Transition is the order of the day at the National Labor Relations Board, as Trump Administration policies take hold and key appointments beckon. New leadership should support the sound National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) application exhibited in an early-May decision tied to a 2016 cast-in-place parking structure project.
Read MoreDay: July 6, 2017
EPA chief assures PCA directors of “better outcomes, less litigation”
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt outlined the key changes he envisions for an agency transitioning from the Obama to Trump Administration in a mid-May address to Portland Cement Association Board: 1) restoring respect for the rule of law, 2) ending regulation through litigation, and, 3) establishing cooperative federalism which will restore consistency in permitting and give companies more certainty for their business.
Read MoreNuclear plant contractor settles defective-rebar, quality assurance case
Under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Energy & Process Corp. (E&P) will pay $4.6 million to resolve a lawsuit alleging the Tucker, Ga., contractor knowingly failed to perform required quality assurance procedures and supplied defective steel reinforcing bars in connection with a Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear waste treatment facility contract.
Read MoreRogers Group chief leads push for consistency in aggregates specs
National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association Engineering & Technical (E&T) Committee members have stepped up efforts supporting consistent design and product specifications between federal and state agencies.
Read MoreLaw steers Federal agencies to resilient construction guidelines, practice
Along with funding the federal government through September, the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill President Donald Trump signed into law last month includes National Ready Mixed Concrete Association-advocated positions or directives for agencies influencing residential and commercial building design.
Read MoreTimely Interstate 85 reopening turns on nimble Standard Concrete Products
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao joined Georgia Governor Nathan Deal late last month to mark the earlier than projected completion of an emergency Georgia Department of Transportation contract, Interstate 85 over Piedmont Road Bridges, in Atlanta. A pre-Memorial Day ribbon cutting below the crossing hinged on reconstruction work attributable to rapid delivery of 61 precast/prestressed concrete bridge beams from Columbus, Ga.-based Standard Concrete Products.
Read MoreBoral North America division emerges from Boral Ltd., Headwaters union
Boral Ltd. consummated a $2.6 billion takeover of South Jordan, Utah-based Headwaters Inc., following U.S. Federal Trade Commission clearance. The deal brings the North Sydney, Australia, suitor upward of 8 million tons of annual fly ash volume, owing to Headwaters’ leading position in coal combustion residuals processing and marketing; additional light building products offerings; and, a doubling of roofing and manufactured stone market stakes. In the latter product category, it unites the Cultured Stone and Eldorado Stone brands.
Read MoreOldcastle Architectural ups InsulTech design options, flexibility with 6-in. unit
Oldcastle Architectural’s Echelon brand has launched the InsulTech Concrete Masonry System’s Half-High product line as an extension to its popular full high product. The system features about a dozen profiles—in finished nominal dimensions of 12 ¼ x 4 x 16 inches—offering more flexibility and options for architects designing hospitals, schools and other institutions, while meeting building codes.
Read MoreAltusGroup brings Graphic Concrete technology to North America
The AltusGroup partnership of architectural and structural precast producers has become the exclusive U.S. and Canadian sourcepoint distributor of Graphic Concrete technology for imparting durable patterns and images onto precast surfaces such as facades, walls, spandrels and soundwalls.
Read MoreSegmental pavement project activity nears double-digit growth
Gross sales for segmental concrete pavement contractors in the U.S. and Canada increased 8.8 percent in 2016 over the prior year, according to the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute’s 2017 Contractor Industry Survey, reflecting responses Columbus, Ohio, market researcher Industry Insights obtained from 218 small, mid-size and large companies.
Read More