ARTBA P6 Scheduling Academy: December 7-9

ARTBA Washington Newsline

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NewslineWashington

Senate Panel Unanimously Approves 2-Year Reauthorization Bill

Senate Approves 3 % Withholding Repeal

House GOP Plan to Link Energy & Infrastructure Unveiled

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee November 9 unanimously approved S.1813, the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (MAP-21) Act, a bipartisan two-year reauthorization of the federal surface transportation and highway research programs. The measure would authorize $85 billion over two years to maintain current levels of investment, plus inflation, and would require between $12 and $13 billion in supplemental resources to keep MAP-21 deficit-neutral. Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, pledged his committee will produce a bipartisan plan to close that gap.

It is vitally important ARTBA members keep the momentum behind the reauthorization process by urging Senate Finance Committee members and House Republicans to support fully paying for this legislation. Without new resources for the Highway Trust

Fund, federal highway and transit programs would face a 34 percent cut in FY 2012.

In addition to Finance Committee action, the Senate Banking Committee must also produce a public transportation section and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is responsible for reauthorizing

the behavioral and operational safety programs.

ARTBA has a brief summary of MAP-21 funding levels (see chart on page 2) last week and will produce a comprehensive review of the more than 600-page legislation. We will keep you apprised of further developments.

House Republicans last week released specifics on House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) effort to couple efforts to increase domestic energy production with the federal surface transportation reauthorization. Their proposal includes two separate components: one, authored by Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), would expand oil and natural gas exploration off the coasts of the U.S., and use a portion of the revenues from these leases

The U.S. Senate November 10 voted 95-0 to pass H.R. 674, legislation to repeal a requirement for governments of all levels to withhold three percent of nearly all payments for goods and services, including construction contracts, beginning January 1, 2013. Before final passage, the Senate amended the House-passed legislation,

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2 ARTBA Washington Newsline

Upcoming EventsVisit our Events Page for more information.

2011P3s in Transportation ConferenceNovember 14–16 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]

2012Transportation Construction Project Management Academy January 30 - February 3Washington, D.C.

4th Annual Construction Law & Regulatory ForumApril TBDWashington, D.C.

Global Innovations in Work Zone Safety Virtual Conference & ExpositionApril 24–26

Global Safe Roads Virtual Conference & Exposition April 24–26

Federal Issues Program & TCC Fly-InMay TBDWashington, D.C.

Young Executive Development ProgramMay TBDWashington, D.C.

TransOvation WorkshopJune TBD

National ConventionSeptember 11–14 Memphis, Tenn.

P3s in Transportation ConferenceOctober 11–12 Washington, D.C.

MAP-21 Summary of AuthorizationsFY 2012 FY 2013

Highway Programs $39,143,000,000 $39,806,000,000

TIFIA $1,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000

Federal Lands & Tribal Programs $1,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000

Territorial & Puerto Rico Highway Pro-gram

$180,000,000 $180,000,000

Administrative Expense $480,000,000 $480,000,000

Projects of National Significance $1,000,000,000

Emergency Relief $100,000,000 $100,000,000

Highway Authorizations $41,903,000,000 $43,566,000,000

Research & Education $400,000,000 $400,000,000

TOTAL AUTHORIZATIONS $42,303,000,000 $43,966,000,000

to support infrastructure improvements; and two, a proposal, from House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil and natural gas development. The bills will be the topic of a November 18 hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee.

While few specifics have surfaced about how much money these plans would generate for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) or the duration of the House surface transportation reauthorization bill, Republicans are clearly linking the two. Rep. Stivers said: “Americans in Ohio and across the nation are worried about rising energy costs, high unemployment and our aging infrastructure. This bill is an opportunity to directly address those concerns by linking expanded American energy production to important infrastructure repairs and improvements.”

According to Rep. Young: “This is a common sense plan; the revenue generated from drilling in ANWR will help keep the Highway Trust Fund from defaulting and will create jobs at the same time.”

ARTBA has long been willing to support any viable solution that addresses the HTF’s well-documented revenue challenges. To that end, we are eager to review the

specifics of the House energy proposal and the intended revenue linkage to a multi-year surface transportation bill. ARTBA will continue to work with both the House and Senate to help find a way to provide the revenues necessary to, at minimum, preserve federal highway and public transportation.

