The Senate voted in line with ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ to overturn the Biden administration’s onerous NEPA rule to restore certainty for the construction industry and the environmental permitting process.
On August 8, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ submitted comments in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed revision to the rule implementing the Clean Water Act (CWA) section 401 certification process, which provides for state review of federal CWA licenses or permits. The proposal rule if finalized would replace the 2020 rule that is currently in effect and would expand the scope of state and tribal reviews.
Trusting that your fellow contracting party will act ethically and in good faith is essential. Aligning the parties’ interests with the project’s success creates the right foundation to build successfully. Setting the right tone and expectations between party relationships is one of the reasons that ConsensusDocs contracts have been used on construction projects worth more than $50 billion but have yet to be the subject of a reported court decision.
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 ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½-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 ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ in conjunction with the association’s Construction Safety, Health & Environmental Conference in Washington, D.C. George Palko, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½â€™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. ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ 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: