Changes are afoot in Harris County, as the local Commissioners Court recently announced new guidelines for the construction workforce. The guidelines include the following: Construction laborers working under county contracts must be paid a $15 minimum prevailing wage. Purchasing agents, county attorneys and county engineers must evaluate prospective construction vendors based on their safety records, […]
Author Archives: Jessica Ritter Holmes
Texas Construction Firms Are Struggling to Find Qualified Workers
In Texas, the majority of multimillion-dollar construction firms report that they’re having trouble hiring qualified workers in a variety of trade specializations, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. The association, which has been surveying and assessing worker shortages in the U.S. since 2013, recently surveyed over 2,000 construction firms across the United States, […]
Louisiana Legislature Passes $700 Million Transportation Bill
On June 4, the Louisiana legislature passed a nearly $700 million transportation spending plan, the largest such bill in 30 years. The final vote in the Louisiana House of Representatives was 90 to 11. Known as House Bill 578, the legislation provides funding for 10 projects around the state, from New Orleans to Lafayette and […]
Shell Advances Plans for Major Plant Expansion in Geismar, LA
Shell Chemicals has recently advanced plans for a major plant expansion in Geismar, Louisiana, according to Louisiana Economic Development. The $1.2 billion expansion at one of the company’s existing manufacturing facilities would add a monoethylene glycol plant to the site. Shell could decide to approve construction as early as next year. Louisiana Economic Development and […]
World’s Largest Semi-Submersible Crane Prepares to Set Sail
Get ready—the world’s largest semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) is about to hit the high seas. Sleipnir, which is named after the Norse god Odin’s eight-legged stallion, is ready for sea trials, and will enter into service for Heerema Marine Contractors soon afterward. The SSCV, which was recently completed at Sembcorp Marine’s Tuas Boulevard Yard in […]
The Permian Basin’s “West Texas Light” Is Headed Overseas
Production of “West Texas Light” is surging, and now the Permian Basin’s newest kind of oil is headed overseas. As production exceeds the demand of US refiners, exports are expected to jump. Oil companies have sought to separate lighter and less sulfurous crude from West Texas and New Mexico wells, in order to maintain the […]
Kobelco’s Newest Crawler Crane Makes Its Debut in Houston
Earlier this month, Kobelco Cranes unveiled an impressive new crawler crane in their hometown of Houston. The CK 3300G-2 crane, which was developed in three variants for the company’s American and overseas markets, is now the largest model in Kobelco’s multi-purpose crawler crane series. Company officials say this crane should look pretty familiar to operators […]
OSHA Extends Crane Operator Compliance Deadline for Some Employers
In June of last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking which notified employers of several impending changes to its rules governing crane operator certifications. After weighing feedback from industry stakeholders, OSHA published its final ruling a few months later in November. Under the terms of its […]
New Epic Pipeline to Begin Carrying Crude Oil by Fall 2019
With oil production in the Permian Basin booming at an unprecedented pace, several different companies are competing to build the much-needed pipelines that will carry all that crude oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The San Antonio-based company Epic Midstream Holdings, for example, was formed in 2017 with the express purpose of building and […]
Massive Crawler Crane Arrives in Arlington, Texas
Construction on the future home of the Texas Rangers reached an important milestone last month, when the largest American-made conventional crawler crane ever built was erected in the infield of Globe Life Field. The Manitowac 31,000—a crane weighing 3,000 tons that is capable of lifting 5 million pounds—will be tasked with installing the new stadium’s […]