June 16-17, 2010 - Indianapolis, Indiana - Early Bird Discount Ends TODAY!This year's program will build upon the previous series of successful meetings and will cover standardized practices, definitions and terminology in an effort to create a unified understanding of the four steps to successful project delivery, plus the ability to use Project Delivery Systems, definitions, selection and implementation. To register click here!

May 27, 2010 - 11:00 am - 12:30 pm ETFor less than $40, you will learn about critical key concepts for Integrated Project Delivery (IPD).  This webinar will provide not only an introduction to IPD, but also will discuss the key principles necessary for a successful IPD construction project.Our panel of experts will explore the differences between the ConsensusDOCS 300 Tri-party Agreement and the AIA "transitional" and "single-purpose entity" forms, including:Structure and managementCosts and compensationRoles and responsibilitiesThe panel will peel back the legalese and present in layman's terms what these forms really mean to you and your project.Registration:AGC Members:  $39Non-Member:  $79Duration: 90 minutes (including live Q & A)Register today!  AGC Members receive a special discounted price of just $39.  Please contact Megan McGarvey at mcgarveym@agc.org or 703-837-5369 should you have questions.

Join key players in the building construction industry at the AGC Building Contractors Conference in Midway, Utah, June 9-12, 2010. This Conference consistently offers a worthwhile and constructive experience to industry leaders who gather to network, exchange ideas, and hear presentations offering timely guidance and best practices. The AGC Lean Construction Forum will feature several sessions, including Lean Construction: A Basic Refresher and case studies.Highlighted Sessions Include:Lean Construction: A Basic Refresher - George Zettel, Turner Construction Co.Lean Construction Case Studies - Linbeck Group, Baker Concrete Construction, Burt Hill and The Weitz CompanyEffluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs) and the Construction Industry - David G. Oshinski, The Home Depot; Jennifer Hildebrand, Weis Builders; and Richard S. Davis, Beveridge & Diamond P.C.ROI of Sustainable Designs - Robert Middlebrooks, AutodeskMaterials Prices: Spiking, Side-Stepping or Sliding? - Ken Simonson, AGC of AmericaChallenges of Growth in Construction - José L. Fernández-Solís, PhD, Texas A&M UniversityLook for more information at www.agc.org/bcc. Register today! Travel discounts are available!  Please refer to the AGC Building Contractors Conference Travel Assistance Guide for more details.

On April 22, AGC of America released a plan calling for market-based solutions, incentives and needed investments to deliver environmental improvements in our nation's infrastructure-buildings, transportation, water and land resources and power generation.The plan-Building a Green Future-outlines measures designed to stimulate demand for green construction projects, boost infrastructure capacity, improve building efficiency and green construction practices.  It openly addresses how the places where we live, work, play and travel impact the natural environment; and it gives credit to industry and other groups for their efforts to reduce those impacts.  The plan offers recommendations to stimulate demand for new investment in our infrastructure-making it greener and safer.  It provides some common sense ways that contractors can help, such as recycling waste and reducing emissions from equipment; and it also addresses how policymakers can support those efforts instead of setting up roadblocks."You can't wish for a green future-you have to build it." AGC maintains that construction and renovation ultimately are the most immediate and effective ways to improve the built environment.  AGC intends to use this plan to guide policymakers, educate the public and provide members with a tool they can use to develop an environmental strategy for their firm.AGC of America and the AGC of Washington unveiled the plan after a tour of a construction site for a green building in Seattle.  The new structure will serve as local construction firm McKinstry's incubator space for start-up green construction technology firms.  Citing that company's recent successes, David D'Hondt (executive vice president, AGC of Washington) said that while the plan would deliver significant environmental benefits, it also would provide new opportunities for the nation's hard-hit construction firms.To read the plan, go to www.agc.org/greenfuture.

EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program (RRP) rule was fully implemented on April 22, 2010.  Under the current rules, contractors who perform renovations, repairs and/or painting projects in most pre-1978 housing, child-care facilities and schools (i.e., that have, or are assumed to have, lead-based paint) must comply with federal accreditation, training, certification, and recordkeeping requirements, or risk fines of up to $37,500 per day per violation.  AGC has distributed news articles that explain the legal requirements and contractor responsibilities - click here.Note: EPA can authorize states to administer and enforce their own RRP programs. Several states have already done so (e.g., Kansas, Rhode Island, Utah, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Carolina), and several more have introduced legislation to take over the RRP rule.Adding to the already complex regulatory regime, EPA has just taken three new actions that widen the rule's potential impact on the construction industry. 1. Most notably, in an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR), EPA announced its intention to apply lead-safe work practices and other requirements to renovations on the exteriors of public and commercial buildings. The advance notice also announces EPA's investigation into whether lead-based paint hazards are created by interior renovation, repair and painting projects in public and commercial buildings. If EPA determines that lead-based paint hazards are created by interior renovations, EPA will propose regulations at a later date to address the hazards.2. EPA also has eliminated the so-called "opt-out" provision.  (The RRP rule originally provided an exemption from the training and work requirements if the property owner certifies that no child under six and no pregnant woman resides in the subject premises.)  This final rule also requires renovation firms to provide a copy of the records demonstrating compliance with the training and work practice requirements of the RRP rule to the owner (and to the occupant of the building being renovated or the operator of the child-occupied facility, if different).3. In addition, EPA made a separate rulemaking proposal that would require contractors to perform "dust-wipe testing" after most renovation, repair, and painting activities covered by the RRP rule to show that dust-lead levels comply with EPA's regulatory standards.  Regulated contractors would also need to provide the results of the testing to the owners and occupants of the building. For some of these renovations, the proposal would require that lead dust levels after the renovation be below the regulatory dust-lead hazard standards.In related news, in response to an August 2009 petition submitted to EPA by the National Center for Healthy Housing, the Alliance for Healthy Homes and the Sierra Club, EPA has agreed to issue a proposal to (1) modify the regulatory definition of "lead-based paint" and (2) lower the regulatory dust-lead hazard standards.  The Agency has not, however, committed to either a specific rulemaking outcome or a certain date for promulgation of a final rule.To get the detailed story, please click here.

