On Aug. 4, ÐßÐßÊÓƵ of America’s Federal & Heavy Construction Division participated at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Executive Governance Meeting, which gathers Army Corps commanders from across the agency. ÐßÐßÊÓƵ and the Army Corps discussed solutions to the challenges facing our nation’s infrastructure, and how the Army Corps can better partner with the construction industry. ÐßÐßÊÓƵ emphasized the strain contractors are facing with construction materials at record high prices and the continued availability challenges. ÐßÐßÊÓƵ urged Commanders to partner with ÐßÐßÊÓƵ Chapters and member contractors back in their district offices, and also provided government guidance encouraging such meetings.
On Aug. 10, the Senate passed, 69-30, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a historic, $1.2 trillion infrastructure package investing in all components of the nation’s physical infrastructure. ÐßÐßÊÓƵ endorsed this legislation because it reauthorizes the nation’s federal-aid highway and transit programs for five years at record funding levels, includes significant environmental permitting streamlining provisions, and provides a host of other investments for a wide array construction projects without raising taxes on construction firms and without including any new, significant workforce mandates, like the PRO Act or government-mandated project labor agreements. A full ÐßÐßÊÓƵ analysis of the bill can be found here. Additionally, a breakdown of what’s in the bill for each construction market can be found here:Highway Contractors; Utility Contractors; Direct Federal Contractors; Building Contractors ; and Other Markets (Transit, Rail, Waterways, Airports).
Extreme price increases continued in July for a wide range of goods and services used in construction, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials urged President Biden to immediately end tariffs and quotas on steel, aluminum, lumber and other essential construction items to help stave off inflationary pressure in the construction industry.
Construction Official Warns that Holding the Much-Needed Infrastructure Measure Hostage to Unrelated Partisan Priorities will Hurt the Economy and Deny Workers Good Career Opportunities
The construction industry added 11,000 jobs between June and July but nonresidential construction employment remains far below pre-pandemic levels, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials said nonresidential construction has been affected by declining demand for projects, particularly for public infrastructure work, and urged Congress to quickly pass the new bipartisan infrastructure measure.
On August 5, President Biden signed an Executive Order setting a new target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles. The Executive Order also initiates development of long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards. In conjunction with this Order, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation will soon announce how they plan to counter regulatory action on efficiency and emissions standards developed by the previous administration. These announcements, along with increased consumer interest in electric vehicles, makes clear that Congress must seriously address the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. As more electric and fuel-efficient vehicles join the nation’s auto fleet each year, gas tax revenue, which provides the lion’s share of funding for building our nation’s highway and bridge infrastructure, will continue to decline.
This week the Senate is debating the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or commonly referred to as the bipartisan infrastructure bill. ÐßÐßÊÓƵ has weighed in on a few of the amendments that have been offered and is monitoring to see if they will get a vote:
Associated General Contractors of America Details Measures Needed to Lead to a More Environmentally Friendly Built Environment, Also Outlines Steps Firms Can Take to Operate More Efficiently
Demand for different types of construction continued to diverge in June as residential construction increased for the month and the year while nonresidential construction spending fell again, according to a new analysis of federal construction spending data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Officials noted the nonresidential declines include a steep drop in spending on highway and street projects and urged Congress to quickly pass a new, bipartisan infrastructure measure.
Due in part to ÐßÐßÊÓƵ’s advocacy and others, a House fiscal year 2022 funding bill for the U.S. Department of Labor will not include a provision banning the construction industry from utilizing the H-2B seasonal guest worker visa program. The program provides temporary and seasonal workers when domestic workers are unavailable via a lottery process to a wide range of industries, including construction. Given the widespread worker shortages impacting the construction industry, ÐßÐßÊÓƵ was very concerned of attempts to target and limit the industry’s ability to access the program. ÐßÐßÊÓƵ will continue to advocate for immigration reforms that helps address construction workforce shortages.