The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration held a stakeholder meeting on May 3, 2022, to provide an overview of and seek comments on the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect workers from heat-related hazards. As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to workplace safety, OSHA is working to address the threat of…
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh recently issued the following statement on Workers Memorial Day as the nation remembers those whose work claimed their lives: “In the past year, nearly 5,000 workers left home for work and did not return. None knew that going to work would cost them their lives. While each life lost is…
Brothers & Brothers Utility Services LLC (BBUS) is a recognizable and well-respected name across America in the electric and utility fields, delivering safe and quality work across America. With highly skilled and trained professionals, the company’s mission is to keep solidarity, integrity, and safety at the forefront of the utility industry. Under the vision of…
May 2022
April 2022
The Austin Transportation Department is hosting a series of meetings in the coming months, ahead of the implementation of Austin’s Street Impact Fee (SIF) program. The fee, which will begin collection on June 22, 2022, will be required for most new development in the city. Austin City Council adopted the Street Impact Fee in December…
The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), the agency tasked with overseeing Project Connect, has started a search for a new leader. Randy Clarke, the president, and CEO of CapMetro, had served as the executive director of the organization since its inception. The Project Connect Joint Powers Agreement, the document that lays out the responsibilities of the…
Recently, Austin City Council authorized the first construction contract to deliver projects funded by the 2020 Mobility Bond. This marks the beginning of the 6-year implementation timeline set for the bond as committed in the Contract with the Voters. “We heard in 2016, 2018, and 2020 that delivering safety and mobility improvements for Austin is…
From March 28 to April 1, Houston Airports joined Mayor Sylvester Turner and a City delegation on a “Houston Week” marketing campaign in Mexico to reinforce Houston’s position as the top city for global trade, tourism, business, and leisure travel from Mexico. Mario Diaz, Houston Airports Director, Luis Avilés, Sr. Executive, Air Service Development, and…
On April 20, Spirit Airlines announced a commitment to deepen its roots in Houston with the addition of an aircraft maintenance facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, IAH. The facility, located along JFK Boulevard, will serve as a large aircraft maintenance hangar with offices and warehousing for the Spirit Technical Operations team when it begins…
Container volume at Port Houston in March totaled 308,557 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). That brings the total for just the first three months of 2022 to 903,383 TEUs, an increase of 20% year-to-date over last year’s record year. “Port Houston is constantly evaluating growth within the industry and developing innovative solutions to accommodate that growth,”…
By Richard Nira, Texas A&M University College of Architecture Landscape architecture students whose projects tackle pressing environmental issues in Texas earned awards for their work from the Texas Society of Landscape Architects. They will receive their honors at the 2022 TxASLA conference in San Antonio. Two student projects earned awards of excellence: “Healing Houston,” by…
By Destiny Vaquera, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design Contributing Writer The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Fort Worth Chapter Excellence in Architecture Student Design Awards recently awarded Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design students Michelle Ovanessians and Kieran Renfrow the 2022 Merit Award for their project Homecoming, a tribute to…
From March 28 to April 1, Houston Airports joined Mayor Sylvester Turner and a City delegation on a “Houston Week” marketing campaign in Mexico to reinforce Houston’s position as the top city for global trade, tourism, business, and leisure travel from Mexico. Mario Diaz, Houston Airports Director, Luis Avilés, Sr. Executive, Air Service Development, and…
Construction employment increased from February 2020—the month before the coronavirus pandemic—to February 2022 in nearly three-fifths of U.S. metro areas, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials said it is getting harder to find workers and urged officials to invest more in career training…
Construction employment climbed by 19,000 jobs between February and March, while spending on construction projects rose for the 12th month in a row in February, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association leaders warned that further gains may stall unless the supply of workers and…
The disruptions of the pandemic led to not only job losses but also the Great Resignation, with many Americans reevaluating their careers and searching for better opportunities. While some areas are recovering, studies from the Pew Research Center, the National Bureau of Economic Research, and others suggest that more women have lost their jobs overall,…
The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) recently released a new analysis outlining the potential economic consequences of delaying the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) 5-year program for leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. The next 5-year offshore leasing program must be in place by July 1, 2022, but is…
CenterPoint Energy announced recently that its Texas electric transmission and distribution business, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, filed an application for a Distribution Cost Recovery Factor (DCRF) adjustment with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the cities in its service area. DCRF is an interim rate adjustment that, if approved, permits an electric utility…
After an extensive nationwide search, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is pleased to announce that Jenny Barket will join the agency on May 15 as the new chief of staff. Serving as a senior advisor to DART president & chief executive officer Nadine Lee, Barket will lead a variety of strategic, tactical, and operational initiatives…
