Join us on September 13-14, in Crystal City, Virginia!
AGC members report struggles with Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements that delay infrastructure projects and significantly increase costs while not necessarily providing commensurate species and habitat benefits. At the request of Congress, AGC has identified legislative and administrative improvements to the ESA that support: the protection of listed species; responsible land and resource management; and streamlined delivery of critical infrastructure projects.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will announce in tomorrow’s Federal Register that it will indefinitely suspend portions of a rule requiring states to develop performance measurements for tracking Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions for federal-aid highway projects. The suspension of the rule is a significant victory for AGC and our industry allies who fought the GHG rule that was issued in the waning days of the Obama Administration.
Per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) request, AGC provided 30 pages of comprehensive and detailed recommendations for EPA’s regulatory evaluation in line with recent executive orders and presidential initiatives. In its submissions, AGC highlights the regulatory burden the construction industry bears and offers specific program modifications and solutions relating to water issues, oil spills prevention and preparedness, air and climate issues, lead-based paint issues, contaminated sites and liability, as well as compliance and enforcement initiatives. To view the complete set of AGC submissions to EPA, click here, here and here.
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.
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.
Need a vendor? Reach thousands of suppliers and service providers in one place: AGC's official purchasing directory, Constructor Marketplace. This site places you in contact with vendors from more than 50 categories -- everything from acoustical and drywall to windows -- quickly, so you can get the materials or the help you need to get the job done right. Use Constructor Marketplace's free Request for Proposal (RFP) Automator to request custom project bids from multiple Marketplace vendors with just a few clicks.