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20071108

Water - Politics - Legislation - Construction - Money - Children's - Health - Stem-Cell - Science - Iraq - US - Military - "Congress Overrides Bush for First Time on Water Bill (Update3)." ... "Congress handed [Republican] President George W. Bush the first veto override of his presidency, voting to revive a $23 billion water-projects measure he rejected last week on grounds it was too expensive." ... "The Senate voted 79 to 14 today, a two-thirds majority including dozens of the chamber's Republicans, to approve plans to fund some 800 projects across the country. Because the House voted 361 to 54 earlier this week to override Bush, also a two- thirds majority, the bill now becomes law." ... "Lawmakers defended the plan as critical to maintaining the nation's dams, sewers, levees, flood-control projects and erosion prevention efforts." ... "It was Bush's first defeat in a series of veto fights this year with Democrats. He rejected Democratic proposals to expand a children's health insurance program, increase federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research and legislation placing various conditions on Iraq war funding." -By Brian Faler -Bloomberg
Bernard B Kerik - Rudolph W Giuliani - Crime - Money - Apartment - Construction - Wiretapping - Politics - New York - New Jersey - 2008 Election - "Kerik Indictment on Tax and Corruption Charges Imminent." ... "Federal prosecutors are planning to unveil an indictment against former New York City police commissioner Bernard B. Kerik as early as week's end, spotlighting alleged corruption that occurred a decade ago when he worked was a trusted adviser to former New York mayor -- and now [2008 Election Republican] presidential candidate -- Rudolph W. Giuliani, according to people familiar with the case." ... "Kerik, 51, rejected a plea bargain earlier this year and was informed by prosecutors that he was likely to be indicted on charges that could include tax evasion or tax fraud, public corruption and filing false information regarding his failed 2004 nomination to be [Republican] President Bush's homeland security chief." ... "The federal investigation has focused on gifts that Kerik is alleged to have accepted while New York City's corrections chief and police commissioner, including $165,000 in apartment renovations in 1999 from a New Jersey construction company that sought his help overcoming allegations of ties to organized crime so it could compete for business from Giuliani's mayoral administration." ... "Last year, Kerik pleaded guilty to a New York state ethics charge in connection with those gifts and was placed on probation. Federal authorities pursued their own, broader investigation that also examined Kerik's conduct during his vetting to be the homeland security nominee." ... "The FBI also has investigated whether Kerik played a role in a conspiracy to commit illegal wiretapping involving former New York attorney general candidate Jeanine Pirro." -By John Solomon -WashingtonPost

