On Tuesday, July 8, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that the Senate could consider a highway bill as early as the week of July 15, and reiterated that the Senate would not recommend increasing the fuel user fee to fund the bill, according to the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA).
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House, Senate Combat WOTUS Rule
By a 261-155 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that would stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) from greatly expanding their regulatory powers under the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Read MoreTrust Fund Patch Coming
July 25, 2014 – The Senate is poised to vote on legislation to ensure federal highway funds continue to flow to the states before Congress adjourns for the five-week August recess. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill July 15 that transfers $10.8 billion from the general fund into the Highway Trust Fund and extends current highway and transit…
Read MoreNew York Fracking Moratorium Considered
A moratorium on high-volume, horizontal, hydraulic fracturing was passed in the New York State Assembly and delivered to the Senate. The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, passed the Assembly by a vote of 89 to 34. If passed in the Senate, the bill, A.5424-b, would ban the drilling practice for three years from the day it is signed, according…
Read MoreGetting into a ‘Boxer’ Match
February 19, 2014 – A new federal transportation funding mechanism is beginning to move forward. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, speaking at a hearing on the Economic Importance of Maintaining Federal Investments in Our Transportation Infrastructure, said, “It is critical for our nation to continue investing in our aging infrastructure. Therefore, preserving the…
Read MoreJones Confirmed
The Senate confirmed a director to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), ending a seven-year run in which the agency has been without a permanent, full-time head. B. Todd Jones, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota and the acting part-time director of the bureau was confirmed by a vote of 53 to 42.
Read MoreMcCarthy Confirmed as EPA Chief
By Mark S. Kuhar Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official Gina McCarthy won Senate confirmation to head the agency in a 59 to 40 vote.
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