Author: agcnews
On January 20, President Biden issued an executive order (EO) that rescinds many executive orders issued under the Trump Administration aimed at streamlining federal regulation. Among those rescinded are the EO that required federal agencies eliminate two old regulations for each new regulation issued and created a regulatory budget by establishing a regulatory cap on federal agencies (E.O. 13771); an EO that created a regulatory reform task force and regulatory reform officers to ensure the implementation of the Administration’s deregulatory agenda (E.O. 13777); and an EO that required agencies to include proposals for reducing mandatory spending whenever an agency proposed to undertake…
On January 21, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing to evaluate the nomination of Pete Buttigieg to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. During the hearing, Buttigieg affirmed his commitment to the Biden Administration’s plans to prioritize rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, stating, “We have a lot of work to do to improve infrastructure in this country… now is the time and I believe we have a chance to deliver for the American people.” Buttigieg went on to state that “all options are on the table” in terms of financing a large infrastructure investment.…
On January 20, President Biden issued a proclamation to “pause” construction of the southern border wall within seven days. The proclamation also directs the federal agencies to formulate a plan within 60 days to redirect funding for the border wall, and tasks the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to resume, modify, or terminate such projects. President Biden’s proclamation rescinds the national emergency declaration issued under the Trump Administration to divert roughly $10 billion towards construction along the southern border. The pause applies to both border wall projects funded by redirected funds and border wall projects funded by direct…
On January 20, President Biden signed several executive orders to start work on his campaign promises to take steps on climate change and environmental justice as well as heighten enforcement. The transition team circulated a list of regulations to review include many that AGC has advocated on in recent years, such as waters of the United States (WOTUS), species concerns, and streamlining of federal reviews and approvals. This review process will take time and in some cases years to occur; and AGC will continue to stay engaged. As is commonly done, the Biden Administration initiated an immediate freeze on all federal rulemakings that are…
On January 20, President Biden released a legislative proposal to reform the nation’s immigration system. The proposal is separate from presidential actions halting construction of the southern border wall or preserving and fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The legislative reform proposal would create a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented individuals through a multi-year process if individuals pay taxes, pass background checks, and meet other requirements. Other individuals, such as those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, could receive permanent status immediately. Extending long-term legal certainty to DACA and…
AGC continues to track and comment on several environmental regulatory actions relevant to construction that the Trump Administration advances in the final days of the term, including those impacting species and Clean Water Act (CWA) permitting. Several of these actions are vulnerable to change during a Biden Administration, either through legal challenges, administrative actions and delays, or revision through the regulatory process. In the last few weeks, the administration has finalized the following regulations relevant to the construction industry—as well as a host of others (see EPA press releases during this time period). The Multi-Sector General Permit for stormwater discharges at industrial facilities is…
Construction employment increased by 51,000 jobs in December, with gains for nonresidential as well as residential contractors, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials cautioned, however, that its latest survey shows widespread pessimism among contractors about the volume of work available in 2021, and they urged lawmakers to focus on measures designed to rebuild the economy and demand for construction. “December’s employment gains likely reflect milder weather than usual for the month rather than sustained demand for projects,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “In fact, our survey found contractors…
Public and private building markets, many of which are reeling from pandemic impacts, will find some respite through AGC’s success in landing significant development tax policies in the year-end COVID-relief and government funding bill enacted on December 27, 2020. These tax policies include $25 billion in tax incentives for community buildings development through the extension of the New Markets Tax Credit for five years; expanding tax credits for constructing more than 550,000 multifamily housing units via the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit; and makes permanent, with updated ASHRAE standards, the commercial building energy efficiency tax deduction (Section 179D), which encourages private…
AGC helped secure $10 billion for state departments of transportation to help offset lost transportation revenues threatening bid lettings and project cancelations as part of the year-end COVID-relief and government funding bill enacted on December 27, 2020. AGC members generated more than 50,000 messages to their members of Congress and President Trump in support of this request, in addition to many phone calls and contacts by AGC Chapters. In addition, the legislation includes a full year’s funding for the federal-aid highway and transit program, amounting to approximately $46 billion. For a detailed analysis of what was included in the year-end…