20071018

US - Iraq - Kuwait - Charles E Williams - Howard Krongard - Military - Government - Construction - Corporation - Criminal - "Criminal probe into U.S. Embassy in Iraq construction." ... "A mortar shell smashed into the hulking new U.S. [United States] Embassy that's under construction in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] last May, damaging a wall and causing minor injuries to people inside the building. It also exposed enormous problems in the management of what's become a $592 million government construction project." ... "The State Department contractor in charge of the project, James L. Golden, attempted to alter the scene of the blast, according to government officials familiar with the incident. The State Department inspector general prevented Department officials from investigating the incident, according to interviews and documents." ... "A congressional committee is examining whether the walls of the still-unfinished embassy complex, which are supposed to be blast-resistant, performed as they should have during the mortar attack." ... "U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker banished Golden from Iraq, but he continues to oversee the construction of the embassy in Baghdad; to be the liaison with the contractor, Kuwait-based First Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting Co.; and to supervise other projects for the State Department's Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) bureau." ... "McClatchy Newspapers has also learned that:" ... "— Aspects of the embassy's construction are the subject of at least one U.S. government criminal investigation, according to officials in Congress and the administration." ... "— In order to rush the project, the long-time head of OBO, retired Army Maj. Gen. [Major General] Charles Williams, signed a waiver in July 2005 allowing a sole-source contract to be awarded to First Kuwaiti." ... "In a letter to State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard last month, [California Democratic Representative Henry] Waxman said that former and current staff members in Krongard's office told the committee that he'd refused to help investigate alleged wrongdoing by First Kuwaiti and an unnamed top State Department official." -By Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S. Landay -McClatchyDC.com
Iraq - Iran - China - US - Construction - Power - Politics - Military - "Iraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S.." ... "Iraq has agreed to award $1.1 billion in contracts to Iranian and Chinese companies to build a pair of enormous power plants, the Iraqi electricity minister said Tuesday. Word of the project prompted serious concerns among American military officials, who fear that Iranian commercial investments can mask military activities at a time of heightened tension with Iran." ... "The Iraqi electricity minister, Karim Wahid, said that the Iranian project would be built in Sadr City, a Shiite enclave in Baghdad that is controlled by followers of the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr. He added that Iran had also agreed to provide cheap electricity from its own grid to southern Iraq, and to build a large power plant essentially free of charge in an area between the two southern Shiite holy cities of Karbala and Najaf." ... "The expansion of ties between Iraq and Iran comes as the United States and Iran clash on nuclear issues and about what American officials have repeatedly said is Iranian support for armed groups in Iraq. American officials have charged that Iranians, through the international military wing known as the Quds Force, are particularly active in support of elite elements of the Mahdi Army, a militia largely controlled by Mr. Sadr." ... "At the same time, it is possible to view Iranian and Chinese investment as giving those countries a stake in Iraqi stability. The power plants could also boost a troubled reconstruction effort in Iraq." ... "The agreements between Iraq and Iran come after the American-led reconstruction effort, which relied heavily on large American contractors, has spent nearly $5 billion of United States taxpayer money on Iraq’s electricity grid. Aside from a few isolated bright spots, there was little clear impact in a nation where in many places electricity is still available only for a few hours each day." (1, 2) -By James Glanz with contributions by Alissa J. Rubin and Ahmad Fadam -NYTimes
US - Mexico - China - Manufacturing - Politics - Duncan Hunter - US Immigration - Law - Calif - 2008 Election - "Lawmakers blast DHS for building border fence with Chinese steel." ... "House members allied with the domestic steel industry blasted the [Republican President Bush run] Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday for building a fence on the Mexican border with Chinese steel." ... "GOP presidential hopeful Rep. [California Republican Representative and 2008 election Presidential Candidate] Duncan Hunter (Calif.), who authored a bill signed into law last year mandating 850 miles of fence along the border, said DHS should have gone to U.S. producers to procure any necessary steel or pipe." ... "“The Department of Homeland Security has, the last time I checked, $800 million cash on hand available to build the border fence. So they don’t have to go and get cut-rate deals to build the border fence,” Hunter said. U.S. pipe makers can “easily” supply the products necessary for the fence, Hunter insisted." -By Ian Swanson -TheHill.com

20071007

US - Iraq - Kuwait - Construction - Homes - Health - Safety - Blackwater - Military - Politics - "Iraq Embassy Cost Rises $144 Million Amid Project Delays: Planning, Workmanship Cited as Problems." ... "The massive U.S. embassy under construction in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] could cost $144 million more than projected and will open months behind schedule because of poor planning, shoddy workmanship, internal disputes and last-minute changes sought by State Department officials [under Republican President Bush], according to U.S. officials and a department document provided to Congress." ... "The embassy, which will be the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in the world, was budgeted at $592 million." ... "The growing price tag and delayed opening have alarmed members of Congress, some of whom regard the troubled project as the latest in a series of State Department management problems in Iraq. The department has been criticized for failing to send enough reconstruction specialists to assist U.S. forces in Baghdad and for not providing adequate oversight of its principal private security force, Blackwater USA, whose personnel have been accused of using excessive force to protect U.S. diplomats." ... "Department officials contend that some of the delays are a result of poor workmanship by the project's primary contractor, First Kuwaiti General Trade and Contracting, a Middle Eastern firm. Apparent building and safety blunders in a facility to house embassy security guards have made it unsafe to open. Originally due to open last December, the facility is still not operational because of formaldehyde fumes in 252 prefabricated residential trailers." ... "A Sept. 18 internal report on problems with the guard facility's electrical system, prepared for Charles E. Williams, the director of building operations, suggested that KBR, the former Halliburton subsidiary hired to run the facility, was responsible for overloading the system." (1, 2) -By Glenn Kessler -WashingtonPost

