Public and private project owners are increasing looking for ways to reduce their climate change impacts. Likewise, communities and property owners want to protect their assets from extreme weather and natural disasters. To meet these owner demands, contractors must consider using new project delivery means and methods that come with new risks stemming from new designers/subcontractors, new construction materials/products, and new equipment. Join us on March 28 and April 4 for a two-part webinar series to look at the climate change impacts on construction trends and strategies for success. Register here! (AGC Member Price $69 | Non-member Price $119)
Register now for this two-part series beginning on March 28 that will examine trends for sustainability and resiliency, drivers, risks, and strategies for success in reducing the environmental footprint of the built environment while also protecting assets from extreme weather and natural disasters.
Nearly 2,000 AGC members tell EPA to oppose the unfounded effort to regulate the disposal of ubiquitous plastics used in construction.
On February 16, AGC weighed in on a proposed rule that would create new and onerous greenhouse gas reporting requirements for virtually every federal construction contractor.
On February 15, AGC participated in the FHWA virtual summit for Every Day Counts (EDC) on environmental product declarations to provide the contractors’ perspective on delivering sustainable infrastructure.
On Jan. 31, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a controversial decision to block or “veto” a Clean Water Act section 404 permit for the Pebble Mine in Alaska. Last year, AGC raised concerns that EPA’s preemptive veto of the permit would set a harmful precedent for future projects working through the permitting and/or appeals process and have a chilling effect on infrastructure development. The permit in question was undergoing an administrative appeal (still pending) following the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ denial.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reconsidered the 2020 determination that retained the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) and has proposed to tighten the primary annual PM2.5 standard outside of the normal five-year framework for these changes. AGC closely monitors and weighs in on these rulemakings as they may include stricter requirements and/or restrictions on diesel engines and their use. If an area of the country does not meet the standards, then the federal government can introduce sanctions such as caps on development and the loss of federal funding for highway projects.
On Jan. 18, the Associated General Contractors of America joined a coalition representing a broad cross-section of the economy in filing a lawsuit to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers’ new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. The legal action seeks to have the new rule put on hold and ultimately reversed. The construction industry invests a significant amount of time and cost in compliance with the Clean Water Act and to avoid or reduce potential impacts on the environment. The new rule is the sixth time the requirements have changed in seven years, compounding the existing uncertainty in an area of law that can not only significantly delay and increase costs on projects but also bring criminal as well as civil penalties.
New guidance instructs federal agencies to develop implementation rules that would quantify greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and incorporate the social cost of carbon in cost/benefit analysis that could impact permits for construction projects.