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Phyllis Harden

Legislative & Special Projects, Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel
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Home > Browse By Date > Monthly Archives: December 2018

Monthly Archives: December 2018

Proposed Modification to EPA's 2017 CGP Open for Public Comment

December 20, 2018

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing for public comment a modification to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 2017 Construction General Permit (CGP), which covers eligible stormwater discharges from construction activities in areas where the EPA is the permitting authority. The 45-day public comment period will close on Jan. 28, 2019.

Year in Review - AGC's Environmental Advocacy Efforts

December 20, 2018

AGC’s efforts to engage with the Trump Administration on environmental streamlining and regulatory reform are seeing results.  Throughout the year, AGC further developed our relationships with the federal regulatory agencies through increased dialogue and meaningful collaboration.  In the following article, AGC provides a snapshot of those efforts during 2018, which touch on some of the most important environmental concerns for the construction industry from “approvals” to “wetlands.” 

Supreme Court Ruling Sets Limits on Critical Habitat under Endangered Species Act

December 18, 2018

A recent U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision found that critical habitat must be actual habitat for a species and that decisions not to exclude areas from critical habitat are subject to judicial review—a ruling that many are heralding as a check on regulatory overreach. In Weyerhaeuser Co. v. the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the plaintiff challenged the FWS on its designation of an unoccupied area, not currently habitable to the species, as critical habitat for the dusky gopher frog. The Fifth Circuit court deferred to the Service. However, SCOTUS remanded the case back to the circuit court to determine the meaning of “habitat” specific to the facts in this case and whether FWS’s designation of critical habitat was “arbitrary and capricious.

2018 MSGP Annual Report Training Webinars

December 18, 2018

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host webinars on how to use the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)  eReporting Tool to submit Annual Reports for EPA’s Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP); those reports are due by January 30th for each year of permit coverage.  Below are the program dates and links to registration and more resources.

New EPA Construction Stormwater Resources in Spanish

December 18, 2018

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published new resources in Spanish to help construction site operators comply with EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) construction stormwater permit program.

New EPA & Army Corps Rule Will Provide the Clarity Needed to Allow States to Keep Local Waters Clean

December 17, 2018

A new measure announced today by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will provide the kind of clarity needed to ensure that the waters of the U.S. continue to become even cleaner. The newly proposed clean water rule outlines clear and specific guidelines as to which sites require a federal water permit in addition to state and local water permits, and what needs to be done to protect federally permitted waters.

Construction Employment Rises by 5,000 Jobs in November and 282,000 for the Year; Hourly Pay Jumps 3.7 Percent, Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.9 Percent

December 7, 2018

Construction employment increased by 5,000 jobs in November and by 282,000 jobs over the past year while the industry’s average pay continued increases and unemployment decreased to a historic low, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials called on public officials to enhance career training and education and employment-based immigration reform to ensure an adequate supply of qualified workers.

2018 Collective Bargaining Through Q3 Yields First-Year Increase of 3.0%

December 17, 2018

Collective bargaining negotiations settled from January through September of 2018 resulted in an average first-year increase in wages and benefits of 3.0 percent or $1.70, and a median of 2.6 percent or $1.43, according to the Construction Labor Research Council’s (CLRC’s) latest Settlements Report.

Company Must Bargain with Union Before Adopting E-Verify

December 14, 2018

Enrollment in E-Verify is a mandatory subject of bargaining, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) recently held, and an employer committed unfair labor practice when it unilaterally enrolled without notify its workers’ union and offering an opportunity to bargain.

AGC's Union Contractor Leaders Meet with Building Trade Leaders

December 14, 2018

On Nov. 1, 2018, members of AGC of America’s Union Contractors Steering Committee and other AGC leaders and staff held a lunch meeting with several leaders of the building trades in Washington, DC.  Participants discussed a variety of matters currently of concern to union contractors and labor.

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