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Politics & Policy
ABC’s September Regulatory Roundup—Learn About the Latest Developments Affecting the Construction Industry
ABC Disappointed in NLRB’s Cemex Decision
NLRB Revives Controversial 2014 ‘Ambush’ Election Rule; ABC Opposes Again
Safety
Build Health and Safety Engagement Through Leadership Commitment and Metrics Tied to Leading Indicators
Is Your PPE and Mobile Equipment as Safe as You Think It Is?
President Biden Announces Heat Safety Actions, Including DOL Hazard Alert
Events/Products/Programs
Nearly 350 ABC Leaders Gather in Washington for Annual Legislative Conference
ABC Members Rank Among ENR’s Top 400 Contractors
Trades Day: Industry Outreach Opportunity With Meaning
State/Local News
Ed Capodanno Honored by Delaware State Legislature
Election Update: ABC Staff and Members Elected in 2022
California Targets Workplace Cannabis Testing
Awards
Graham Roofing Earns the AQC Credential in September
ABC's Construction Executive Magazine Wins Silver in Publishing Competition
Legislation
ABC-Supported Legislation To Overturn the Northern Long-Eared Bat’s Endangered Species Listing Heads to President Biden’s Desk
ABC Advocates for Solutions to Workforce Shortage at U.S. House Committee Roundtable
Smucker Introduces the ABC-Supported Main Street Tax Certainty Act
Regulations
ABC Submits Comments Opposing NEPA Permitting Revisions
OSHA Announces Silica-Focused Inspection Initiative in the Engineered Stone Fabrication and Installation Industries
Take the Survey: Input Needed by Oct. 2 on President Biden’s IRA Mandates
Workforce Development
Register Now for ABC’s Construction Inclusion Week Webinar Series
DOL High Road Workforce Development Program Map Snubs Nonunion Programs
LISTEN: How to Design an Effective Technology Adoption Strategy
On July 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S.J. Res. 24, a Congressional Review Act resolution on the Endangered Species Status for Northern Long-Eared Bat with a bipartisan vote of 220-209. The passage of S.J. Res. 24 would, if enacted, prevent the ABC-opposed U.S. Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed rule uplisting of the Northern Long-Eared Bat to “endangered” from “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. Ahead of the vote, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources released a one-pager and a myth vs. fact sheet for S.J. Res. 24.
In support of the resolution, Kristen Swearingen, ABC vice president of legislative & political affairs, said that “ABC supports S.J. Res 24, providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relating to Endangered Species Status for Northern Long-Eared Bat. ABC members work to be good stewards of the environment, and we support the Endangered Species Act’s purpose of protecting species threatened with extinction and recognize the need for science-based, data-driven actions that conserve those species and the habitats on which they depend.
“However, ABC opposes the FWS’s rule listing the NLEB as an endangered species. The species, which has not been significantly affected by human activities and instead has suffered decline due to a disease known as ‘white-nose syndrome,’ is found in 37 states and the District of Columbia. This rule affects construction activities, including permitting requirements for activities unlikely to impact the NLEB such as building construction, renovation and demolition. ABC urges the House to approve this resolution and further calls on the FWS to withdraw the NLEB’s endangered listing.”
Additionally, on May 23, ABC, joining a coalition of industry stakeholders, submitted comments to the FWS-proposed rule. The NLEB was previously listed as a threatened species in 2015, which ABC also opposed.
On May 11, the U.S. Senate passed S.J. Res. 24 by a bipartisan 51-49 vote. Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress has the ability to formally pass measures overturning certain federal agency actions. If a CRA joint resolution is approved by both the House and Senate and signed by the president, the rule cannot go into effect or continue in effect. President Joe Biden will now have the option to sign the resolution, ending the misguided listing of the Northern Long-Eared Bat as endangered, and continue to protect the bat as a threatened species.