20071006

Religious - University - Home - Remodeling - Jet - Trip - Autos - Clothes - Money - Political - Family - Oklahoma - Texas - California - "Scandal brewing at Oral Roberts." ... "[Televangelist Oral Roberts son and Oklahoma's Oral Roberts University President] Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including numerous home remodeling projects, use of the university jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay." ... "She is accused of dropping tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarships to friends of her children and sending scores of text messages on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males."" ... "San Antonio [Texas] televangelist John Hagee, a member of the ORU board of regents, said the university's executive board "is conducting a full and thorough investigation."" ... "The university reported nearly $76 million in revenue in 2005, according to the IRS." ... "Oral Roberts is 89 and lives in California." ... "Richard Roberts, according to the suit, asked a professor in 2005 to use his students and university resources to aid a county commissioner's bid for Tulsa [Oklahoma] mayor. Such involvement would violate state and federal law because of the university's nonprofit status. Up to 50 students are alleged to have worked on the campaign." -By Justin Juozapavicius -AP via -Yahoo

20071004

Alphonso Jackson - Government - Money - Politics - Hurricane Katrina - Housing - Construction - Texas - New Orleans - Louisiana - SC - "Questionable Contracts." ... "In April last year, Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson traveled to Dallas to deliver a speech to a group of minority real estate executives. The event should have been pretty routine stuff. But Jackson -- and these are his words -- shot off his mouth by describing how he believed contracts should be awarded by the Department of Housing and Urban Developmen [HUD]t. The secretary recalled, for instance, how he once had killed a contract award because the contractor had disparaged his friend [Republican] President Bush." ... "Not too long after his speech, when he was back in Washington, Jackson realized he had blundered. Democratic lawmakers, citing concerns about political favoritism in HUD contract awards, called for an investigation by the department's inspector general. One powerful senator demanded Jackson's resignation. Jackson, meanwhile, issued an apology: HUD contracts, he said, were never "awarded, rejected, or rescinded" because of political influence or bias." ... "The matter, however, didn't end there. HUD Inspector General Kenneth Donohue launched an investigation. In September 2006, Donohue rendered his verdict in a lengthy report: Although Jackson had, in fact, urged senior aides to consider the political views of contractors in doling out department business, "no direct evidence" linked political favoritism to such awards. Jackson, it seemed, had dodged a bullet." ... "But perhaps not, because federal investigators are once again on Jackson's trail. And this time, the investigation seems more serious. Donohue's investigators are now working with the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigationv], a federal grand jury in Washington, and prosecutors from the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section. The investigation appears to focus, in part, on whether Jackson misled Congress when he testified earlier this year that he had never intervened in awarding HUD contracts. "I don't touch contracts," the HUD boss told a Senate panel on May 3." ... "Investigators are exploring whether Jackson, despite that testimony, had actually lined up a contract at the HUD-controlled Housing Authority of New Orleans [Louisiana], or HANO, for a golfing buddy and social friend from Hilton Head Island, S.C. [South Carolina] The friend, William Hairston, was paid more than $485,000 for working at HANO during an 18-month period, according to figures provided by HUD and a former HANO official. The work was not competitively bid." ... "In an interview, Hairston, a stucco contractor, said that Jackson had indeed helped him land the job at HANO. He said that the New Orleans housing agency, which HUD manages under receivership, was struggling to repair and rehab its housing units in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and needed a construction manager. "The secretary asked me if I would go to New Orleans and help them out," Hairston told National Journal." -By Edward T. Pound -NationalJournal

