Pam Hunter McFarland

Washington, D.C.

Senior Editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR)

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Articles

More Infrastructure Projects Thrust Into Uncertainty With Demise of FEMA’s Resilient Infrastructure Program

1 week ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland

The Trump administration’s cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for resilience projects through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program is leaving the fate of numerous resilience projects already in the planning and design phases in a state of uncertainty. FEMA says it is ending the BRIC program and cancelling all BRIC applications from fiscal 2020-23.
FEMA Ends Resilient Infrastructure Program, Rescinding $882M in Funding

1 week ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland |Derek Lacey |clients. One

The Trump administration’s cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for resilience projects through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program is leaving the fate of numerous resilience projects already in the planning and design phases in a state of uncertainty. FEMA says it is ending the BRIC program and cancelling all BRIC applications from fiscal 2020-23.
Trump's Calls for Big Boost in Coal Production Draws Ire from States

2 weeks ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland |clients. One

Opponents of a Trump executive order aimed at boosting coal production in the U.S. are lining up to challenge it, stating that the president’s action undermines states’ authority to set their own policies and would set the nation back in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which have declined by more than 16% over 2005 levels, according to latest U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory, released in April 2024.
Senate Tax and Spending Blueprint Feared to Cut Energy-Transition Project Investments

2 weeks ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland

Senate lawmakers voted 51-48 to approve a revised version of a GOP-crafted budget resolution in the early hours of April 5, with just two Republicans breaking ranks, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine, to join with all Democrats who opposed it. Budget resolutions are non-binding and don’t become law, but when both the House and Senate pass identical resolutions, they move to advance a reconciliation bill that ultimately can become law.
Fired National Labor Dispute Panel Member Pushes for Reinstatement

3 weeks ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland

National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox, a Democrat whom President Donald Trump removed from the board labor dispute panel before her five-year term was set to expire in August 2028, wants the U.S. Appeals Court in Washngton, D.C. to review a hold on her reinstatement after a lower court ruled that her termination was illegal. The board oversees union organizing and collective bargaining disputes and hears cases where violations of the National Labor Relations Act are alleged.
Fired NLRB Member Pushes for Reinstatement

3 weeks ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland

National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox, a Democrat who President Donald Trump removed from the labor dispute panel long before her five-year term was set to expire, wants the U.S. Appeals Court in Washington, D.C. to review a hold on her reinstatement after a lower court ruled that her termination was illegal. The board oversees union organizing and collective bargaining disputes and hears cases where violations of the National Labor Relations Act are alleged.
Lawmakers Weigh Reforms at FEMA

4 weeks ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland |clients. One

Lawmakers at a March 25 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing said they are seeking a revamp of the nation's emergency response apparatus to make it more effective, but they did not call for elimination of the embattled Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as Trump administration officials have threatened in recent weeks.
White House Order Shifts Emergency Response Role from FEMA to States

1 month ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland |clients. One

A March 18 Trump administration executive order directs that the Federal Emergency Management Agency shift more responsibility for U.S. disaster emergency response and rebuilding to states and localities. It follows layoffs of more than 200 FEMA employees and a Jan. 24 order that establishes a task force to review agency efficiency in addressing disasters. Critics voice strong concern that the order would make it harder for non-federal entities to respond to weather disasters.
White House Order Shifts Bulk of Emergency Response from FEMA to States

1 month ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland |clients. One

A March 18 Trump administration executive order directs that the Federal Emergency Management Agency shift more responsibility for U.S. disaster emergency response and rebuilding to states and localities. It follows layoffs of more than 200 FEMA employees and a Jan. 24 order that establishes a task force to review agency efficiency in addressing disasters.
EPA Chief Rolls Back Climate, Air and Water Regulations

1 month ago | enr.com | Pam Hunter McFarland |clients. One

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week announced a slew of actions it plans to take to roll back climate, air and water regulations, many of which were established during the previous administration, and some that precede it. In March 12 remarks, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin characterized the shift in approach as an effort to realign with the agency’s “core mission” he described as having been lost under “activist” goals.