FHWA revisits Buy America provisions for rebar tie wire, lifting devices

In a mid-October Federal Register notice, the Federal Highway Administration indicated a possible one-year Buy America Act provision waiver for tie wire spools used in rebar-tying guns, and the potential for similar action on precast concrete lifting devices. The agency will weigh public comment on three points:

Read More

Appellate Court rejects NAACP, NAHB challenges to town’s pro-masonry ordinance

A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Houston) panel has found a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People- and National Association of Home Builders-anchored coalition lacked legal standing in its claims that revised, Kyle, Texas, zoning standards violate the Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA). In a November 11 opinion, the Appellate Court essentially affirms a March 2009 U.S. States District Court for the Western District of Texas (Austin Division) decision rejecting plaintiffs’ challenge based on their failure to present evidence the  standards discriminated against African-Americans or Hispanics.

Read More