ARRA highlights for individual Agency Programs that may be of interest for M&U Contractors. U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEPA has released over $3 billion dollars to states for Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Programs and Water Quality Management Program Grants. These states should be in the process of applying funds to specific projects according to individual State’s Intended Use Plans. For a listing of State agencies responsible for administering Clean Water SRF funds click here. For a list of State agencies administering Drinking Water SRF funds click here. To view a spreadsheet with State and regional funding outlays click here.Additionally on April 28, 2009 EPA released its final guidance to Water Management Divisions on implementation of “Buy American” requirements in ARRA including how the waiver process for projects will work. For a complete copy of the 16 page document click here.For additional information visit the EPA Recovery Website.USDA Rural Utility ServiceOn April 28, 2009 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of more than $615.8 million in water and environmental projects that are being funded immediately with federal funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The projects will help provide safe drinking water and improved wastewater treatment systems for rural towns and communities in 34 states. This represents approximately half of USDA’s funding for rural water projects. USDA anticipates leveraging ARRA funds to finance almost $2.9 billion in projects. For a list of projects click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page.A more detailed list of projects may be obtained by contacting Perry L. Fowler at fowlerp@agc.org.In addition to funding water projects the USDA will be administering ARRA funds for rural facilities construction, flood control, watershed projects, rural electricity, and broadband projects. AGC members and Chapters interested in learning more about potential construction opportunities in these programs should contact their state Rural Development Authority. To view a list by state click here.Department of InteriorThe U.S. Department of the Interior has published its complete project list which represents $750 million in Stimulus funds. Projects include but are not limited to new buildings, to HVAC upgrades, energy efficiency projects, wastewater systems, hiking trails, fencing, photovoltaic systems, pipeline replacement, paving and roadwork. Agencies under the jurisdiction of Interior include the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. For a complete listing of projects by State please visit http://recovery.doi.gov/docs/nps/nps_state_projects.pdf. U.S. Army Corps of EngineersThe Army Corps of Engineers has released its list of Civil Works, Construction and O&M projects to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The $4.6 billion is distributed in the following program accounts: Operation and Maintenance, Construction, Mississippi River and Tributaries, Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, and Investigations. The full list of projects, which is quite lengthy, is not attached here but can be accessed via the following website: http://www.usace.army.mil/recovery/Pages/Projects.aspx For additional information please contact Perry L. Fowler at (703) 837-5321 or fowlerp@agc.org.
OMB & FAR Coucil seeking industry input on interim rules for ARRA projects.On March 31, 2009, the FAR Councils issued a series of interim rules amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in order to implement several key provisions set forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.On a finding of "urgent and compelling reasons," the interim rules were issued without any opportunity for prior public comment. The FAR Councils will, however, take into consideration public comments submitted on or before June 1, 2009 in formulation of the final rule.In order to facilitate a dialogue between AGC members and the government, AGC has set up a special portal located at the AGC Legislative Action Center and highlighted the key issues that must be addressed:Recovery Act - Buy American Requirements for Construction MaterialRecovery Act - Publicizing Contract ActionsRecovery Act - Reporting RequirementsRecovery Act - Whistleblower ProtectionsRecovery Act - GAO/IG Access The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) also issued its own guidance on April 23 establishing Government-wide guidance and standard award terms for agencies to include in financial assistance awards which will impact USDOT and EPA SRF programs(namely, grants, cooperative agreements, and loans) as part of their implementation of the Recovery Act. Public comments are due by June 22:Recovery Act - OMB Interim GuidanceAGC is soliciting comments from members and is preparing to submit comments on behalf of the entire association by the June 1 deadline.For more information on FAR comments for Federal Contracting please contact Marco Giamberardino at giamberm@agc.org or (703) 837-5325.For more information OMB comments regarding federally assisted programs please contact Perry L. Fowler at fowlerp@agc.org or (703) 837-5321.
On April 22, 2009, AGC CEO Steve Sandherr and AGC General Counsel Mike Kennedy met with senior acquisition officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discuss AGC concerns with the Obama Administration’s Executive Order 13502, “Relating to the Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects,” which rescinded the Bush Administrations’ prohibition on Project Labor Agreements.
