Philadelphia Construction Law Blog

We reported yesterday that the Pennsylvania House failed to pass Governor Corbett’s proposed transportation legislation. In what can only be described as a surprisingly quick turn of events, the House voted on largely the same bill on Tuesday evening and passed it. The vote was 104-95.

Governor Corbett’s full court press to pass his preferred transportation bill met with stern resistance and failed to pass last night in the Pennsylvania House. Although a top priority for the Republican governor, it is the Republican caucus in the House that has proven difficult for him to convince.

In June of this year, President Obama announced his plan to address climate issues. The EPA has announced a number of new regulations that are scheduled for public comment and finalization in the fall of 2014 in furtherance of the President’s agenda. Some of these new regulations have the potential to significantly impact the coal and Marcellus Shale industry, as well as the construction infrastructure that goes along with it, in Pennsylvania.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (“SEPTA”) recently released its annual report focusing on the theme of sustainability, aptly titled “SEP-TAINABLE”. In that report, SEPTA commits to partnering with developers, municipalities, and other organizations to invest in various Transit-Oriented Development (“TOD”) projects, which are high-density mixed-used development projects within a half mile of public transportation. Specifically, SEPTA announced that it intends to engage in one TOD per year.

On Friday, June 29, both the House and Senate approved legislation that included an extension of the federal surface transportation reauthorization bill. The legislation provides for an estimated $105 billion in federal funding for highway, transit, safety, and related transportation programs through the end of September 2014.

A subsidiary of Skanska avoided criminal prosecution by agreeing to pay a $19.6 million settlement over allegations that Skanska improperly took advantage of government set-aside programs. In conjunction with that settlement, it entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan. At the time of the settlement, Skanska was the low bidder on a large subway construction project and risked not having the contract awarded to it by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.