Author: agcnews
A coalition of environmental advocacy groups, including Beyond Plastics, Environmental Health Sciences, and the Plastic Pollution Coalition, released a report calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide guidance on a safe alternative to PVC for replacing lead water service lines. The coalition claims that PVC is hazardous to human health and warns that communities replacing their lead service lines with PVC would be “leaping from the frying pan into the fire.” The report, however, lacks new research to justify such regulatory action, as the groups admit “research on this topic is thin.” The replacement of lead service lines is funded…
On May 10, the White House released new permitting priorities to advance its climate change policy goals. The White House touched on a few reforms that AGC has previously supported, such as reducing the length of federal decision documents, reasonable decision time frames for projects, and improving federal coordination and information sharing. However, the priorities are limited to largely transmission and renewable energy projects as well as clean energy infrastructure. Recent reports and news stories have highlighted that for the Biden administration to achieve its climate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, there will need to be meaningful permit reform to help…
An AGC-backed lawsuit has led the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota to issue a preliminary injunction of the Biden Administration’s 2023 “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule in 24 states (see below) on April 12. Adding to the two-state injunction the association secured from a Texas court as well as a preliminary injunction in Kentucky (AGC of Kentucky joined the Chamber of Commerce on that case), the 2023 WOTUS rule is now temporarily blocked in over half the country: 27 states in all. As a reminder, AGC of America and 17 other industry groups are a party…
AGC of America released the fourth video in its series of mental health videos recently for member firms to share with all employees. The video features Shayne Dinkle, a Seattle-area safety manager for iron workers, who lost a son to suicide. The pain and anger from that incident brought him close to taking his own life. But the support and compassion he received from his co-workers helped him overcome. The message from the video is clear, it is okay to share your pain, ask for help and offer it to co-workers who are suffering. The video is part of a broader AGC…
On May 1, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) launched its Mental Health at Work initiative, which leverages DOL’s expertise, programs, policies, partnerships, and authority to advance mental health and wellness in the workforce. This initiative will advance wellness in the workforce by reducing stigma and increasing awareness of mental health and wellbeing within workplaces; promoting best practices and compliance by employers; and promoting mental health equity and access, especially for marginalized and vulnerable populations. Employers play the most critical role in creating environments where workers are as comfortable seeking support for treating mental health conditions as they are with…
Construction has one of the highest suicide rates of any industry. On this episode, we speak with the co-chairs of AGC’s Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Task Force – Mandi Kime of AGC of Washington and Brandon Anderson of AGC of Missouri – on how they are leading the fight for an industry in crisis. They share why they are so passionate and how they are working to combat construction’s leading mental health difficulties and the stigma that accompanies them.
Builders assess their risk and set their prices accordingly. Don Gregory, legal counsel for subcontractors and other industry practitioners for more than 40 years, recommends that Subcontractors condition their bids on an unmodified ConsensusDocs subcontract. This was one of the nuggets from a recent Strafford webinar on which three seasoned construction attorneys presented on Understanding ConsensusDocs Construction Contracts: What Lawyers Need to Know. Each presenter focused on one perspective: the owner’s (David Scotti), the general contractor’s (Phil Beck), and the subcontractor’s (Don Gregory). Their conclusions on which documents and provisions to focus upon differed. But each concluded that ConsensusDocs is an extremely helpful tool…
The price of materials and services used in nonresidential construction increased 0.5 percent from March to April, while an index that measures contractors’ bid prices declined 0.3 percent, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials said the new data indicates contractors are getting squeezed by rising materials prices at a time when what they charge to build projects is declining. “Prices remain volatile for many key construction materials, making it difficult for contractors to bid projects that may take years to complete,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Even some…
For #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, we were able to talk to Mandi Kime, and Brandon Anderson, the two co-chairs of Associated General Contractors of America’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Task Force. On this ConstructorCast episode, they open up about the front lines of an industry in crisis, and share how they are bringing hope to so many across the nation. Listen to the full episode at agc.org/constructorcast, or stream on your favorite podcast app!
The construction sector added 15,000 jobs in April while the sector’s unemployment rate fell to a record low for the month and the number of unfilled construction positions is close to a monthly high, according to an analysis of new government data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials said the industry likely would have added even more positions if contractors could find more qualified workers. “Contractors can’t find, reach, hire and train workers fast enough to keep pace with demand,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “The pool of qualified, available labor is the smallest…