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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” January 28, 2012 • Vol. VIII • No. 2 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Albuquerque Searches for Project Funds
The plan, issued by the Department of Water Resources, details the dire status of levees and other infrastructure along the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems. Officials and experts say the state’s flood control system — a piece-meal collection of 14,000 levees and other infrastructure built by farmers
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) The city of Albuquerque will have less ability to spend on construction projects, as estimates show that the city’s bonding capacity is expected to decrease. The Albuquerque Journal reported that about $110 million in bonding capacity is expected to be available for projects that go on the 2013 ballot. That’s down from $164 million last year. Officials attribute the lower figure to past decisions to siphon away capital money to help the operating budget, a lack of growth in property values and other economic assumptions. Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry said the estimate underscores the importance of one of his key initiatives that aims to rein in operating spending and use the money instead for capital investments. “We’re going to starve ourselves as a city” if only $110 million to $125 million is available for capital projects every two years, he said. Berry said the $110 million figure is a
see PLAN page 22
see SPENDING page 22
Kom atsu Hybrid Proves Itself as Powerful...14
AED Holds Annual Summit, CONDEX in D.C. ...16
California Flood Plan Calls for Up to $17B in Repairs By Gosia Wozniacka ASSOCIATED PRESS
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) More than half of California’s levees do not meet flood-control standards and need up to $17 billion in repairs and investment, officials said in the first statewide flood plan released Dec. 30.
Cat Auction Services Hosts Sale in Texas...48
Table of Contents ................4 California Section..........17-21 Business Calendar..............32 Paving Section ..............33-41 Auction Section ............44-53 Advertisers Index ..............54
Proposed $7B Pipeline Rejected for Now By Matthew Daly THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON In a politically explosive decision, President Barack Obama on Jan. 18 rejected plans for a massive oil pipeline through the heart of the United States, ruling there was not enough time for a fair review before a looming deadline forced on him by Republicans. His move did not kill the project but could again delay a tough choice for him until after the November elections. Right away, the implications rippled across the political spectrum, stirred up the presidential campaign and even hardened feelings with Canada, a trusted U.S. ally and neighbor. For a U.S. electorate eager for work, the pipeline has become the very symbol of job creation for Republicans, but Obama said the environment and public safety must
still be weighed too. The plan by Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. would carry tar sands oil from western Canada across a 1,700-mi. pipeline across six U.S. states to Texas refineries. Obama was already on record as saying no, for now, until his government could review an alternative route that avoided environmentally sensitive areas of Nebraska — a route that still has not been proposed, as the White House emphasizes. But Obama had to take a stand again by Feb. 21 at the latest as part of an unrelated tax deal he cut with Republicans. This time, the project would go forward unless Obama himself declared it was not in the national interest. The president did just that, reviving intense reaction. see PIPELINE page 10