When President Obama’s critics talk about abuse of executive power, a National Labor Relations Board reference is close at hand. Questioning the constitutionality of three Board Members’ appointments, made when the administration deemed the Senate in recess, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in January that the NLRB lacked a quorum in a 2012 decision for which Washington state employer Noel Canning sought review. The NLRB responded last month, petitioning for Supreme Court review of the appellate court ruling. Post-2011 Board orders would be jeopardized in the event the high court refuses to review the ruling, or upholds it.
Read MoreMonth: April 2013
Torromeo Ind. agrees to fund pervious pavement project in EPA settlement
Source: Environmental Protection Agency Region 1, Boston
Under a consent decree surrounding alleged Clean Water Act violations in ready mixed and sand & gravel production, Kingston, N.H.-based Torromeo Industries Inc. will pay a civil penalty, implement compliance measures, and cover a $500,000 pervious concrete placement.
Read MoreFeds: Prescriptive specs, fly ash thresholds hamper greening of concrete
Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md.; CP staff
A new NIST report cites barriers to broader acceptance of concrete designed with 30 percent or higher fly ash binder, along with a need to allow practitioner pursuit of alternatives to prescriptive mix designs favoring portland cement.
Read MoreOSHA proposes $110K in fines for major sound wall, barrier producer
Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Following an October 2012 inspection, OSHA has alleged 21 serious and three other-than-serious violations at the Tricon Precast Ltd. plant in Houston.
Read MoreUtility Group: Coal ash rule likely set for EPA 2014 agenda
Sources: National Concrete Masonry Association, Herndon, Va.; CP staff
Conferring with Utility Solid Waste Activities Group officials in Washington, D.C., NCMA Government Affairs staff reports that the Environmental Protection Agency is poised to issue a final Coal Combustion Residuals management and disposal rule late next year.
Read MoreASTM E06 charters Building Safety Subcommittee
Source: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. ASTM Subcommittee E06.75 on Building Safety in the Construction Life Cycle, charged with developing standards related to safe working environment, plus protection of people and property in the construction life cycle, will hold a premier meeting April 16 in Indianapolis. The gathering will take place alongside many other ASTM Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings…
Read MoreSummit Materials closes on Westroc, Lafarge Wichita assets
Sources: Summit Materials, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
Ending a one-year drought of announced concrete and aggregate deals, Summit Materials has acquired Utah’s Westroc Inc. and certain Lafarge North America assets in Kansas.
Read MoreSeismic design standard improves structural steel competitiveness
Sources: American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Washington, D.C.; CP staff
Scheduled for development by year’s end, AISI S400, North American Standard for Seismic Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Systems, will provide what promoters contend is a growth opportunity for their building methods.
Read MoreProduction homebuilder eyes up to 500 LEED-certified projects annually
Source: U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C.
The largest builder of single-family LEED for Homes-certified properties in Texas and throughout the industry, McGuyer Homebuilders Inc. plans LEED certification for all properties delivered under its Wilshire Homes brand in the San Antonio market.
Read MoreFlorida’s Woodland, Seretta elevate tilt-up contractor certification
Source: Tilt-up Concrete Association, Iowa
Woodland Construction Co. of Jupiter, Fla., and Seretta Construction of Apopka, Fla., are the first two TCA members to attain the group’s Company Certification. In development for more than three years, the program is in response to requests from the industry for more detailed assurance of company performance; it was launched in March in Florida.
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