James Leggate

3 days ago | enr.com | James Leggate

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration doesn’t believe the California High-speed Rail Authority is going to be able to deliver a 171-mile segment of the planned system by its 2033 deadline, federal officials wrote in a report DOT released June 4. FRA officials proposed terminating a pair of grants worth $4 billion as CHSRA is already facing a $6.5-billion funding gap for the work.

4 days ago | enr.com | James Leggate

Construction can continue on Denver Water’s $531-million project to raise the Gross Dam by 131 ft, a federal judge recently ruled, but the public water utility still won’t be able to expand the reservoir impounded by the dam as a lawsuit challenging the project plays out in court. The order from U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello follows an earlier injunction in which she ordered construction to halt just days before Denver Water planned to resume construction for the season.

5 days ago | enr.com | James Leggate

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration amended two bridge grant funding notices June 2 to remove requirements added under the Biden administration that do not match up with Trump administration goals. Nearly $4.9 billion is available for major bridge projects and $500 million is available for rural bridge repair and replacement projects.

5 days ago | enr.com | James Leggate

The U.S. Dept. of Energy canceled 24 awards totaling $3.7 billion announced during the Biden administration to support various carbon capture and sequestration projects and other decarbonization initiatives, including efforts by some construction material suppliers, although awardees may be able to appeal.

1 week ago | enr.com | James Leggate

Federal agencies’ environmental reviews of proposed projects should be “a procedural cross-check, not a substantive roadblock,” the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a May 29 decision that will allow a $1.4-billion Uinta Basin Railway project to advance in Utah. The ruling appears to limit the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to prepare environmental impact statements for infrastructure projects.