AGC

Construction Jobs Growing at Twice the Rate of Total Nonfarm Jobs as Sector’s Unemployment Rate Hits 10-Year March Low; Several Spending Segments Jump 20 Percent for the Year Despite Dip in Monthly Total

Forty-three states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between February 2015 and February 2016 while construction employment increased in 27 states between January and February, according to analysis of Labor Department data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the pullback in energy prices and farm income appeared to be dampening demand for construction in some states while firms in other states continue to expand

During the 97th Annual AGC Convention in San Antonio, TX, the Building Division showcased two excellent sessions for members including a Building Division meeting and a session entitled “Lean Construction for Executives”. The Building Division meeting had two parts with the first presented by Ashley Phelps, Lean Practices Manager with Gilbane Building Company. The session reviewed Ashley’s transition as a scheduler to a Lean Champion where she launched the Last Planner system in under a year on projects in various stages of construction across Connecticut.

Winners of the 2015 AGC Outstanding Student Chapter Contest were recognized at the 97th Annual AGC Convention, during the Student Chapter Meeting, Wed., March 9.  The winners demonstrated dedication to their community and public service through their winning projects. Three applications in particular stood out from the others and AGC of America was happy to honor the following winners of the 2015 AGC Outstanding Student Chapter Contest during the Annual Convention

Today, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee officially kicked-off the reauthorization process for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with a markup of the Aviation Innovation Reform and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act. The AIRR Act, which fundamentally transforms air traffic control operations, is expected to pass the committee later this evening.

Nearly All Private Segments Recorded Robust 12-Month Gains as Total Spending Reaches Seven-Year High; Favorable Weather Compared to January 2015 May Have Contributed to Outsized Jump in Highway Spending

AGC will hold its fifth Contractors Environmental Conference (CEC) on October 5-6, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The CEC is a yearly management, leadership and technology-focused conference that zeros in on the most critical environmental issues impacting today’s construction professionals. Past attendees agree that this one-of-a-kind program provides contractors with the information and resources to meet environmental

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently released “Using Graywater and Stormwater to Enhance Local Water Supplies: An Assessment of Risks, Costs, and Benefits” (available for free download (link is external)).  The report acknowledges that greywater and stormwater can augment water supplies to improve reliability and extend the capacity of water systems in water-scarce or quickly growing cities, if proven safe

Are you an environmental professional working in-house at a construction firm? This spring, AGC is holding a day of roundtable discussions specifically for you and your peers – AGC’s In-House Environmental Managers Meeting. Join us in Denver, CO on April 20, 2016, for a day of information sharing and collaboration. Seating is very limited for this meeting; please don’t wait to act on this exclusive opportunity. Click here (link is external) to register (construction firms only, please)

A host of legal challenges have been filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule to tighten its ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) from 75 parts per billion (ppb) down to 70 ppb.  A coalition of groups representing various industries are faulting what they say is EPA’s inadequate consideration of naturally occurring “background” ozone levels (ozone formed from sources or processes other than U.S. man-made emissions ) that might hamper states’ ability to attain the agency's tighter limit.

A recently released Presidential Memorandum (link is external) speaks to how federal agencies should, in their environmental reviews and permitting, address impacts on natural resources caused by construction and development – a process called “mitigation.”  The new policy broadens the federal government's 26-year-old “no net loss” wetlands policy by expanding that concept to any natural resource and encouraging agencies to replace those resources even before construction begins

May Force Cities to Further Restrict Runoff from Construction and Development The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting public comments until March 21 on proposed changes (link is external) to its general permit program for operators of municipal separate stormwater sewer systems (MS4s), which will ensure that cities are reducing pollutants in their runoff to the “maximum extent practicable” (MEP).

February 11, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved H.R. 4441, the Aviation Innovation Reform and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, a bill to reauthorize for six years the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs. A key component of the AIRR Act is the transfer air traffic control services from the FAA to a non-profit, user-fee-supported corporation

Construction firms added 45,000 workers in December as the industry's unemployment rate declined to 7.5 percent from 8.3 a year ago, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the robust job gains come as a new industry outlook shows most firms expect to expand their headcount in 2016 amid growing private and public sector demand

Construction Spending at Highest Level since March 2008 and Growing at Fastest Rate since January 2006, Demand for Multifamily, Lodging, Manufacturing Office and Education Facilities Experience Sharp Increases

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced approximately $13.2 million in supplemental funding through the Revolving Loan Funding (RLF) program for 44 communities to cleanup and redevelop contaminated properties. The agency also has released a new electronic decision tree that helps users explore the feasibility of siting renewable energy projects on formerly contaminated properties and underutilized sites.

Safety professionals aren’t yet aware of all the emerging green building systems. To meet this need in the building industry, AGC of Washington and its AGC Education Foundation partnered with others on a grant to develop a curriculum and a mobile app specific to safety concerns while working on a green building.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a nationwide rule(link is external) that will require construction site operators to submit certain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit documentation to their permitting authorities using an electronic reporting tool, instead of filing paper. The new rule requires states to share these data with EPA, along with government-administered inspection and enforcement results.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has issued a nationwide stay (link is external) of the new federal regulation redefining “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) for the purposes of the Clean Water Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed and then finalized the new regulation in an effort to clarify the scope of the statute’s requirements

Construction employment increased in fewer than half of the nation’s metro areas between July 2014 and July 2015, the weakest expansion since late 2011, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the new jobs data comes while a series of vital federal infrastructure funding measures, notably the surface transportation program, languish unfinished in Congress