Construction

May 15, 2009 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today signed House Bill 1216, which funds key construction projects statewide.

“The capital budget I am signing today will support more than 13,000 jobs at its peak,” Gregoire said. “These jobs are critical in helping our state recover from the economic downturn. At the same time, the investments build the infrastructure needed to keep Washington at the forefront of the 21st century economy.”

The 2009–11 capital budget invests $3.3 billion in construction projects throughout the state and includes funds to:
• Support K-12 school construction
• Provide adequate housing for inmates
• Construct adequate facilities for college students
• Protect the environment    » read more »

Will Create Jobs for Construction, Repairs, Inspections

May 6, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that several Connecticut lakes, rivers and other flood control areas will benefit from $5.6 million in federal stimulus funds as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ comprehensive civil works initiative that will create an immediate need for construction and maintenance jobs while preserving valuable natural and recreational resources.

“The Army Corps’ investment in Connecticut will pay tremendous environmental and economic dividends,” Governor Rell said. “These are all important flood control projects that will benefit our state for generations to come by protecting and preserving irreplaceable natural resources.”    » read more »

May 4, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today signed into law a measure that will encourage construction of "solar ready homes" as part of a long-term strategy to make the New Energy Economy more accessible to more people and to create new jobs all across the state.

House Bill 1149, sponsored by Rep. Mike Merrifield and Sen. Morgan Carroll, requires that homebuilders offer prospective homeowners the option of having their home pre-wired for solar and provide homeowners with a list of contractors.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., Feb. 11, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settlements with KBR, Inc. and Halliburton Co. to resolve SEC charges that KBR subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root LLC bribed Nigerian government officials over a 10-year period, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), in order to obtain construction contracts. The SEC also charged that KBR and Halliburton, KBR's former parent company, engaged in books and records violations and internal controls violations related to the bribery.    » read more »

Enforcement Actions by DOJ and SEC Result in Penalties of $579 Million for KBR’s Participation in a Scheme to Bribe Nigerian Government Officials to Obtain Contracts

February 11, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR), a global engineering, construction and services company based in Houston, pleaded guilty today to charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for its participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division announced. The EPC contracts to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion.    » read more »

May 30, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Hillary Clinton is calling on the Bush Administration to issue new safety standards for cranes and derricks and questioned why the administration has failed to update these regulations.

A 2006 crane collapse: Photo by Mike Anderson (CC)

In a letter to Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke, Senator Clinton underscored that current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards for cranes and derricks were written in 1971, and that an OSHA advisory committee recommended updated regulations in 2004 that have yet to be put in place.    » read more »

May 23, 2008 -- SACRAMENTO -- California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced a $6 million settlement with MCM Construction, resolving allegations that the company was operating diesel cranes, pile drivers, and other portable engines without the required air district pollution permits.

“The company was operating construction equipment, without the necessary permits, which is potentially very damaging to the environment,” Attorney General Brown said. “Under today’s settlement the company will obtain the necessary permits and submit the equipment to careful inspection.”    » read more »

Speaks before the Massachusetts Building and Construction Trades

April 16, 2008 -- (As Prepared for Delivery) -- Thank you so much, Frank, for that warm introduction, and I welcome all of you to Washington.

It’s a privilege and an honor to address the members of our Massachusetts Building Trades.

Building construction site, Massachusetts: Photo by Paul Keleher (CC)    » read more »

April 14 , 2008 -- Chicago – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan today said that a Normal, Ill. construction company has pleaded guilty to its role in burying 55-gallon drums containing concrete sealer, hazardous waste and waste oil on property it leased in 2003.

Isaacson Construction, Inc. pleaded guilty on Thursday in McLean County Circuit Court to Reckless Disposal of Hazardous Waste and Criminal Damage to Property, both Class 4 felonies.

Waste drums: Photo by smitys (CC)    » read more »

April 14, 2008 -- SANTA BARBARA -- California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced a 74-count felony indictment against a former Santa Maria-Bonita School District official and three executives from TurnKey, a Temecula-based company, for misappropriating $3.6 million in public money for schools.

A school construction site, California: Photo by Dave Piper (CC)    » read more »

Geneva, Switzerland, 6 February 2008 – The World Economic Forum, through its Engineering & Construction Community and Centre for Strategic Insight, has launched Engineering & Construction: Scenarios to 2020. This publication marks a new phase in an initiative that is based on the need for a long-term, multistakeholder, industry-wide approach to deepen insights into the future of the E&C industry.    » read more »

January 23, 2008 -- BOSTON – The joint venture of Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, Bechtel Infrastructure Corp., and PB Americas, Inc., f/k/a Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas, Inc. ("Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff”), the management consultant to the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (“the Big Dig”) has agreed to pay over $407 million to resolve its criminal and civil liabilities in connection with the collapse of part of the I-90 Connector Tunnel ceiling and defects in the slurry walls of the Tip O’Neill tunnel.    » read more »

Stop Residential Construction Under Judgment Obtained By Nixon

January 16, 2008 -- Independence, Mo. — The developers of The Links at Stone Canyon, a residential and golf course project in Independence, must stop residential construction and take immediate steps to investigate and control the migration of methane and other subsurface gases, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon says.    » read more »

Agency’s Transaction to Fund First Major Improvements To Port Authority Bus Terminal in More Than 20 Years

November 30, 2007 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and the Port Authority today announced an agreement with a prominent New York City development team to build a major office tower above the Port Authority Bus Terminal, a transaction that is expected to generate approximately $500 million over the term of the lease.    » read more »

Receives Award For Environmental Leadership

November 19, 2007 -- BELLEAIR / SARASOTA – Florida Governor Crist today applauded green building efforts in Pinellas and Sarasota counties. First, the Governor joined representatives of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Legg Mason Real Estate Investors on the steps of the historic Belleview Biltmore Hotel to unveil plans for the hotel’s environmentally friendly renovation.    » read more »