ADVERTISEMENT
Newsline Washington
APRIL 8, 2013
ARTBA Helps Launch Every Day Counts Phase II
ARTBA Victory in Ninth Circuit Halts Expansion of EPA’s Reach
ARTBA staff participated in Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and District of Columbia Department of Transportation events last week to launch the second phase of the “Every Day Counts” (EDC-2) initiative to improve and accelerate project delivery. FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez, FHWA Executive Director Jeff Paniati, and AASHTO Executive Director Bud Wright hosted presentations on five specific Continued on page 5
PRIDE, Globe & Hall of Fame Award Nominations Due April 12 The nomination deadline for the ARTBA Foundation’s PRIDE, Globe, and Hall of Fame Awards is Friday, April 12. These annual competitions highlight U.S. transportation construction industry excellence in community relations and public education, environmental protection, and individuals that have Continued on page 2 Follow ARTBA:
The Federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers most of the Western U.S., sided with ARTBA April 3 in refusing to widen the scope of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) to cover regulation of pre-treated, wooden utility poles exposed to rainwater on construction sites. In Ecological Rights Foundation (ERF) v. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Pacific Bell Telephone Co., the court declined to expand the
definition of what is considered a “point source” under federal law. Once something is labeled a “point source,” it is under federal control and subject to the permitting authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). ARTBA, the only transportation construction association involved in the case, joined with 15 other industry associations in urging the court not to the expanded
definition of “point source,” which could have resulted in a scenario where the EPA and Corps would have the option of exerting jurisdiction over any construction materials touched by rainwater, potentially adding years to an already expansive review and approval process for urgently-needed transportation improvement projects aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety. View ARTBA’s brief and the court’s decision.
Applications for Hall of Fame Nominations Due April 12 ARTBA Washington Newsline
Last Call for PRIDE, Globe & Hall of Fame Award Nominations Continued from page 1
made extraordinary contributions to U.S. transportation industry over their lifetime. The PRIDE Awards program, which celebrates public education campaigns community relations projects that enhance the image of the transportation design and construction industry, is open to all industry firms, agencies and associations. The Globe Awards, which highlight examples of transportation construction industry excellence in protecting and enhancing the natural environment, is presented in two categories, “Project Awards” and “Process Awards.” Project Awards recognize private-sector firms and public-sector transportation agencies for their efforts in protecting the environment during the course of a transportation improvement project. Process Awards honor companies that have exhibited environmentally responsible manufacturing, production, resource extraction or other processes related to
2012 First Place Globe Award Winner: Maryland ICC Design-Build, Contract B Project (L to R): Rich Wagman, chairman & CEO, G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc.; Gwyon Nelson, project manager, Kiewit Infrastructure South; 2012 ARTBA Chair Paul Yarossi, president, HNTB Holdings, Inc.; and Bill Cox, president, Corman Construction.
surface transportation construction. The Hall of Fame honors individuals or families from the public and private sectors who have made extraordinary contributions to U.S. transportation development or demonstrated exceptional leadership over their lifetime. Nominees are considered in the categories of “Transportation Design & Construction Industry Innovators” or “Transportation Design & Construction Industry Leaders.” Winners will be recognized during a
special June 3 gala awards dinner, held in conjunction with ARTBA’s Federal Issues Program in Washington, D.C. Visit the Awards & Scholarship page on the ARTBA website, or contact Holly DiGangi.
Upcoming Events
2013
Visit our Events Page for more information. Federal Issues Program & TCC Fly-In June 3-5 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]
Young Executive Development Program June 3-6 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]
5th Annual Transportation Construction Law & Regulatory Forum June 5 Washington, D.C.
2
ART BA Washington Newsline
25th Annual ARTBA P3 Conference July 24-26 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]
ARTBA National Convention September 8-10 Milwaukee, Wis. [Add to Calendar]
Dr. J. Don Brock TransOvationTM Workshop & Awards Program October 28-30 San Jose, Calif.
Local Transportation Management Virtual Conference & Innovation Showcase (LoTransTM 2013) November 19-20
Regional Meetings
Western: December 2-3, Austin, Texas Central: December 4-5, St. Louis, Mo. Southern: December 9-10, Charlotte, N.C. Northeastern: December 11-12, Baltimore, Md.
ARTBA Announces Partnership with TFI-News ARTBA is proud to announce a new partnership with London-based TFI-News to further celebrate the Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Division’s 25th anniversary. TFI-News is a leading provider of worldwide infrastructure news and information and is an official media sponsor of the 25th Annual ARTBA P3 Conference, taking place July 24-26 in Washington, D.C. ARTBA will also be co-sponsoring TFINews’ upcoming April 18 P3 Forum in New York, N.Y. For more information on the ARTBA P3 Conference, please visit www.artbap3.org, or contact Hank Webster. For more information on the TFI-News event, please visit www.tfi-news.com or contact Paul Haley.
