Construction employment declined in 276 out of 337 metropolitan areas between July 2009 and July 2010, according to AGC's analysis of federal employment data. The employment figures demonstrate the widespread decline in demand for construction services that continues to outpace stimulus-funded work, AGC noted.

Read more here.

The news was covered by the Dayton Business Journal, Arizona Daily Star and Sacramento Bee, among others.

Casey Schwager of AGC member company Sloan Construction leads Congressman James Clyburn on a tour of the company's Columbia, S.C., asphalt plant.

The Transportation Construction Coalition and Americans for Transportation Mobility continued efforts for passage of the long-delayed highway and transportation bill on Tuesday with the unveiling of new billboard and online advertisements in Columbia.

The effort, which will cover dozens of states during the coming weeks, is designed to educate the public about why passing a federal transportation bill is essential to improving road conditions in states like South Carolina.

Read about the effort here.

The news was covered by several local television stations, including WBTV, WACH and WSAV, in addition to the Charleston Post and Courier, Columbia Business Report and Charleston Regional Business Journal, to name a few.

The California Air Resources Board abandoned its original estimates of off–road diesel emissions, conceding that its “off–road rule” is not needed to meet ambitious goals for the off–road equipment in the construction industry. According to new estimates that the agency staff developed over the summer, off road fleets of diesel equipment will exceed the state’s emission goals for many years to come.

During the earlier rulemaking process, the board staff used the now abandoned estimates to justify an "off-road rule" that would needlessly force contractors across the state to retire, retrofit, repower or replace billions of dollars worth of construction equipment, and all at a time when California's construction industry is still losing jobs. When informed of the state's new forecasts, association officials called on the Board's members to repeal the rule "quickly and completely."

Read AGC's press release here.

The news was covered by the Sacramento Bee and Equipment World, among others.

For more information, contact Mike Kennedy at (703) 837-5335 or kennedym@agc.org.

The new AGC member directory allows members to change and edit company information, and upgrade listings to include background information on the firm, a project image portfolio, and priority listings.

The AGC and McGraw-Hill Construction online member directory is now the only place for AGC members to increase brand exposure and get found by the directory's 2,200 visitors per week online.

Visit directory.agc.org, or click the "Member Directory" button on the top left corner of the AGC website.

For more information on upgrading your listing, click here.

AGC president Ted Aadland talks to an ACE Leadership School student.

At the opening of the AGC-New Mexico Building Branch-developed ACE Leadership High School in Albuquerque, N.M., AGC president Ted Aadland noted that construction-focused schools deliver better results than comparable public schools, and an increased focus on skills-based programs would help cut high school dropout rates.

Read more here.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at turmailb@agc.org, or Mara Halguin at MaraHolguin@agc-nm.org.

Construction job gains were more widespread across the country and job losses were generally less severe in July than in June, AGC reported Friday in an analysis of state employment data released by the Labor Department.

Twenty-six states added construction jobs in July, compared to 19 in June, while six states added construction jobs over the past year and most others are losing far fewer jobs than previously, AGC noted.

"Encouraging as it is to see some modest signs of progress, it is increasingly unlikely we'll keep seeing these kinds of gains over the next few months," said Ken Simonson, AGC's chief economist. "There is little to indicate that construction will be adding workers to a significant extent any time soon."

Read the press release here. The news was covered by the Amarillo Globe News, Phoenix Business Journal and Vermont Biz, among others.

For more information, contact Ken Simonson at simonsonk@agc.org.

Solicitations requiring bidders on certain U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) construction projects to submit an executed project labor agreement (PLA) prompted AGC to write and call agency officials expressing strong concern.  On August 18, the agency called AGC to announce that it was withdrawing the PLA requirement and to thank AGC for educating them on the issue.

On August 12, AGC sent a letter to the USACE's Mobile District demanding information about the agency's justification for including a PLA mandate in a solicitation for the construction of an Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. The letter questioned how it determined that the conditions listed in President Obama's executive order on PLAs were present. The requirement, along with similar mandates by other contracting agencies and information about pressure from higher in the Administration, also prompted AGC to send a letter calling on President Obama to protect contracting officers from such political pressure, and to send an "unmistakable and public" message that political appointees should not cross the line between politics and procurement.

AGC called on the president to send an "unmistakable and public" message that political appointees are not to cross the line between politics and procurement.

AGC urged President Obama to tell his staff to leave career contracting officers free to evaluate whether it is in the taxpayers' interest to mandate project labor agreements for the construction of federal projects. Such agreements are typically between general construction contractors and the unions representing construction craft workers.

AGC pointed out that government mandates for PLAs are controversial because they disadvantage contractors who work without union agreements.  They also disrupt the collective bargaining over the area-wide agreements that would otherwise apply to work in a particular city, county or other area.

Read AGC's letter here.

For more information, contact Denise Gold at (703) 837-5326 or goldd@agc.org.

AGC of SD President Dave Gustafson speaking at the Rapid City event while the state's DOT Secretary Darin Bergquist looks on.

As part of the Transportation Construction Coalition and Americans for Transportation Mobility, AGC launched a new national effort to push for passage of the long-delayed bill that provides federal funds to fix aging roads and unsafe bridges. In conjunction with AGC of South Dakota, the campaign began with the unveiling of a new billboard, and radio and print advertisements in Rapid City.

The effort, which will cover dozens of states during the coming weeks, is designed to educate the public about why passing a federal transportation bill is essential to improving road conditions in states like South Dakota.

Read more here.

The Rapid City Journal announced the start of the campaign on the front page this week, and the story was also covered in the Argus Leader and on the local ABC station.

AGC unveiled a new green construction education program designed to make it easier to build and renovate green, LEED-certified buildings. Building to LEED® for New Construction, Second Edition is designed to help contractors, designers and developers successfully navigate the green building certification process and keep their green accreditations current.

"Green building is rapidly changing from a niche market to the industry norm," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer. "Within a short time, the ability to master the complexities of green construction and certification will be essential to succeeding as a building contractor."

Learn more here, or read AGC's press release here.