OSHA's 10 regional administrators have been directed in a memo by OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels to revise how the current penalty calculation system contained in the Field Operations Manual is being used in enforcement proceedings. The administrative penalty changes are scheduled to take effect over the next several months.The overall goal of the agency is to provide an adequate deterrent to employers using increased penalties.  The average penalty for serious violations will be increased from $1,000 to an average of $3,000 - $4,000, according to the changes.  The following are the most significant changes to the calculation system:An employers' history of violations will expand from three years to five years.10 percent increase in their penalties for employers (up to the maximum) for employers who have been cited for any high-gravity, serious, willful or repeat violations, or have been cited for a failure to abate notice in the previous five years.The time period for repeated violations will be increased from three to five years.Area directors are authorized to offer up to a 30 percent penalty reduction to employers at an informal conference.Where circumstances warrant, at the discretion of the area director, high-gravity serious violations related to standards identified in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) will no longer need to be grouped or combined, but can cited as separate violations, each with its own proposed penalty.No size reduction will be applied to employers with 251 or more employees.10 percent reduction for employers with a strategic partnership agreement will be eliminated.AGC is greatly concerned about the impact of these administrative changes on its members and is working to inform AGC members of these changes. We will continue to have discussions with OSHA to gather more information on the changes and convey the impact they will have on the construction industry.To view a copy of the OSHA memorandum, click here.For more information, please contact Kevin Cannon at (703) 837-5410 or cannonk@agc.org.

EPA recently finalized its new stormwater rules that will impact nearly every construction and development project in the United States. The so-called Construction and Development Effluent Limitations Guidelines (C&D ELG) rule for the first time imposes an enforceable numeric limit on stormwater discharges from sites disturbing 10 acres or more at one time, requires monitoring to ensure compliance with the numeric limit, and requires nearly all construction sites to implement a range of prescriptive erosion and sediment controls and pollution prevention measures. Both the homebuilding industry and the U.S. Small Business Administration have taken legal action to challenge EPA's C&D ELG rule and, in particular, its numeric turbidity standard that dictates how murky stormwater can be when it runs off regulated construction sites. The new C&D ELG requirements, published in the Federal Register on December 1, 2009, will directly apply to a construction site "operator" when they are incorporated into an individual or general NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) stormwater permit that applies to his/her project(s). Construction stormwater permits are good for five years.  States are required by EPA to incorporate the new ELG requirements into their permits upon next reissuance.  For detailed information on the ELG rule and a list of state permit expiration dates, click here for an AGC article. Click here to find out more about the challenges brought against EPA's national stormwater rules.For more information, please contact Leah Pilconis at (703) 837-5332 or pilconisl@agc.org.

The Summer 2010 BIMForum will focus on the primary principles involved in Lean design and construction and how building information modeling (BIM) can best be integrated into Lean construction practices. Anyone interested in learning more about BIM or developing the knowledge and competency needed to successfully implement BIM in your organization is encouraged to attend. Early registration is encouraged.The BIMForum has grown into an industry-leading user's group focused on the application of virtual design and construction for the AEC industry, and includes more than 1,800 members from across the commercial construction Industry. Click here to learn more!

The Senate recently passed legislation to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs and funding for two years. Included in the legislation is $8.1 billion for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), the primary source of federal funding for airport capital projects, $4 billion in FY 2010 and $4.1 billion in 2011.The program is currently funded at $3.5 billion. The Senate bill would also allow six airports (to be determined in the future) to raise the passenger facility charge (PFC) on airline flights from $4.50 to $7.00. The House passed a four-year authorization in July 2009, and included a total of $16.2 billion for AIP grant funding and allows all airports to increase the PFC from $4.50 to $7.00, which is estimated to generate $1billion per year in additional revenue for airport infrastructure investment.AGC is working in support of allowing the PFC ceiling to increase for all airports to $7.00. The House is likely to amend the Senate bill, which will allow the Senate to either ask for a conference to settle the differences or else allow informal negotiations to settle the differences, leading to another exchange of amendments between the House and Senate.To prevent any disruption in the programs, the House passed a bill to extend FAA authorization until July 31, 2010, which changes the way that $745 million in highway funding under the Projects of National and Regional Significance and Corridor programs will be apportioned to states in FY 2010. The Senate has yet to act on the extension.

Would you like to see what topics were presented at past AGC Building Contractors Conferences?  Would you like to view the PowerPoint presentations?  Go to www.agc.org/building and look under "Resources" for presentations since January 2008.