ARTBA Shares Insights with White House on Women in Transportation
Products & Services Support ARTBA’s Foundation & 2013 Work Zone Safety Week
With National Work Zone Awareness Week scheduled for April 15-19, the ARTBA Foundation has two popular products you can purchase to show your commitment to safety and also help support the “Lanford Family Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship Fund.” Work Zone Awareness Safety Ribbons: These one-inch-bythree-inch adhesive ribbons are made from retro-reflective orange tape and are the perfect accessory. Wear them on the jobsite or at meetings. Minimum order 15 ribbons per page for $15. Work Zone Safety Awareness Wristbands: The Livestrong Foundation first made them famous and now their are replicas all over the world. Wear your bright orange wristbands on the jobsite or at meetings to show your support for work zone safety. Minimum order 20 wristbands per bag for $40. To Purchase: www.artbastore.org
ARTBA Vice President of Member Services and Director of the ARTBA Women’s Leadership Council Allison Klein participated in a “Women in Transportation Forum” at the White House April 4. The group provided insights into “best practices” for educating, recruiting, retaining and developing leadership among a diverse cadre of women throughout the U.S. transportation sector and strategies for overcoming employment and career advancement barriers. Outcomes from the session will inform the U.S.’s work with the Administration’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) effort being led by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) . The forum was kicked-off by Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Obama and chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls. U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were also present. ARTBA Washington Newsline
3
“”
Overheard “I think there is a very real problem and a lot of the funding that we’ve had has barely been enough to keep up with potholes, let alone deeper and more significant problems with infrastructure. I think it’s a real problem. The solution, I think, is what’s undetermined. I’ve seen that people can politicize anything out here.” Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) quoted in “Politico” April 2.
“Now, 210 million U.S. drivers, and the commerce on which they rely, are riding on baby-boom-generation roadways, which like the boomers themselves are no longer so steady and sound. As reality sinks in, states have moved to raise taxes to fix their roads before it’s too late.” March 31 “Washington Post” story, “Beneath the Surface, the Beltway Crumbles,” highlighting the condition of the D.C. Beltway highway system.
4
ART BA Washington Newsline
Legislative & Regulatory News White House Details Plan to Attract Private Investment A White House summary of President Obama’s “Rebuild America Partnership” proposal emphasizes a number of potential actions Congress and the Administration could take to enhance private investment in the nation’s transportation infrastructure network. The plan calls for: • Establishing a $10 billion National Infrastructure Bank to provide credit assistance to a broad range of infrastructure improvements; • New “America Fast Forward (AFF) Bonds”— conventional taxable bonds issued by state and local governments in which the federal government makes direct payments to state and local governmental issuers in a subsidy amount equal to 28 percent of the coupon interest on the bonds. • Expansion of the “Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act,” (TIFIA) which provides federal credit assistance for a variety of transportation infrastructure improvements; • Additional investment in the Administration’s “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery” (TIGER) programs which provide discretionary grants; • Lifting the national cap and expand eligibility for “Private Activity Bonds”
(PABs), which are issued by state and local governments for the purpose of financing private projects; and • Improving the tax treatment of foreign pension funds that choose to invest in U.S. infrastructure enhancements. These proposals would be additive to the President’s “State of the Union” call for a $40 billion “Fix-it-First” investment in the nation’s infrastructure. Each transportation proposal would require congressional action, and the current political environment essentially demands new investments be offset in some way, either through revenue increases or spending cuts in other areas. Sources indicate President Obama will submit April 10 his FY 2014 budget request to Congress and that details on how to pay for the “Rebuild America Partnership” plan and the “Fix it First” investment may be included. As always, we will update you as soon as more information becomes available.
EPA Backs Off ARTBA Opposed Stormwater Standards ARTBA’s consistent advocacy on stormwater issues yielded a victory for the transportation construction industry April 1 as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew proposed “one size fits all” numeric standards for stormwater runoff. EPA attempted to impose a single, uniform standard for all permits construction sites—meaning a project in an extremely wet and dry areas would be treated the same for stormwater purposes. For the past five years, ARTBA has consistently submitted comments and testimony to EPA urging any future stormwater permits be flexible enough to account for different weather conditions across the country. EPA’s decision to omit a uniform numeric standard in their new permits demonstrates the value of diligent advocacy in the regulatory arena. ARTBA’s history of stormwater comments is available in the “Regulatory” section of www.artba.org.
Multimodal News
Fostering Innovation
A service of ARTBA’s multimodal councils, it features current transportation developments making news across all modes and regions. Contact Sara Jones to become a subscriber or visit www.artbamultimodal.org.
TRB Newsletter: April 2
Highlighting new research, technologies, industry best practices and information resources available to the transportation design and construction industry.
ARTBA News Every Day Counts Phase II Continued from page 1
technologies and processes supported by the agency to accelerate and improve project delivery. Together, with state departments of transportation and other stakeholders, EDC-2 will focus on: national traffic incident management responder training; high friction surfaces treatments; intersection and interchange geometrics; geospatial data collaboration; and, implementing quality environmental documentation. Each state is now charged with developing plans to implement the above technologies and processes. For more
information on local efforts, please contact your state departments of transportation and local FHWA division offices and ask how you can be involved with the Every Day Counts initiative.