20070925

Nuclear - Energy - Construction - Industry - Government - Environmental - Law - Language - Politics - History - Land - Maryland - New Jersey - "Nuclear Utilities Redefine One Word to Bulldoze for New Plants." ... "On tree-lined bluffs overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, where anti-nuclear activists won a landmark environmental victory 36 years ago, Constellation Energy Group Inc. is engineering atomic power's comeback." ... "This time, even if there are protests, bulldozers will roll." ... "That's because the [Maryland] Baltimore-based utility and its allies have found a way around a longstanding regulatory policy they say added a year or more to construction times for nuclear plants." ... "In April, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission [NRC] agreed to industry demands that it reduce its oversight of initial work at reactor sites. By narrowing its definition of the word ``construction'' in agency rules, the NRC put off the required public hearings and permits that have waylaid past projects." ... "The untold story of how the energy lobby and the federal government worked to clear a path for new reactors -- backed by an NRC commissioner [Republican Jeffrey Merrifield] seeking a job in the [nuclear] industry -- reveals one way pro-nuclear forces have stolen a march on environmentalists." ... "Utilities and the administration of [Republican] President George W. Bush say they want new reactors on line by 2015. Power companies are rushing to take advantage of federal tax credits and loan guarantees in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, some of which begin to expire next year. The NRC says it expects to receive as many as 21 applications to build 32 new reactors, the first of which will be filed today by NRG Energy Inc. of Princeton, New Jersey." ... "The new construction rule is only the latest such initiative. In 2004, the NRC limited the public's ability to gather evidence and question witnesses during hearings." ... "By redefining ``construction'' to exclude excavation, road building and the erection of some cooling towers, the NRC could reduce its oversight without violating the 1971 court order." ... "Andrew Kugler, senior environmental project manager in the NRC's New Reactor Office, protested to the general counsel's office. Kugler said in an e-mail that the proposed rule would exclude from NRC regulation ``probably 90 percent of the true environmental impacts of construction.''" -By Elliot Blair Smith -Bloomberg

20070905

US - Iraq - Military - Construction - Money - Politics - Government - Accounting - Investigations - Texas - Oil - Water - "Iraq Contractors Tap Law Firms: A civil 'war zone' of investigation." ... "The war in Iraq has an army of high-profile attorneys working to steer defense contractors through a minefield of lawsuits and federal investigations involving war profiteering and fraud." ... "During the past year, several defense contractors hired to help rebuild Iraq have come under federal investigation or faced litigation for allegedly defrauding the government. Government officials estimate that $10 billion in Iraq-related contracts are unaccounted for and may have been lost to fraud or other misconduct." ... "Currently, about 80 federal investigations looking into contract fraud are under way, and more than 20 cases have been referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution, according to congressional testimony offered by federal auditors. During the last three years, contract fraud investigations have yielded 10 arrests, five indictments, five convictions and two imprisonments." ... "High-caliber law firms have lined up to help guide defense contractors through investigations and prosecutions and relieve their fears of prosecution, not receiving payment or being banned from doing business with the government." ... "Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Vinson & Elkins of Houston [Texas] are representing former Halliburton subsidiary KBR Inc., which is facing scrutiny over a $25.7 billion contract to help rebuild oil services in Iraq." ... "Patton Boggs of Washington has come to the aid of Halliburton, the largest private contractor in Iraq, which is facing congressional scrutiny." ... "Washington's Brand Law Group is advising Fluor, a U.S. engineering and construction firm that is facing questions over its $1.1 billion water and sewage contract in Iraq. " -By Tresa Baldas -NLJ.com via -Law.com

20070830

US - Iraq - Military - Intelligence - Accounting - Legislation - Reconstruction - Money - "Report Finds Little Progress On Iraq Goals: GAO Draft at Odds With [Republican President Bush] White House." ... "Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration." ... "The strikingly negative GAO draft, which will be delivered to Congress in final form on Tuesday, comes as the White House prepares to deliver its own new benchmark report in the second week of September, along with congressional testimony from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. They are expected to describe significant security improvements and offer at least some promise for political reconciliation in Iraq." ... "The draft provides a stark assessment of the tactical effects of the current U.S.-led counteroffensive to secure Baghdad. "While the Baghdad security plan was intended to reduce sectarian violence, U.S. agencies differ on whether such violence has been reduced," it states. While there have been fewer attacks against U.S. forces, it notes, the number of attacks against Iraqi civilians remains unchanged. It also finds that "the capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved."" ... ""Overall," the report concludes, "key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds," as promised. While it makes no policy" ... "The person who provided the draft report to The Post said it was being conveyed from a government official who feared that its pessimistic conclusions would be watered down in the final version -- as some officials have said happened with security judgments in this month's National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq." -By Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks -WashingtonPost

