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This article presents information regarding U.S. President George W. Bush's $2.57-trillion budget plan for fiscal year 2006 that asks for severe cuts in many infrastructure accounts. Budget panel Democrats blasted the Bush blueprint. David Bauer, American Road & Transportation Builders Association vice president for government relations, calls the White House proposal a positive step, but notes that there weren't sufficient votes last year to pass a $284-billion bill. The roughest fight may be over Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure, where Bush wants to slash aid to Clean Water state revolving funds by 34%, to $730 million.

This article reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on November 19, 2007 released an updated plan to address a growing "dead zone" that occurs in the Gulf of Mexico each year as a result of excess nutrients flowing into and from the Mississippi River. The plan outlines broad strategies for reducing nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous by 45% by 2015 and could have ramifications for wastewater-treatment plants and the construction industry firms that design them.

This article reports that decades of liquid effluent from the Teck-Cominco smelter in British Columbia contributed most of the zinc, lead, cadmium and other trace elements polluting Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report. Teck-Cominco says it has since spent over $1 billion to improve its environmental performance. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asserts it has regulatory authority. Teck-Cominco says it will pay for clean up of pollution it caused, but not under the auspices of EPA or any other U.S. agency.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled its emission reduction plans for nonroad diesel engines, including engines used in construction equipment. The proposal announced on April 15, 2003 would reduce emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides by more than 90 EPA expects emissions standard to start as early as 2008 and be fully phased in by 2014. Public hearings on the plan will be held in June 2003 in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.