House GOP Energy & Infrastructure PlanContinued from page 1

3ARTBA Washington Newsline

Upcoming ARTBA Webinars

Seminar on the 2012 U.S. Transportation Construction Market Forecast & Transportation Reauthorization Bill Outlook Monday, December 12 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

• What are the chances Congress will pass a multi-year federal highway/transit investment bill soon?• What are the resulting market impacts from continued congressional delays on a long-term bill?• With the end of the stimulus money and continuing state budget challenges, is the

transportation construction market poised to “crash and burn” in 2012?• Which states offer the best opportunity for market development in 2012?• What is the long-range market forecast through 2016?

ARTBA Senior Vice President of Government Relations Dave Bauer, and Vice President of Policy and Senior Economist Alison Premo Black will answer these questions and any others you may have, and also offer additional market insights during a special 90-minute briefing for analysts, investors and construction industry executives.

IfyoutrackdomesticandforeignfirmswithastakeintheU.S.transportationinfrastructuremarket,thiscomprehensivewebinar is for you. It provides “behind the scenes” look at the political and economic factors that will impact the transportation design and construction market sector in 2012. All registrants will receive a copy of the PowerPoint presentation.

Register today! $325 members; $450 non-members; $600 group rate (more than 5 participants)

What Every Highway Contractor & Engineer Needs to Know About CMGC Procurement & Project Delivery

Wednesday, December 14 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Isyourfirmpreparedtoworkinaprocurementenvironmentthatincludes“ConstructionManagerGeneralContractor”(CMGC) as the delivery method? FHWA is actively promoting the use of CMGC by state transportation departments as a way to accelerate project delivery. The highway reauthorization bill now being considered in the U.S. Senate would explicitly enable states to use CMGC when they wish. You will need to know what CMGC is all about.

This three-hour educational webinar, presented by CMGC expert and 25-year industry veteran Jim McMinimee, will neither promote nor discourage the use of CMGC. Its purpose is to provide the information on this emerging procurement methodsothatyourfirmispreparedtodealwithitifitisbeingconsideredinthestateswhereyoudobusiness.Thedistinctions between “Construction Manager at Risk” (CMAR) and CMGC, as well as many other details about how CMGC is being applied to highway design and construction,will be covered.

Additional course topics include:

• AnoverviewoftheCMGCprocessandanticipatedbenefitsandrisks• How the owner-contractor relationship differs using the three major contracting methods• How to identify the most favorable project parameters for applying CMGC• What a contractor needs to know to successfully implement CMGC• CMGC selection and pricing options• Case studies of CMGC implementation and lessons learned• Challenges and key for success

Register today! $300 members and $425 non-members

Alison Premo BlackDave Bauer

Jim McMinimee

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“Some liberals will think of ways to stimulate the economy that are more politically visionary than infrastructure. Some conservatives will think all infrastructure should be privatized and have no place in the political process. They’re both wrong. Visionary politics from both the left and right has caused deadlock in our legislative system.”

Robert H. Frank, professor of economics, Cornell University, and politcal satirist P.J. O’Rourke in a November 11 “USA Today” op-ed.

“Everything we’re doing today is predicated on finding an additional $12 billion. In the event that doesn’t happen it’s back to the drawing board.”

Senate EPW Committee ranking member, Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) at Nov. 9 mark-up of MAP-21.

“Some of our colleagues say we cannot afford these investments right now. The only thing we cannot afford is to forget the value of transportation to American greatness.”

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) in prepared remarks for delivery at the Nov. 9 EPW mark-up.

Overheard“ ”

TRB Newsletter: November 8, 2011ARTBA is pleased to make available another service for members that highlights new research, technologies, industry best practices and information resources available to the transportation design and construction industry. This material comes from the Transportation Research Board. Read the most recent newsletter.

Fostering Innovation

Legislative & Regulatory News

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3% Withholding Repeals

Freight Shipments Rose in September

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 0.9 percent in September from August, reaching the highest level since July 2008. The measurement includes data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight. For the first nine months of 2011, freight shipments measured by the index were up 2.5 percent over the same period in 2010. The continued growth in goods movement underscores the need for immediate passage of a multi-year highway/transit reauthorization to allow governments to make long-term investments in transportation improvements.

Voters Approve Nearly $600 Million for Transportation Improvements

By an overwhelming 81%-19%, voters in Arkansas approved nearly $600 million in bonds to finance expanded

transportation improvements in the largest ballot initiative related to the November 8 elections.