20070829

New Orleans - Louisiana - Mississippi - Storm - Flood - Hurricane Katrina - Disaster - Rebuilding - Politics - Federal - Money - "An Angry New Orleans Remembers Katrina: Upset Over Lack Of Progress Since Devastating Storm, Protests And Memorials Mark 2nd Anniversary." ... "On the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, anger over the stalled rebuilding was palpable throughout a city where the mourning for the dead and feeling of loss for flooded homes, schools, snow cone stands, old-time hairstylists and hardware stores doesn't seem to subside." ... "Hurricane Katrina made landfall south of New Orleans at 6:10 a.m. Aug. 29, 2005, as a strong Category 3 hurricane that flooded 80 percent of the city and killed more than 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States." ... "[Republican] President Bush commemorated Hurricane Katrina's devastating blow Wednesday with a somber moment of silence. Across town, in a symbol of a federal-city divide that persists two years after the killer storm, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin marked the levee-breach moment with bell-ringing." ... "The front page of The Times-Picayune advertised a scathing editorial above the masthead: "Treat us fairly, Mr. President." It chided the Bush administration for giving Republican-dominated Mississippi a share of federal money that it said was disproportionate to the lesser impact the storm had there than in largely Democratic Louisiana. "We ought to get no less help from our government than any other victims of this disaster," it said." (1, 2) -AP -CBSNews

20070817

US - World - Italy - Iraq - Terrorism - Construction - Money - Accounting - Politics - "Construction Woes Plague U.S. Embassies: Shoddy Work, Contract Choices Cited." ... "The new air-conditioning system in the $66 million U.S. Embassy in Mali broke down in June, sending office temperatures soaring to 100 degrees. An electrical fire erupted in the rehabilitated annex to the embassy in Rome [Italy's capital]. And the U.S. ambassador in Belize had to personally help workers sand the floors for new housing." ... "As the United States seeks to rapidly modernize and fortify its diplomatic missions around the world because of terrorism and other security concerns, the State Department's $5 billion construction efforts abroad have come under increasing strain. In a series of cables sent to Washington this summer, U.S. diplomats complained of building delays and shoddy workmanship, underscoring problems with State's one-size-fits-all approach to building that results in the same air-conditioning system being shipped to embassies in Africa and in Europe." ... "Concerns have focused in particular on the ongoing construction of the largest U.S. Embassy in the world -- the $592 million complex in Baghdad. The State Department inspector general is probing the awarding of sole-source contracts in the sprawling project, including whether they are unjustifiably expensive and whether top officials in State's Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) short-circuited the process to favor particular contractors, according to sources familiar with the probe." ... "At the center of the controversy is the man who has run the OBO since the start of the [Republican President] Bush administration -- Charles E. Williams, a retired major general in the Army Corps of Engineers, who quit under fire as chief operating officer of the D.C. public schools in 1998 when a botched roof repair project delayed the opening of District schools by three weeks. State Department officials who have worked with Williams assert that the serious construction problems now coming to light flow directly from Williams's mercurial management style.-" -By Glenn Kessler -WashingtonPost

20070815

China - Transportation - Construction - Economy - "China Bridge Collapse Toll Rises to 36." ... "Chinese rescuers blasted apart chunks of rubble Wednesday in the search for nearly two dozen people still missing in a bridge collapse that killed at least 36." ... "At least 100 construction workers were dismantling scaffolding on the bridge when it collapsed in the southern tourist town of Fenghuang. The disaster rekindled concerns about rushed, shoddy work amid China's torrid economic expansion." -By Alexa Olesen -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

