The Cost of Trucks to Increase under New Federal Standards
Agencies Finalize New Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucks
Agencies Finalize New Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucks
Interested AGC members should apply by Wednesday, October 26, 2016!
On July 26, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced its final process for improving the way it identifies and prioritizes pending Endangered Species Act status reviews, a process the agency uses to determine whether a species warrants federal protection. The agency is legally bound to undertake year-long reviews during which it uses the “best available science” to determine whether a species meets the definition of threatened or endangered.
Public Companies Will Likely Experience Renewed Focus
In comments filed on Aug. 19, AGC questioned the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) authority to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of its proposal for performance measurements as directed by Congress in the MAP-21 and FAST Act legislation. House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and 30 members of the committee also sent a letter telling FHWA that the proposal exceeds its authority for this action.
Two-thirds of construction firms report they are having a hard time filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.
On Aug. 22, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) proposed updates to its Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands regulations to align with the 2015 Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, which AGC commented on last year. These requirements would expand the floodplain and raise costs for actions involving the use of FEMA Federal Funds for new construction, substantial improvement, or to address substantial damage to a structure or facility.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) has changed the standard – yet again – for determining the appropriateness of bargaining units in the context of labor staffing firms. In Miller & Anderson, the Board held that a union may seek to represent a unit of workers that combines employees who are jointly employed by the “supplier” employer (the staffing company) and the “user” employer with employees who are solely employed by the user employer, provided that the workers share a “community of interest.” The Board’s most recent standard conditioned such a unit on the joint employers’ consent, but the Board has flip-flopped on this standard over the years. The present decision reinstates the standard set forth in the 2000 Sturgis decision, which was reversed in the 2004 Oakwood decision. It arguably makes it easier for unions to organize supplied workers, particularly as it comes in the wake of last year’s Browning-Ferris Industries decision relaxing the standard for determining joint employer status.
Court OKs EPA’s Revoking Permit Years after Issuance
Thirty-nine state added construction jobs between July 2015 and July 2016 while construction employment only...
Go in depth on the troubles facing multiemployer pension plans, what is being done to address the growing problems, and what it all means for the construction industry and the economy at large on the latest episode of the ConstructorCast
On August 15, AGC submitted a second set of comments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) opposing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed rule to revise the Employer Information Report (EEO-1). The proposal intends to collect compensation and hours-worked data in addition to already collected race and gender data. AGC submitted comments on the rule, as initially proposed, in April. A final rule is expected in the Fall.