The U.S. Department of the Interior has published its complete project list which represents $750 million in Stimulus funds. Projects include but are not limited to new buildings, to HVAC upgrades, energy efficiency projects, wastewater systems, hiking trails, fencing, photovoltaic systems, pipeline replacement, paving and roadwork.
On April 16, 2009 the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced the recipients of its 2009 State Damage Prevention Grant Awards. The purpose of these grants is to establish comprehensive State programs designed to prevent damage to underground pipelines in States that do not have such programs and to improve damage prevention programs in States. AGC of America participated in the grant review process with the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR), the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), representatives of State One Call centers, the American Gas Association (AGA), the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) and PHMSA.The review team evaluated applications based on the five (5) criteria listed below. The criteria were weighted in the following order: criterion 1 was most heavily weighted, criterion 2 was second most heavily weighted, criteria 3 and 4 were weighted equally and were third most heavily weighted, and criterion 5 was fourth most heavily weighted.(1) Quality of the Damage Prevention Program. The team evaluated the quality of State damage prevention programs against the 9 elements as listed above and in Section 2 of the PIPES Act of 2006.(2) Jurisdiction of Civil Penalty. The team evaluated whether State damage prevention programs have the authority under State law to assess civil penalties for violations of the State’s One Call laws and a demonstrated ability to exercise such authority; or alternatively, a commitment to seek action from the State legislature to obtain civil enforcement authority.(3) Outreach and Participation. The team evaluated whether State damage prevention programs demonstrate a commitment to being inclusive of all stakeholders.(4) Education. The team evaluated whether State damage prevention programs have programs to educate the public and other parties who can benefit from, or who are essential to, the success of the Statewide damage prevention program, including use of the 811 system.(5) Program Performance. The team evaluated whether State damage prevention programs have a means to measure the effectiveness of their programs and disseminate this information to the appropriate stakeholders.Recipients of the 2009 grants include the Arizona Corporation Commission, Utility Notification Center of Colorado, Georgia Public Service Commission, Indiana 811, Kansas Corporation Commission, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, New Mexico Pipeline Safety Bureau, Dig Safely New York, Inc., Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Tennessee Regulatory Authority, Railroad Commission of Texas.For more information on PHMSA and what the 2009 recipients plan to do with their grant awards please click here.For additional information contact Perry L. Fowler at fowlerp@agc.org
National Safe Digging Month is here and there is still time to maximize exposure and generate awareness of the 811 message. With spring projects underway, it’s more important than ever to get the safe digging message out!
In a move that stands to create and sustain thousands of jobs while improving aging water infrastructure, protecting the environment and promoting public health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the first round of its $6 billion in Stimulus funds for water infrastructure which were included in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.
AGC of America has expressed substantial concerns with EPA about the impact of the Recovery Act's Buy American requirements on “shovel ready” water infrastructure projects eligible for EPA funding through the Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF programs. After numerous discussions with AGC the EPA has announced that it will grant a waiver from the “Buy American” provision attached to economic stimulus funds to avoid blocking another part of the stimulus legislation that provides for refinancing of debt for water projects.
Contractors Association of West Virginia Hosts Governor"We've got a lot of work to do and we're getting ready to do it," Governor Joe Manchin told CAWV members and legislators. The governor was the keynote speaker at a March 12 legislative reception sponsored by the Contractors Association of West Virginia and WV American Water Company. Nearly 100 legislators, government officials and CAWV members attended the function, which was covered by the local media.Following the Governor's remarks, attendees viewed an overview of the 90-minute documentary, Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure, and joined local water officials for a lively discussion. Panelists explored the value and cost of water and wastewater services, the unique requirements presented by West Virginia's terrain and the amount of unserved state residents.For more information on how your company or AGC Chapter can use Liquid Assets to raise awareness about water infrastructure, visit www.agc.org/liquidassets or contact Perry Fowler at (703) 837-1983 or fowlerp@agc.org.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publicly released its fourth Drinking Water needs assessment on March 26.The survey identified $334.8 billion in needs for the 20-year period from January 2007 through December 2026. With $200.8 billion in need over the next 20 years, transmission and distribution projects represent the largest category of need. The other categories, in descending order of need are: treatment, storage, source and "other." To obtain a full copy of the report please visit http://www.epa.gov/safewater/needssurvey/index.htmlFor more information, contact Perry Fowler at (703)837-5321 or fowlerp@agc.org.