20070813

Hurricane Katrina - Real Estate - Disaster - Politics - Alabama - Mississippi - Louisiana - Government -Construction - Legislation - "Katrina aid goes toward luxury condos." ... "With large swaths of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's football stadium [in Tuscaloosa, Alabama]." ... "About 10 condominium projects are going up in and around Tuscaloosa [Alabama], and builders are asking up to $1 million for units with granite countertops, king-size bathtubs and 'Bama decor, including crimson couches and Bear Bryant wall art." ... "And they intend to take full advantage of the generous tax benefits available to investors under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005, or GO Zone, according to Associated Press interviews with buyers and real estate officials." ... "The GO Zone contains a variety of tax breaks designed to stimulate construction in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama." ... "The GO Zone was drawn to include the Tuscaloosa area even though it is about 200 miles from the coast and got only heavy rain and scattered wind damage from Katrina." ... "Locals say Tuscaloosa was included in the GO Zone through the efforts of Republican [Alabama Senator] Sen. Richard Shelby, who is from Tuscaloosa, graduated from Alabama and sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. But Shelby aides said Tuscaloosa made the cut because it was classified as a disaster area by the government after Katrina, not because of the senator's influence." -By Jay Reeves -AP via -USATODAY

20070811

US Immigration - Workers - Industries - Construction - Health - Agriculture - Politics - "Farmers Call Crackdown on Illegal Workers Unfair." ... "Facing the prospect of major layoffs of farmworkers during harvest season, growers and lawmakers from agricultural states spoke in dire terms yesterday about new measures by the [Republican] Bush administration to crack down on employers of illegal immigrants." ... "The new effort was cautiously welcomed yesterday by conservative Republicans who defied President Bush in June and opposed a broad immigration bill he supported that failed in the Senate. That bill included provisions to give legal status to illegal immigrants and to create a guest worker program for agriculture." ... "Employers in low-wage industries were critical but guarded, reluctant to admit openly that they hire illegal immigrants. Randel K. Johnson, a vice president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, said the measures were “one more kick in the pants” for meat-packing, construction and health care companies that employ immigrant workers in unskilled jobs." ... "Farmers were less shy, saying at least 70 percent of farmworkers are illegal immigrants." -By Julia Preston -NYTimes

20070808

Minnesota - I-35W Bridge Collapse - Disaster - History - Transportation - Construction - Science - Politics - "I-35W inspectors flagged serious cracks, rusting." ... "[Minnesota] State bridge inspectors warned for nearly a decade before its collapse that the Interstate 35W bridge had "severe" and "extensive" corrosion of its beams and trusses, "widespread cracking" in spans and missing or broken bolts." ... "Not only was the superstructure in poor condition, but certain components were "beyond tolerable limits," and one of the bridge's piers had "tilted to the north," they reported." ... "By 2000, the inspectors wrote that "eventual replacement of the entire structure would be preferable" to redecking the bridge. They added: "If bridge replacement is significantly delayed, the bridge should be re-decked."" ... "That recommendation was repeated in every report afterward, but it never happened." ... "[Minnesota Republican Governor Tim] Pawlenty defended the decisions made about the bridge." ... "However, in every report since 2000, inspectors urged the state to replace bolts in a specific area of the bridge, a job listed each year under "Immediate Maintenance Recommendations."" ... "And since 2004 the reports repeatedly cited fatigue cracking in two girders as another problem requiring immediate maintenance, possibly including measures to relieve stress." ... "More than 11,000 comparable bridges in the nation have deficiency ratings similar to those of the I-35W bridge." -By Pat Doyle, Mike Kaszuba, Dan Browning and Laurie Blake -StarTribune

