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NRMCA E-NEWS March 9, 2009

 

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Useful News from Around the Web and World of Business
·  Stimulus Flows in Patchwork of State Transport Projects – There is nothing monumental in President Obama’s plan to revive the economy with a coast-to-coast building spree, no historic New Deal public works. The goal of the stimulus plan was to put people to work quickly, and so states across the country have begun to spend nearly $50 billion on thousands of smaller transportation projects that could employ up to 400,000 people, by the administration’s estimates. AggregateResearch.com posted this March 4 article from The New York Times: click here.
· “Enormous” Number of Highway Jobs Coming – So says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a March 5 Bloomberg News Story posted March 5 by AggregateReseach.com. Transportation projects funded by the $787 billion U.S. economic stimulus package will lead to an “enormous number” of jobs within months, LaHood said. “You’re going to see an enormous number of people in the states working this spring, summer and fall in good-paying jobs.” Read more.
· Proposed Motorist Tax Angers Some Drivers – Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn – an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed. Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press. The AP posted the February 20 online: Read more.
· Construction Forecast: Grim in 2009, Better in 2010 – The $787 billion federal economic stimulus package is signed, sealed and delivered, but economists are cautioning the construction industry not to expect too much, too soon. “We think 2010 is potentially the turning point for our industry,” said Dave Zwiche, a regional economist for the Skokie, Ill.-based Portland Cement Association. “Our outlook for 2009 is pretty dark. It’s going to take some time for the stimulus to really take hold, and it won’t be until the second half of 2009 [or into 2010], that it really starts to affect the broader economy as well as our construction industry.” FinanceandCommerce, a Minnesota business daily, posted the story February 24, and it was included in a subsequent item in AGC’s SmartBrief electronic newsletter: click here.
· Construction Materials Prices Show Modest Drop in January – The construction materials price index fell 0.3% in January while the price index for the whole economy rose for the second month. This was the fourth consecutive monthly decline. The index is now at the year ago level before the world wide commodity boom spiked prices in the middle of 2008. Further declines in the overall construction price index are possible but the expected trend into the fall is for a very modest rise in the index. This will be a combination of further drops in energy and metal based products but progressive price firming in products that include more manufacturing labor. Reed Construction Data posted an article February 25 that was also included in an AGC SmartBrief e-newsletter: click here.
Sustainable Development
Businesses Warned to Heed Potential for Water Scarcity
According to www.environmentalleader.com, too few businesses are considering the potential for economic upheaval if water resources become as scarce as predicted in a recent report from CERES. Industry has traditionally taken for granted the availability of clean, reliable and inexpensive water, however decreasing availability, declining water quality and growing water demand are straining resources – and the bottom line. Manufacturing and agriculture sectors can expect decreased water allotments, shifts toward full-cost water pricing and ever-more stringent water quality regulations, according to CERES. With the strain on overall water resources, the public will more intensely scrutinize corporate water-use practices. Read more
 
View www.nrmca.org/sustainability to learn how the ready mixed concrete industry initiatives to minimize water use.

 

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