On Jan. 9, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) proposed important steps to streamline the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, which can be a circuitous, time-intensive, and costly environmental review step for many infrastructure projects. Â鶹ÊÓƵis pleased the proposal appears to set clear timelines for completing reviews as well as clear up ambiguous wording and definitions that have led to litigation and delayed projects over the years – steps recommended by Â鶹ÊÓƵin the prior comment period.
From the final rule to replace the repealed 2015 definition of Waters of the United States and a proposal to reform the National Environmental Policy Act procedures, to addressing the take of migratory birds and issuing regulatory determinations for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); the most recent Unified Agenda shows the agencies striving to complete some of the Administration’s biggest environmental policy goals.
Congress considered adding to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA) controversial language to regulate all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Deadline to apply is February 26, 2020
Each year, Â鶹ÊÓƵseeks nominations for qualified and motivated individuals from the Â鶹ÊÓƵEnvironmental Forum to serve on the steering committee for the forum. Would you like to play a leadership role in Â鶹ÊÓƵof America’s environmental advocacy, education and outreach efforts?
For the eleventh year in a row, Â鶹ÊÓƵof America has been named as one of the nation’s top lobbying operations by Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill. The publication’s annual ranking of top lobbyists lists Â鶹ÊÓƵCEO Steve Sandherr as a top lobbyist. Sandherr said the listing is a really an acknowledgement of the quality of the association’s government relations team, noting that the team secured $7.6 billion in federal highway funding that Congress had planned to cut, a disaster aid package with billions of dollars dedicated to rebuilding impacted communities, and regulatory reforms to lower the bureaucratic burden on the industry, among other accomplishments this year.
Guest Article by Anthony Kane, ISI - Resilience is a key component of sustainability where as an industry we have made significant advancements in recent years. In 2015 when the decision was made to begin work on a new version of Envision—the sustainable infrastructure framework—the primary driver was the industry’s expanding and evolving understanding of resilience. In April 2018, after three years of development, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure released Envision v3 with a significantly expanded focus on how infrastructure should address both short-term shocks (hurricanes, wildfires, etc.) and long-term stressors (sea level rise, aging infrastructure, aging populations, etc.).
Having a resilient jobsite is an important part of mitigating the daily risks of weather events, but what happens when a natural disaster occurs? AGC’s ConstructorCast new two-part series explores just this question. Tune in this December (part 1) and January (part 2) for three experts in claims management, litigation, and restoration. Find out how they have worked through the tough issues of pre-loss planning for your project sites, lessons in mitigating losses, restoration challenges, as well as insurance and claims.
USGBC’s Center for Resilience Showcases Practical Resources
Save the Date for July 14-16, 2020, in Louisville, KY