20070807

Minnesota - Political - Transportation - Construction - Gas - Legislation - I-35W Bridge Collapse - Disaster - Don Young - Alaska - Government - "Bridge Collapse Revives Issue of Road Spending." ... "In the past two years, [Minnesota Republican Governor] Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota twice vetoed legislation to raise the state’s gas tax to pay for transportation needs." ... "Now, with at least five people dead in the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge here, Mr. Pawlenty, a Republican, appears to have had a change of heart." ... "Even as the cause of the bridge disaster here remains under investigation, the collapse is changing a lot of minds about spending priorities. It has focused national attention on the crumbling condition of America’s roadways and bridges — and on the financial and political neglect they have received in Washington and many state capitals." ... "Despite historic highs in transportation spending, the political muscle of lawmakers, rather than dire need, has typically driven where much of the money goes. That has often meant construction of new, politically popular roads and transit projects rather than the mundane work of maintaining the worn-out ones." ... "The $286 billion federal transportation legislation passed by Congress in 2005 included more than 6,000 earmarks, which amounted to blatant gifts to chosen districts, including the [Alaska Republican Representative Don Young's] so-called Bridge to Nowhere in rural Alaska (that earmark was later removed after a political uproar)." ... "A study released in May by the Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young found that 83 percent of the nation’s transportation infrastructure was not capable of meeting the country’s needs over the next 10 years. The American Society of Civil Engineers, in its latest national report card, gave transportation infrastructure a D." (1, 2) -By Susan Saulny and Jennifer Steinhauer -NYTimes

20070802

Minnesota - I-35W Bridge Collapse - Disaster - Vehicles - Transportation - Construction - Technology - Politics - Government - River - "Minn. bridge problems uncovered in 1990." ... "Minnesota officials were warned as early as 1990 that the [Minneapolis, Minnesota I-35W] bridge that plummeted into the Mississippi River was "structurally deficient," yet they relied on a strategy of patchwork fixes and stepped-up inspections." ... "In 1990, the federal government gave the I-35W bridge a rating of "structurally deficient," citing significant corrosion in its bearings. The bridge is one of 77,000 bridges in that category nationwide, 1,160 in Minnesota alone." ... "[Bridge engineer Dan] Dorgan said the bearings could not have been repaired without jacking up the entire deck of the bridge. Because the bearings were not sliding, inspectors concluded the corrosion was not a major issue." ... "During the 1990s, later inspections found fatigue cracks and corrosion in the steel around the bridge's joints. Those problems were repaired. Starting in 1993, the state said, the bridge was inspected annually instead of every other year." ... "A 2005 federal inspection also rated the bridge structurally deficient, giving it a 50 on scale of 100 for structural stability." ... "The eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge was Minnesota's busiest bridge, carrying 141,000 vehicles a day. It was in the midst of mostly repaving repairs when it buckled during the evening rush hour. Dozens of cars plummeted more than 60 feet into the Mississippi River, some falling on top one of another. A school bus sat on the angled concrete." -By Sharon Cohen and Brian Bakst with contributions by Seth Borenstein, Martiga Lohn, Ryan Foley and Jon Krawczynski -AP via -Yahoo
Minnesota - Transportation - Disaster - Lawmakers - Construction - Money - Politics - "Bridge collapse renews focus on transportation funding debate." ... "Two key Minnesota lawmakers are angry that it has taken a tragedy to free up money for such an essential piece of the state's transportation infrastructure." ... "A former Minnesota transportation official says the total cost including demolition and new construction, could be $400 million." ... "However, two key Minnesota lawmakers are angry it's taken a disaster to get people's attention." ... "State [Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Representative] Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul [Minnesota], and chair of the House bonding committee, has many of the same questions as others about why the bridge collapsed." ... ""Did we do due diligence in our inspections, and our response to those inspections?" she asked." ... "Hausman cautions it is wise to wait for the investigation to supply answers about what caused the bridge collapse." ... "She is not willing, for example, to assert that years of deferred state transportation maintenance spending is a cause." ... "What makes her angry, she says, is the criticism aimed at her and other lawmakers who, over the years, have advocated spending more on repairing Minnesota's transportation infrastructure." ... "State [Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Senator] Sen. Keith Langseth, on the other hand, points directly at Gov. [Minnesota Republican Governor Tim] Pawlenty for not paying attention to the state's infrastructure needs." ... ""I've been in it for six governors. On infrastructure this one is the worst, without any question," said Langseth." ... "He says the governor is responsible for ignoring transportation maintenance." ... ""He thinks he can just keep pushing this stuff off, whether it's by bonding rather than paying cash, or just not doing it," said Langseth. "He thinks he can get that beyond his tenure in office and just dump it on to somebody else, and it caught up with him."" -By Dan Olson -MPR -PublicRadio.org