Ten of the eleven measures in five states—Colorado, Michigan, Washington, Texas and Arkansas—aimed to increase funding specifically for transportation spending. Six of those funding measures were approved with an average vote of 69 percent.

There were two statewide and nine local ballot measures. Six of the measures were for new or extended taxes, renewals or increases, two initiatives either renewed or proposed a bonding program, two were transportation levies and one regarded toll use.

Voters in the state of Washington considered a proposal (Initiative 1125) that would have reaffirmed the state’s 18th Constitutional Amendment, which states motor fuel and vehicle taxes should only be used for highway purposes. The measure would also have required lawmakers to set and approve toll rates and prohibited toll revenues collected from one project to be used for other transportation

projects. Under the proposition, a

toll would have to end once the construction work on the related road or bridge was paid off. Opponents to the measure warned that approving the proposition would threaten hundreds of projects in the state. Voters rejected the initiative by a vote of 52 to 48 percent.

Full report: www.artba.org/ballot.

ARTBA Events

ARTBA P6 Scheduling Academy, December 7-9

Join the ARTBA Transportation Builder Institute in Washington, D.C., for its December 7-9 P6 Scheduling Academy. The intensive, three-day program is designed to help schedulers, project managers and estimators develop the skills necessary to manage transportation projects with greater efficiency.

Highly acclaimed Brigham Young University Professor Jay Newitt will lead the academy

requiring further action before sending to President Obama for his expected signature. We will keep you apprised of developments as they occur.

ARTBA wrote individually and as part of a coalition to all Senators last week urging support for passage of the measure.

5ARTBA Washington Newsline

Download a PDF copy of the digital “Washington Newsline.”

Regional Meeting Agendas Available!

and provide “hands on” scheduling experience with Primavera Project Planner (P6)—the industry’s most widely used scheduling software.

When program “graduates” depart the Nation’s Capital on December 9, they will carry a new skill set that empowers them to use schedules to manage and track people, materials, key operational benchmarks and payment schedules for transportation projects.

One of the past attendees, Jonathan Dodd of Dement Construction, said: “The ARTBA Scheduling class was the most beneficial class that I have ever been to. I came out of the class with a firm understanding of the various scheduling techniques as well as P6.”

Register at www.artbatdf.org.

Member News

ARTBA Members Receive The Moles Award

Two heavy construction executives and ARTBA members, Richard E. Wagman, chairman and CEO of G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. and Thomas N. Iovino, CEO of The Judlau Companies, have been selected to receive “Outstanding Achievement in Construction Awards” by The Moles, one of the nation’s foremost construction organizations.

Wagman was 2004 ARTBA chairman and Iovino served as 2011 ARTBA Contractors Division president. The two men are being recognized for their accomplishments within the heavy construction industry. Both men transformed their

NortheasternNovember 28-29Radisson Martinique on BroadwayNew York, N.Y. 212.736.3800Limited rooms still available. Contact Radisson’s Brian Huang directly at 212-277-2655.Room rate: $229*

SouthernNovember 30 – December 1Renaissance Tampa International Plaza HotelTampa, Fla. 813.877.9200

WesternDecember 5-6The Westin Los Angeles Airport HotelLos Angeles, Calif. 310.216.5858Hotel Deadline: November 16Room rate: $119*

CentralDecember 7-8Hyatt Regency O’HareChicago, Ill. 847.696.1234Hotel Deadline: November 18Room rate: $184*

At ARTBA’s upcoming November-December regional meetings, the association’s top staff will provide you with a briefing on the latest developments with the pending House and Senate multi-year highway/transit proposals, and explain what comes next.

You will also receive expert insights into the current transportation construction market conditions in your region and the outlook for 2012, hear about the latest federal and environmental regulatory issues, along with information on public-private partnerships and project delivery methods. Industry leaders will discuss key state, regional and local transportation improvement projects. 

View the full agendas or register at: www.artba.org/regionalmeetings.

companies into major players within the industry and have contributed to some of the nation’s most critical infrastructure projects.

Wagman and Iovino will be honored during the The Moles’ annual dinner January 25 in New York City.

Former Chairman Releases Non-Fiction Book

Bill Eline, former ARTBA chairman (1980), has written and self-published a non-fiction book, “From the Inside Out.” Among the book’s wide-ranging topics: his experience with the Army and the commander-in-chiefs, the real reason General Motors failed, and views on the Bin Laden family, along with recommendations on how to address the current economic situation.

Tom Iovino

Rich Wagman

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