Author: agcnews
Hensel Phelps was recognized for having the nation’s top construction safety and health program in 2024 by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). The association, which oversees the Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA), an annual ranking of construction safety and health programs, noted that 66 other companies were also selected as winners for their commitment to occupational safety and health management and risk control. “Through these awards, we are seeking to identify the most effective tactics companies are using to address and improve construction safety and health,” said Todd Roberts, the association’s senior vice president and president of ERS Inc. in Jackson,…
Spanning 3.7 miles through three cities and two counties, the Lynnwood Link Extension L300 is more than a light rail expansion—it’s a testament of construction excellence. Skanska delivered the project on time and within budget despite immense challenges, earning it the Grand Award in this year’s Build America Awards. From the start, access was limited to just 40% of the alignment. Skanska’s phased construction and early work packages kept progress moving. The team navigated a global microchip shortage by installing escalators ahead of delivery and performing final tests onsite, avoiding six months of delays. They also cut full freeway closures…
AGC of America and our survey partner, HCSS, are asking all highway and transportation members help us improve work zone safety by completing this brief survey. We want to collect information on the number, severity, impacts and potential solutions to highway work zone crashes. We will use the results of this survey for a media and public education campaign we will launch the week before Memorial Day to encourage motorists to be more careful in work zones. We will also use this data to work with our chapters to advocate for stronger highway work zone safety laws and more aggressive enforcement…
Without action from Congress and the White House, most construction companies will face a 20% tax increase in 2026 as key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are set to expire. Take 30 seconds to send a prewritten message to President Trump and your members of Congress to urge them to extend these provisions and prevent increased tax burdens on construction companies. The TCJA provided significant tax relief for construction by: Due to congressional budget constraints, many of these provisions were made temporary. Without action, your business will pay more in taxes, have fewer resources to invest,…
Construction employment increased in 31 states and the District of Columbia in March from a year earlier, while 29 states added construction jobs between February and March, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials urged policy makers to expand worker authorization programs to ensure that the nation has sufficient skilled construction workers. Read more.
President Trump issued a memo calling for significant updates to the environmental permitting process. Emphasizing the use of technology in the permitting process, the memo calls for executive departments and agencies to “make maximum use of technology in environmental review and permitting processes for infrastructure projects of all kinds.” This comes as states and project owners are concerned that cuts to the federal workforce will cause delays in the NEPA and permitting process. According to the memo, the President will leverage technology to “streamline the overall environmental review and permitting process at the Federal level, with the goal of speeding…
On April 15, President Trump issued an Executive Order, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement, directing sweeping changes to federal procurement. The order intends to create a more efficient procurement system by removing undue regulatory barriers and eliminating Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) provisions not required by law or essential to sound procurement. Specifically, the order calls for the head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, members of the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, and senior agency acquisition and procurement officials to coordinate on aligning the FAR with the order’s instructions within 180 days. AGC will continue to report on this as…
AGC is proud to share the 2024 Annual Report – Creating a Better Workplace. Critical to our success is the quality of the people working on our behalf. We are also fortunate to have passionate, committed members like you who are supporting our work and helping us stay focused on the issues that are important to this industry. You can find the digital version of our latest Annual Report here: report.agc.org.
AGC Charities Inc., Kokosing and United Rentals teamed up to lead dozens of volunteers from across the country to assemble all the walls for a new house being built by Habitat for Humanity Delaware and Union Counties. The volunteer workday at Kokosing’s campus in Westerville involved cutting wood and assembling the various pieces into prefabricated walls that will be erected on land own by Habitat for Humanity for a deserving family. “The volunteers were there because they enjoy the experience, but they also understand how important it is to give back to our communities,” said Lainee Perala, the chair of…
Construction sector employment increased by 13,000 positions in March as rising wages enabled the industry to add workers more rapidly than other sectors, according to an analysis of new government data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials cautioned that newly announced tariffs and potential retaliatory measures from U.S. trading partners have the potential to undermine future employment growth in the sector. “Contractors added employees at a faster clip than other sectors in March, as pay for construction craft workers outpaced wages for production workers in the overall private sector,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist.…