20070801

Analysis - US - Iraq - Government - Military - People - Health - Construction - Massachusetts - Politics - "Analysis says war could cost $1 trillion: Budget office sees effect on taxpayers for decade." ... "The war in Iraq could ultimately cost well over a trillion dollars -- at least double what has already been spent -- including the long-term costs of replacing damaged equipment, caring for wounded troops, and aiding the Iraqi government, according to a new government analysis." ... "The United States has already allocated more than $500 billion on the day-to-day combat operations of what are now 190,000 troops and a variety of reconstruction efforts." ... "In a report to lawmakers yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that even under the rosiest scenario -- an immediate and substantial reduction of troops -- American taxpayers will feel the financial consequences of the war for at least a decade." ... "The cost of the war in Iraq and other military operations has soared to the point where "we are now spending on these activities more than 10 percent of all the government's annually appropriated funds," said Robert A. Sunshine, the budget office's assistant director for budget analysis." ... "Some leading economists have predicted that, depending on how long troops remain in Iraq, the endeavor could reach several trillion dollars as a result of more "hidden" costs -- including recruiting expenses to replenish the ranks and the lifelong benefits the government pays to veterans." ... ""It is being paid for on the national credit card," [Democratic Massachusetts Representative James] McGovern said. "It is being put on their backs of our kids and grandkids. That is indefensible."" -By Bryan Bender -Boston/Globe

20070730

Ted Stevens - Alaska - Oil - Money - VECO - House - Construction - Politics - Enforcement - "FBI, IRS searching Stevens' Girdwood house." ... "Federal law enforcement agents are currently searching the Girdwood home of Alaska [Republican Senator] U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens." ... "Federal investigators and grand juries looking into public corruption in Alaska have been asking questions about a 2000 remodeling project that more than doubled the size of the Girdwood [Alaska] house -- particularly the involvement of the oil field services firm Veco." ... "One of the contractors who worked on the job said he was hired by Veco CEO Bill Allen for the job, and while his bills were paid by Stevens and his wife, Catherine, invoices were reviewed first by Veco." ... "Allen and a Veco vice president pleaded guilty in May to bribery, extortion and other charges connected with paying off state legislators." -By Richard Mauer and Erika Bolstad -ADN.com

20070725

Don Young - Jack Abramoff - Ted Stevens - Ben Stevens - Alaska - VECO - Oil - Construction - Money - Politics - Colorado - "Alaska's Young and Stevens Face Criminal Inquiry." ... "[Alaska Republican Representative] Rep. Don Young of Alaska, the former chairman of the House Transportation Committee, now is the subject of a continuing criminal inquiry involving possible political favors for a company in Alaska, people close to the case said. [Alaska Senator Representative] Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, the powerful former chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the longest-serving Senate Republican, is also under criminal investigation." ... "Federal investigators are examining whether Rep. Young or Sen. Stevens accepted bribes, illegal gratuities or unreported gifts from VECO Corp., Alaska's largest oil-field engineering firm, people close to the case said." ... "Mr. Young has also faced questions about campaign donations received from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff." ... "VECO was acquired in June by CH2M Hill, a closely held Colorado engineering firm, after Mr. Allen, VECO's former CEO, agreed in May to plead guilty to charges of bribery, conspiracy and extortion." ... "Mr. Stevens has publicly said that he was asked to retain documents related to the federal investigation of his son, [former Alaska State Republican Senator] Ben Stevens, and other members of the state legislature, and related to VECO's role in the remodeling of a family home in Alaska in 2000." -By John R. Wilke -WSJ.com

20070720

Housing - Construction - Consumer - Politics - "US mortgage crisis could cost lenders $100bn, says Fed chief." ... "· Once top-rated bonds slashed to junk status · Default rates among low earners rising rapidly." ... "Losses from the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United State