programs for their firms. Contractors sustainability plans often demonstrate their expertise in meeting owners’ goals and their own commitment to sustainable practices. Some firms publish annual reports that showcase their progress and achievements. This Earth Day, AGC of America researched existing sustainability reports and gathered some of the common elements. We also pulled out ideas for goals that you may want to consider when developing a sustainability program for your construction firm.
On Feb. 17, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, after contentious debate and on a 52-46 vote that fell largely along party lines. In the days that followed, Pruitt has given more clues about the Agency’s changing focus and direction.
With President Trump in office and a Republican Congress, it would appear that opportunity exists to improve the regulatory system, as well as the compliance and enforcement process. As previously reported, AGC shared a comprehensive federal agency regulatory, compliance and enforcement plan with members of Congress and the Trump Presidential Transitional Team calling for changes to reduce barriers to investment in infrastructure. Building on the plan, AGC has prepared two additional documents to help keep AGC members -- and political leaders -- abreast with key developments and focused on the construction industry’s priorities. These documents chart a path forward for meaningful reform.