Mike Murphy, president of Turner Murphy Co. of Rock Hill, Rock Hill, S.C., and chairman of the board of Carolinas AGC, served as a guest columnist for the Charlotte Business Journal on February 27. In his op-ed, Murphy argued that the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, also known as Card Check, would cause employees to suffer and lead to the consolidation of the construction industry. Read Proposal for union voting could damage contractors.

AGC's director of highway and transportation markets, Brian Deery, told Forbes.com that there is a good chance motivated workers will find jobs on construction sites nationwide. Contractors looking for employees to work new projects funded by the stimulus could find a talented work force thanks to training programs offered by AGC chapters. Read the article.

The bipartisan National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission released its final report February 26, unanimously recommending the ten-year phase-out of federal motor fuel taxes to be replaced by a distance fee based on "vehicle miles traveled" (VMT). To fund transportation needs while this transition is underway, the finance commission also recommends increases of 10 centers per gallon in the federal gasoline tax and 15 cents per gallon in the diesel tax, combined with new public-private revenue streams, expanded tolling and congestion pricing.

The finance commission is the second of two commissions established in SAFETEA-LU to make recommendations about the future direction of the federal surface transportation programs and how they should be funded. The finance commission evaluated a wide range of financing options and concluded that the fuel-based user fee system is no longer a viable way to pay for transportation improvements and recommended the gradual transition to a distance-based user fee system.

For more information, contact Brian Deery at (703) 837-5319 or deeryb@agc.org.

The recently-passed stimulus package includes $300 million to clean up diesel engines nationwide and could result in a grant of more than $1 million for AGC Chapters to distribute to member companies. The grant funding has increased six-fold from fiscal year 2008 and is designed to help construction companies reduce emissions from their fleets.

AGC members are encouraged to work with their local Chapters to begin preparing project proposals immediately. While EPA officials will explain the grant process at AGC's 90th Annual Convention in San Diego, March 4 at 8:30 am, AGC expects EPA to post online its official "Request for Applications" (RFA) in early March and hold it open for only 45 days (anticipated deadline for submitting proposals is April 13). Due to increased funding and compressed timelines, AGC encourages Chapters and members to begin work on proposals as soon as possible. The request for applications will be available at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/grantfund.htm and http://www.recovery.gov.

EPA's diesel funds will cover: up to 100% for EPA-verified "retrofit" technologies (emission filters/catalysts), idle reduction technologies, and EPA-certified engine upgrades (kits only); 75% for engine repowers (new engine); and 25% for all vehicle or equipment replacements. EPA grants cannot fund the cost of emissions reductions currently mandated under federal, state or local law. Money will be awarded in May 2009; those projects that receive funding must be implemented between June 9, 2009 and September 30, 2010.

For more information, click here or contact Leah Pilconis at (703) 837-5332 or pilconisl@agc.org.

The ABA Journal, published by the American Bar Association, featured an article co-authored by Brian Perlberg, AGC's senior counsel, contracts and construction law.

AGC will host its 8^th Annual HR Professionals Conference and 3^rd Annual Training & Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia from October 27-29, 2009. Help make these conferences successful by lending your expertise as a presenter or forwarding this on to other qualified individuals.

AGC is looking for eager, knowledgeable, dynamic individuals and panels to submit proposals for consideration in the specific content areas of interest. This is a great opportunity to share your knowledge with the construction community and give back to the industry.

Click here to go directly to the Call for Presentations for more information, including:

• Attendee Information
• Content Areas of Interest
• Session Information
• Criteria for Educational Sessions
• Submission Instructions & Deadline
• Selection Process & Notification

Act today; submission deadline is Tuesday, March 10, 2009.

All proposals should be submitted electronically to Joanna Zaffaroni at zaffaronij@agc.org.

The Highway and Utilities Contractors Issues Meeting took place Feb 6 and 7. Over 120 contractors came to La Quinta, Calif., for discussion of the issues that affect their particular markets and to hear presentations from some of the leading experts in the field.

Topics included materials prices and availability for asphalt and steel, the national implications of the California Air Resources Board's Off-Road Diesel Emissions limits and the political outlook for the economic stimulus package, SAFETEA-LU reauthorization and the Water Trust Fund. Scott Williams and Don Weaver, chair and vice-chair respectively of the Highway & Transportation Division, presided over the first day of activities, which included sessions on worker visibility standards and public works financing troubles. Brad Barringer and Art Daniels, Municipal & Utilities Division Chair and Vice Chair, presided over the second day, which included sessions on ethics and compliance programs, Florida's success with dispute resolutions boards, and OSHA's crane operator standard.

For more information, contact Scott Berry at (703) 837-5368 or berrys@agc.org.

AGC members, Chapter staff, and educators who are involved with or interested in learning about high school construction career academies should consider attending the April 22-24, 2009 Construction Career Academy Workshop, to be held in Portland, Oregon.

Construction career academies are part of AGC of America's efforts to help provide skilled employees to the construction industry by introducing high school students to construction in a positive environment. Career academies incorporate core academic subjects with construction-related courses while encouraging professionals from the industry to partner with schools to provide materials, instruction support, mentoring, job-shadowing and internships.

The workshop will help participants learn the steps necessary to establish a construction career academy; explore the advantages of the academy approach; and learn about the resources and support available from AGC of America and other organizations to assist in establishing an academy. Half of the workshop will be spent at the Architecture Construction and Engineering Academy recently opened through the efforts of Oregon-Columbia Chapter, AGC and its affiliates.

Registration is currently available online at www.agc.org/cs/programs_events. Cut-off date for registration and hotel accommodations is March 31, 2009. For more information, contact Liz Elvin at (703) 837-5389 or elvinl@agc.org.

AGC's biggest convention yet is just around the corner and we look forward to seeing you there. Our efforts to build a better construction industry will take center stage once again when we tackle work force issues, share the latest innovations, and get the most up-to-date information about the economic landscape for 2009.

If you haven't already registered, there's still time. Visit our convention website and register today!

If you've already registered, the we've got something special for you - this year, we're making it even easier for you to plan your trip, organize your agenda and make the most out of your time.

• Need help planning what sessions to attend? Create your own convention calendar that you can download to your PC and sync with your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device.
• Bringing the family? Looking for more to do? Check out our guide to local restaurants and attractions.
• Bringing your camera to the Convention? Upload and share your Convention Photos.

See you in San Diego!

AGC's popular Build Up! kits, an educational resource for elementary-age children, has expanded beyond the classroom to Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, library career centers and Boys & Girls Clubs.

Through a partnership between AGC and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, clubs around the nation are learning about the kits and requesting AGC sponsors to provide them with kits. Boys & Girls Clubs, which serve nearly 5 million youths from more than 4,000 mostly inner-city clubhouses, provide after-school programs and services to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls.

By donating a Build Up! kit to a club in your area, you are both helping the next generation learn about the built environment and their role in it, and providing fun, hands-on team-building projects and lessons to children ages 9-12. Each kit costs $199 plus shipping and provides enough materials for 30 children.

We still need sponsors for more than 350 kits for Boys & Girls Clubs around the nation. Please visit our interactive map to see if there's a club in your area looking for kits. This map is updated weekly with new requests. So far, AGC members and chapters have donated more than 50 toolkits to clubs nationwide.

For more information, contact Liz Elvin at (703) 837-5389 or elvinl@agc.org