Interested AGC members should apply by Wednesday, October 26, 2016!
On July 26, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced its final process for improving the way it identifies and prioritizes pending Endangered Species Act status reviews, a process the agency uses to determine whether a species warrants federal protection. The agency is legally bound to undertake year-long reviews during which it uses the 鈥渂est available science鈥 to determine whether a species meets the definition of threatened or endangered.
Public Companies Will Likely Experience Renewed Focus
In comments filed on Aug. 19, AGC questioned the Federal Highway Administration鈥檚 (FHWA) authority to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of its proposal for performance measurements as directed by Congress in the MAP-21 and FAST Act legislation. House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and 30 members of the committee also sent a letter telling FHWA that the proposal exceeds its authority for this action.
On Aug. 22, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) proposed updates to its Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands regulations to align with the 2015 Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, which AGC commented on last year. These requirements would expand the floodplain and raise costs for actions involving the use of FEMA Federal Funds for new construction, substantial improvement, or to address substantial damage to a structure or facility.
Court OKs EPA鈥檚 Revoking Permit Years after Issuance
On Aug. 2, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) publically released a long-expected, final guidance on incorporating greenhouse gases (GHG) and climate change into agency actions where the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) currently applies. NEPA requires an assessment of the impact on the environment of a proposed Federal action including rulemakings, permitting, overarching programmatic decisions, and specific projects 鈥 including some construction projects.
AGC provided comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) on its proposal to reissue and modify its nationwide permits (NWPs), general conditions and definitions. Obtaining these federal 鈥済eneral鈥 permits, which are required for construction activities in 鈥淲aters of the United States鈥 (WOTUS), is critical to the completion of the private and public infrastructure that forms the literal foundation of the nation鈥檚 economy. AGC鈥檚 comments stressed that any changes to the nationwide permit program should maintain an efficient and streamlined process for authorizing activities that propose minimal impacts on WOTUS.
AGC, Industry Partners Ask Agency for More Time to Comment
As news reports of the human and infrastructure tolls of natural disasters become ever more prevalent, so to do discussions on how to make our buildings and other infrastructure more resilient to those forces. Several key players in land use and development, including buildings鈥 research and standards organizations, have been looking at going beyond the minimum thresholds currently in use to further address disaster preparedness, safety, and climate mitigation in buildings. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at ongoing efforts within Federal agencies and local communities on general resilience, Part 2 looks at specific resilience initiatives related to buildings.