| January 4, 2012 | News for contractors and the construction industry |
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- Keystone XL supporters ramp up pressure on Obama
President Barack Obama will face political backlash if he doesn't approve TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline, proponents of the project said. "In our view it's a slam dunk decision because it benefits the country in terms of jobs and national security," said Marty Durbin, the American Petroleum Institute's executive vice president of government affairs. Language in a payroll tax-reduction package that allows for changing the pipeline's route to avoid Nebraska's Sandhills region is also key for the project's approval, Durbin added. The Hill/E2 Wire blog
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- $6B "Convention District" promoted for downtown Houston
An ambitious long-term project by Houston First would add three hotels as well as retail stores and restaurants around Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center, which would also undergo expansion. Officials hope to dub the area the "Convention District" and are working to attract private investors to help finance the project's estimated $6 billion cost. Houston Chronicle
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- South Florida's water infrastructure deteriorates further
Taps in Broward County, Fla., ran dry on Christmas Eve after a water main ruptured, highlighting the urgent need to replace South Florida's aging, deteriorated water infrastructure. Federal money for repairs is seldom enough because of the extent of upgrades required, which leaves utility users footing the bill through rate hikes. "It’s a balancing act for us," said Jennifer Messemer, spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. "Maintaining the quality of water and sewer services with being able to provide a cost-effective rate for our residents." The Miami Herald (free registration)
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- Ga. reactor project looms large in industry expansion plans
The Plant Vogtle expansion project in Georgia is one of the new construction undertakings that will capture the U.S. nuclear energy industry's attention in 2012, observers say. The project awaits a combined construction and operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC has also picked Vogtle as its official "reference site" for future Westinghouse AP1000 reactor-construction projects. The Augusta Chronicle (Ga.)
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- Law restricts DOD from spending money for LEED certification
The National Defense Authorization Act will restrict the Department of Defense from spending money to achieve LEED Gold or Platinum certifications for its buildings -- unless the agency can prove that it is cost effective and can make back the investment with the amount it saves in energy costs. A 2009 executive order requires federal agencies to make 15 percent of their buildings 'green' by the end of fiscal 2015. FederalTimes.com
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- Boston sees a resurgence in office construction
Construction of office buildings in the Greater Boston area is picking up, with the total amount of office space under construction rising to 1.6 million square feet in the last quarter of 2011. One hundred percent of the office space is already pre-leased -- compared to late 2007, a time of rapid speculation when only about 6% of construction was committed to tenants. "It’s been a slow climb back, but my feeling is we’re right in the middle of a recovery," said John Miller, a senior vice president with Lincoln Property. The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model)
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| Innovation & Green Building | | |
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- Various techniques used to create vertical-lift bridge in Mass.
The 120-foot-long Chelsea Street Drawbridge in Boston is being replaced with a new vertical-lift bridge through the use of different construction techniques. The lift-span truss was assembled on land adjacent to the old bridge. The upper tower portions of the bridge were also assembled on site and erected as a single 200-ton column element. Software was used to create a three-dimensional model to analyze support conditions for the truss during the installation. Engineering News-Record
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- Improved technology "senses" unseen damage in concrete elements
Time domain reflectometry has been in use for years, but California-based KANE GeoTech has improved the technology and can now use it to provide accurate information about cracks in concrete structures without the need for excavation. TDR will be used for the first time on a bridge foundation in Arcadia, Calif. The bridge columns will be equipped with coaxial cables connected to a box that works similarly to radar and sends timed electric pulses that determine if there is damage. The Record (Stockton, Calif.) (tiered subscription model)
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| Policy Watch | | |
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- Minimum wage goes up in 8 states this year
Workers in eight states will see the minimum wage increase in 2012 to keep up with inflation. The increases will benefit more than 1 million workers nationwide. The highest is the state of Washington, whose minimum wage increases to $9.04, up from $8.67. Chicago Tribune/Reuters
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- Analysis: Battle over right-to-work legislation looms in Indiana
Republican state lawmakers in Indiana say they have enough votes this year to pass right-to-work legislation, a development that experts say could boost other states' efforts to curb private-sector unions. Organized labor says it will fight the Indiana legislation by organizing protesters at the Statehouse and employing strategies similar to those used in Wisconsin last year during the battle over collective-bargaining rights for public unions. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
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| Association News | | |
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Construction spending hits 17-month high in November
Construction spending totaled $807 billion in November 2011, the highest level since June 2010, as homebuilding, private nonresidential construction and public construction all increased compared to October, AGC reported on Tuesday in an analysis of new Census Bureau data. Association officials cautioned, however, that public spending will drop even further in 2012 because of delays in enacting needed infrastructure bills and planned cuts to many federal construction programs. Learn more.
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NLRB issues final rule on "quickie" elections
On Dec. 22, the National Labor Relations Board issued a final rule revising procedures in cases where a union files a petition for an election to determine whether it will become the exclusive collective bargaining representative of a unit of workers. The effective date of the rule is April 30. The final rule is a limited version of a more comprehensive and highly controversial rule proposed by the Board last June. Critics dubbed the rule the "quickie" or "ambush" election rule because it would effectively expedite the union election process, limiting employers’ opportunity to communicate with workers about union representation and depriving employees of the ability to make a fully informed decision. Read more.
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