ARTBA Kicks-Off New Quarterly Webinar Series for CIOs & CFOs ARTBA’s Finance and Technology Council (FTC) April 3 hosted the first of four webinars designed specifically to help chief information officers (CIOs), chief financial officers (CFOs) and other senior level transportation design and construction firm executives better understand and navigate the world of new technologies in order to improve their business operations. Last week’s webinar, “Options
in the Cloud,” which had over 30 registered participants, provided clarity on what the cloud actually solves, as well as challenges and benefits to its use. Instructor Josh McDonald, IT solutions manager for HCSS, one of the nation’s top construction software firms, explained how the cloud creates economies of scale that can help companies leverage resources to improve an organization’s bottom line. For more information on ARTBA’s quarterly technology and finance webinars, contact Mike Sakata or Mike Forsythe.
ARTBA Supporting Port & Intermodal Finance & Investment Summit ARTBA is proud to be a supporting sponsor of the Port
and Intermodal Finance and Investment Summit April 16-18 in Miami, Fla. The event will explore plans for U.S. ports and private sector marine terminal partners to invest $46 billion in port-related improvements through 2016 to better prepare for an expanded Panama Canal and the resulting class of larger cargo vessels that will have access to the U.S. Kenyon Gleason, executive director of ARTBA’s Ports and Waterways Council, will join executives from the nation’s port authorities, departments of transportation, terminal operators, shipping lines, intermodal carriers, and financial authorities to discuss the future of this key economic sector. Learn more about the event and register today.
BridgeDataPro™ is a unique, high-speed, web-based software solution that allows users to easily sort and organize 60 million data points on nearly 610,000 U.S. bridges. It’s a “must have” for management, market research and policy applications.
Free trial and information about an annual subscription at ...
w w w. b r i d g e d a t a p r o . c o m Download a PDF copy of the digital “Washington Newsline.” ARTBA Washington Newsline
5
BEST-SELLING ARTBA SAFETY PRODUCTS
VIDEOS
Playing it Safe with PPE
Price: $99
Available in English and Spanish in the same download, or on DVD, this 20-minute video contains two segments. The first helps company managers understand what to look for when purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) and provides tips on motivating workers to wear it. The second—and most valuable—is a “must-see” for your company’s employees. It compares scenes from sporting events to roadway construction work, educating workers about the importance of properly wearing their PPE even if they don’t see the hazards around them.
Flagging Fundamentals: 6 Steps to Safety
Price: $99
This DVD, also available in English and Spanish in the same download, provides the latest information to revitalize your organization’s flagging training programs with information from the most recent federal and industry standards. By focusing on six steps to safe flagging operations, the video is an excellent tool to refresh flaggers who may need to sharpen their skills and remember the basics of flagging operations. The program also includes assessment questions so instructors can ascertain the knowledge gained by their trainees.
Avoiding Runovers & Backovers
Price: $99
This 20-minute training video, aimed at helping managers, operators and workers, is available as a download or on DVD, and offers “common sense” tips and information about safe work procedures to reduce and eliminate the hazards which lead to death and injury for roadway construction workers.
These videos are available for purchase individually, or as a three-pack for $225.
BOOKS The OSHA Answer Book
Price: $85
The OSHA Answer Book, now in its 10 th edition —“The Anniversary Issue” – has been called an “excellent resource for any size business” by the “Washington Post.” According to “Forbes,” “It’s affordable and the author is an excellent writer… it’s worth more than the double the price.” With more than 100,000 copies sold, The OSHA Answer Book is your one-stop resource designed to provide you with quick answers to complicated issues. It includes: a complete listing of all OSHA’s recordkeeping regulations; sample forms to use; tips on what to do when an OSHA inspector shows up; coverage of all OSHA General Industry Regulations (1910) in easy-to-understand language; explanations of the Injury and Illness Prevention Program and how it applies to companies; and details on how the Obama Administration decides which workplaces to inspect.
The Hazard Communication Answer Book
Price: $150
“The Hazard Communication Answer Book,” the book covers the revised Hazard Communication Standard, also known as Hazcom, HCS, 29 CFR 1910.1200 and Right to Know. OSHA is aligning HCS with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), a global hazard communication system developed by the United Nations (UN) that standardizes the classification of chemicals and the communication of hazards via labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs). With GHS alignment, the classification of chemicals will include the categorization of hazards based upon severity. Other changes will significantly alter labels and safety data sheets. This book, which also includes a Written Hazard Communication Program companies can customize on a CD, will help you: learn about the New Labels and MSDS Sheets; what the GHS is, and why your understanding of it is crucial; how the New Standard will affect your workplace; what Changes are required in Classification, Labeling, and Employee Training; what are the new pictograms? and; practical tips for compliance that you can implement right away!
Check out the full list of safety products at www.artbastore.org, or contact 6
ART BA Washington ARTBA Sales Newsline Manager Peter Embrey: 202.289.4434, or pembrey@artba.org.