Merge g suite users

ENERGY AND CLIMATE DEBATEJust days before entering the five-week August recess, Capitol Hill was abuzz last week with nomination considerations and legislation, including the now-resolved student loan issue.  On the energy front, the Senate approved two hydropower bills by unanimous consent, and they are now awaiting President Obama’s signature: H.R. 267, the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act, and H.R. 678, the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act. The House approved H.R. 1582, the Energy Consumers Relief Act.  An amendment from Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA) to ensure that no rules based on the social cost of carbon was adopted.  The House also approved H.R. 367, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2013, but neither of these House-passed bills is expected to move through the Senate.  The appropriations debate will extend into September and likely beyond the … [Read more...] about Energy and Environmental Law Update – Week of August 5, 2013

Regulatory bodies and lawsAviation in the United States is regulated primarily by the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pursuant to Title 14 of the Code of Federal  Regulations (the Federal Aviation Regulations, 49 USC (the Transportation Code) and  the corresponding regulations.Safety regulationThe FAA regulates the safety of commercial and private air transport. Screening passengers and ensuring onboard security is the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration. The National Transportation Safety Board conducts non-criminal aircraft accident investigations.The Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Section 1.1) define a 'commercial operator' as:"A person who, for compensation or hire, engages in the carriage by aircraft in air commerce of persons or property... [W]here it is doubtful that an operator is for 'compensation or hire', the test applied is whether the carriage by air is … [Read more...] about Regulation of Aviation Operations

Energy and Climate Debate President Obama on February 13 sent Congress a $3.8 trillion budget request for fiscal year 2013 that, after a week of hearings and analysis, is likely to continue fueling debates over spending and taxes through the end of the year. One of the most interesting highlights of the budget includes the president’s varied ways of encouraging clean energy and infrastructure spending this year as the country works to boost the economy and create jobs.In line with his State of the Union call for an all of the above energy strategy, the president’s budget request calls for an elimination of $4 billion in fossil fuel subsidies and a shift in funding from decreasing military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan to infrastructure projects. Though numerous entire department budgets remain relatively static, clean energy, climate, and environment issues are important components and priorities of the request, which encourages developing new clean energy, advancing … [Read more...] about Energy and Environment Update, February 19, 2012

On the surface, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is simple legislation aimed at cracking down on bribery. Yet it has enormous consequences, even for small violations.The FCPA makes it a crime for U.S. individuals and companies to knowingly offer payment or promises of payment to foreign governments in order to secure business. In the first years after it was enacted in 1977, fines were small and enforcement was minimal. But many countries have recently followed suit with similar regulations and fines have increased dramatically. Global governments are now much more likely to investigate and prosecute violators than they were in the past.The punishment for an FCPA violation can be severe. Organizations risk criminal penalties, including corporate fines of up to $2 million per each FCPA violation. Company officers, directors, stockholders, and employees can face personal fines and imprisonment for up to five years, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission can impose civil … [Read more...] about Avoiding Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Violations with Data Analysis

FIDIC has long been renowned for its flexible suite of standard forms of contract for use on international construction and engineering projects. FIDIC is the “contract of choice” for international infrastructure and process plant projects, particularly in Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.Two of the key strengths, or attractions, of the FIDIC suite of contracts are, firstly, that they are capable of use across a diverse range of legal systems and, secondly, that they have been pro-actively updated and added to over time to respond to the needs of the industry.By way of background to this last point, FIDIC produced a core ‘Rainbow Suite’ of 4 contracts in 1999: the Red Book (for Building and Engineering Works), the Yellow Book (Plant and Design-Build), the Silver Book (EPC/Turnkey Projects) and the Green Book (short form contract). Additional forms have subsequently been added to the Rainbow Suite, including the White Book consultant’s … [Read more...] about New FIDIC Yellow Book 2017 – Major Changes: Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs-Conseils