The Associated General Contractors of Greater Florida in partnership with a coalition of construction associations in the Southeast will invest more than $1.6 million over the next two years to cut diesel emissions from off-road construction equipment that is currently in use.  The U.S. EPA has awarded the National Funding Assistance Program grant to the Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association to support voluntary diesel retrofit efforts by AGC of Greater Florida contractors and other diesel users across Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

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Recognizing AGC's influence on "clean diesel" initiatives that affect the construction industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invited AGC to help plan and moderate the "Non-road Track" at Clean Diesel 10, a significant event to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of EPA's National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC).

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just released a Construction Fleet Inventory Guide designed to help fleet owners/operators build an accurate inventory of construction equipment and vehicles. Having this fleet inventory is an essential component for many clean diesel grant applications. EPA's comprehensive 118-page guide contains photos and specific directions for how to locate vehicle and engine information such as make, model, model year, horsepower and more.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new "guidance" materials on the practices a contractor "should" follow when conducting the renovation, repair and/or abatement of buildings that have polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing caulk. Contractors responsible for such activities also must clearly understand the regulatory requirements, and are encouraged to consult the EPA or environmental professionals experienced with PCB cleanup activities.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a public listening session Aug. 26 on potential changes to the water quality standards (WQS) regulation before proposing a national rule. The current program, which has been in place since 1983, governs how states adopt standards under the Clean Water Act to protect their waters.  These standards are the foundation of many state run programs that restrict stormwater runoff from construction sites, including the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program and the Total Maximum Daily Load program. EPA has also released a new public discussion "draft strategy" for achieving clean water.

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AGC is pleased to announce the appointment of five new members to its Environmental Network Steering Committee.  Members of the Steering Committee have direct access to federal regulatory officials, influence over AGC's environmental agenda, and a means to exchange valuable information with one another and industry peers.  AGC also acknowledges the invaluable contributions of those members who recently completed their terms on the Steering Committee.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel use from vehicles used on roads for transportation of passengers or freight. This move comes in response to President Obama's May 21 memorandum on "Improving Energy Security, American Competitiveness and Job Creation, and Environmental Protection through a Transformation of our Nation's Fleet of Cars and Trucks."

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On August 19, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extended by 60 days the public comment period for its proposed rule to classify coal combustion residuals (CCR) as either hazardous or non-hazardous waste. The new deadline to submit comments is November 19. CCRs are used widely in vertical and horizontal construction. AGC will hold an Environmental Network conference call on September 23 and EPA has announced a series of public hearings across the country.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has abruptly decided to abandon the first nationwide numeric limit on the amount of sediment that can cloud the water running off of construction sites.  Citing evidence that both AGC and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) included in their comments on EPA's original proposal - and in direct in response to a lawsuit that NAHB subsequently filed - EPA has admitted that its new "Effluent Limitations Guidelines"  for the "Construction and Development Industry" (C&D ELG) are fundamentally flawed.  Click here to read the August 13 motion that EPA filed with a federal court of appeals asking it to declare that its numeric turbidity limit is void and to send that limit back to the agency for reconsideration.  EPA also has asked the court to put the pending lawsuit on hold until it completes the rule review process.

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The newly designed Building to LEED^® for New Construction will help contractors and other building professionals navigate the green building certification process, understand the newest version of the rating system and maintain their LEED credential.

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