Author: clara.kinney@agc.org
On Sept. 8, AGC submitted comments on the revised PART 36 of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). The FAR revision is due to President Trump’s Executive Order, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement, directing sweeping changes to the federal procurement. The order intends to create a more efficient procurement system by removing undue regulatory barriers and eliminating FAR provisions not required by law or essential to sound procurement. Specifically, AGC called on for restoring best practices like site visits and preconstruction conferences, refining Project Labor Agreement requirements, improving the timing of government cost estimates, and reducing the administrative load on contracting officers…
AGC of America has released its updated 2025 Economic Impact Factsheets for all 50 states. These one-page tools highlight construction’s contribution to GDP, employment, wages, and spending, helping chapters, members, and stakeholders communicate the industry’s importance to policymakers, the media, and the public. The factsheets also provide context on workforce trends and industry pay, offering a quick, credible resource for advocacy, comment letters, and media outreach. They are designed to help make the case for continued investment in construction careers and training. To see your state, click here. For more information, please contact Macrina Wilkins.
On September 4, the Trump administration published its first Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (“the Agenda”). The Agenda is a data call from the federal agencies that publishes a list of rules and regulations that each agency is working on. The lists are posted on reginfo.gov and available for public review. The activities included in the Agenda are primarily those currently planned to have an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), or a Final Rule issued within the next 12 months. Agencies may also publish a list of long-term actions that…
Treasury and the IRS have issued Notice 2025-42 to implement the “begin construction” deadline in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Under OBBBA, the clean electricity production credit (§45Y) and investment credit (§48E) terminate for wind and solar facilities after December 31, 2027, if construction begins after July 4, 2026. The Treasury guidance tells contractors exactly how to prove they began construction in time and tightens the standard compared with pre-OBBBA practice. The most important change in the notice is that now the only way to establish construction began before July 5, 2026 for wind and solar projects is…
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued interim final guidance for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program on August 11, 2025. It supersedes all prior NEVI guidance with the goal to simplify compliance and speed delivery. Funding is flowing again for the program. You might recall that the funding was paused pending further guidance on the program to align with President Trump’s priorities. With the new rules for the program, states have 30 days to submit new plans or resubmit old ones. NEVI provides $5 billion to states, which can contract with private entities for installation, operations, and maintenance.…
On September 4, all states and territories must submit their Broadband Equity and Access Deployment (BEAD) project proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The proposals will outline how they will spend their BEAD allotments to expand broadband access to underserved regions. The BEAD Program was included as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and provided $42.45 billion divided between all states and territories for expanding broadband to underserved regions. Despite the record funding, no projects have broken ground throughout the country. Under the previous administration, the NTIA was slow to approve projects under BEAD.…
On July 21, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a request for information (RFI) on the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization. The current law expires September 30, 2026, and DOT is seeking stakeholder feedback to shape the next proposal, inviting input from contractors, state and local governments, manufacturers, and other industry partners to ensure the bill addresses the nation’s most pressing infrastructure needs. AGC of America submitted comments to the RFI, underscoring the construction industry’s perspective and providing three attachments to inform DOT’s process: Through these submissions, AGC stressed the importance of predictable funding, regulatory clarity, and efficient permitting processes…
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides funding for roads, bridges, and transit through September 30, 2026. The IIJA provides the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) with expenditure authority, or the ability for state and local governments to get reimbursed for obligations for projects. This expenditure authority ends unless Congress passes an extension or a new reauthorization bill. Payments on projects that were already obligated continue, but lettings, new grant agreements, and many discretionary awards pause until Congress restores authority. DOT’s own lapse plans underscore this: during an authorization lapse, Federal-aid Highway programs stop obligating new funds. To understand what…
On August 4, AGC of America submitted detailed comments on the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts. AGC previously reported on the government-wide effort to streamline the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and highlighted DOT’s efforts to speed up the process for infrastructure contractors. Among the key changes are a rigorous commitment to page and time limits, new procedures for project sponsors to prepare their own documents, and a new framework for evaluating what actions do and don’t require compliance with NEPA. In formulating our comment, AGC spoke to members at our July 31 In-House…
On August 7, 2025, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a proposed rule that would allow certain drone operations beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) without the need for individual waivers. The move is aimed at expanding safe, large-scale drone use across industries for activities such as mapping, inspection, and progress monitoring – and was also required by the FAA Reauthorization of 2024. The FAA proposes to create a new section in its regulations for BVLOS operations. Specifically, drone operators would need to hold either a permit (simpler, capped operations) or a certificate (broader, scalable operations) for BVLOS operations…