On November 10, 2009, ConsensusDOCS will release the construction industry's first comprehensive standard contract document addressing the unique risks and responsibilities associated with building green projects - the ConsensusDOCS 310 Green Building Addendum.  (more…)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on its Federal Register proposal to extend by one year the terms of its NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) general permit for stormwater discharges from construction sites - commonly called the 2008 Construction General Permit (CGP).  The extension of the 2008 CGP permit is needed, according to EPA, to allow the Agency sufficient time to develop a new CGP that incorporates the Agency's soon-to-be-finalized national stormwater effluent limits (see more information below).  EPA also has cited a variety of other "high priority" efforts that are competing for the Agency's attention.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report to Congress this week detailing the health, environmental and economic benefits of the Agency's Diesel Emission Reduction Program. The program, funded at $50 million last year, allowed EPA to fund the purchase or retrofitting of 14,000 diesel-powered vehicles and pieces of equipment.  A copy of the report is available here.

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Yesterday, AGC of America and the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) announced that the two organizations have agreed on principles to require reductions in diesel emissions from federally-funded transportation projects via contract change orders that cover 100 percent of the costs to retrofit equipment.  CATF represents leading environmental groups and targets diesel emissions reductions nationwide. 

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Recently, there has been an increased focus on black carbon and its potential impact on global warming. Diesel vehicles and equipment are one of the many sources of black carbon emissions.  The Diesel Technology Forum recently published a new paper, "Climate Change, Black Carbon & Clean Diesel," that presents definitions, statistics and facts about black carbon.  The paper explains how the introduction of new "clean diesel" technology is effectively shrinking black carbon emissions from U.S. transportation-related sources.

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson appeared this week before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to discuss the Clean Water Act's (CWA) permit program and EPA's immediate plans to strengthen its enforcement efforts. Jackson specifically called out construction sites as one of "the biggest threats" to our nation's waters, adding that EPA needs "to target enforcement to the most serious violations and the most significant sources."  To address what she describes as an "unacceptably low" level of enforcement activity, Administrator Jackson announced the release of EPA's new action plan to strengthen federal and state CWA enforcement. 

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AGC's acclaimed Building to LEED-NC: Overview and the Impact on Construction Practices course examines LEED for New Construction with a focus on the means and methods of construction. Attendees will learn about which prerequisites and credits have impacts on construction practices. The course details the ways in which major impact credits will affect decision making related to estimating, scheduling, documentation, contracts, and more. Updates for the new LEED v. 3.0 will be included in this course.

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A whole host of training, certification and work practice requirements called for by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Program are slated to take effect in April 2010.  By that date, construction firms must apply for and receive EPA certification to disturb paint as part of their work in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities.  In addition, all of these jobs must be supervised by certified renovators; specifically, individuals who have completed an EPA-accredited, full-day training course.  Plus, other craft workers on such jobsites must be properly trained and equipped to follow the RRP Program's lead-safe work practices when performing their assigned tasks.  AGC members covered by the RRP rule should take steps now to meet the upcoming April 2010 compliance deadline. 

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U.S. EPA's FY2009/2010 Request for Proposals (RFP) for the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program is now online at http://www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html.  EPA anticipates awarding a total of approximately $64 million under this announcement, subject to the availability of funds and the quality of proposals received.  

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