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November 17, 2012 • Vol. VIII • No. 23 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Palouse Wind Farm First Homebuilders for Washington State Area Remain Certain in Six-Year High By Alex Veiga
Cornell Provides Quali ty Service...6
AP REAL ESTATE WRITER
Permian Oil Show Unites Indust ry...12
Construction of the Palouse wind project will mean expenditures of roughly $30 million in the local area.
By Mary Reed CEG CORRESPONDENT
Kawasaki R edesigns 95Z7...24
Table of Contents ................4 Recycling Section ........13-23 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................34-37 Attachment Section ....38-40 Auction Section ..........43-53 Business Calendar ............50 Advertisers Index ..............54
It’s another first for Boston-based independent wind energy provider First Wind, given its wind farm project in Whitman County is its first in Washington State. The Palouse wind facility will be the first renewable energy provider in the county, supplying enough power for 30,000 homes or the equivalent of Whitman County’s total energy load. “We have handled many jobs like the Palouse Wind site for First Wind, most of which have been in New England or Hawaii,” said Paul Judkins, project manager of general contractor RMT Inc., of Madison, Wis. “We know First Wind well and have a strong history working with them.” Construction on the Palouse wind project began in November 2011; the project has an expected completion date of November 2012. The Palouse wind project calls for installation of 58 Vestas’ V100-1.8 mW turbines between Oakesdale and state Route 195. The turbine towers consist of three tube sections, a nacelle
LOS ANGELES (AP) Confidence among U.S. homebuilders remains at its highest level in six years, reflecting improved optimism over the strengthening housing market this year and a pickup in visits by prospective buyers to builders’ communities. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Oct. 16 rose to 41 this month, up from 40 in September. That’s the highest reading since June 2006, just before the housing bubble burst. Any reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the housing market. The index hasn’t been above 50 since April 2006, the peak of the housing boom. The gauge of current sales and builders’ outlook on sales over the next six months remained unchanged from September’s reading. But a measure of traffic by prospective buyers rose 5 points to 35, the highest level since April 2006. The survey is based on responses from 400 builders. It has been trending higher since last October, when the reading stood at 17. The index sank to 8, its lowest point dating back to 1985, in January 2008. Recent housing data continue to point to signs that the housing market is making a
see WIND page 52
see HOMES page 50
Construction Sector Adds 17,000 Jobs in October Construction employers added 17,000 jobs in October while the industry's unemployment rate fell to 11.4 percent, according to an analysis of new federal data released Nov. 2 by the Associated
General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that total construction employment levels have changed little during the past year while the declines in the industry’s unemployment rate
are coming as more former workers leave the industry. “Despite five consecutive months of construction employment gains, the overall employment picture is essentially
unchanged from a year ago,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Construction employment appears stuck in a state of mild monthly flux with litsee EMPLOYERS page 52