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News
Ethane storage hub closer to reality than ever before 
An early rendering of the Mountaineer NGL site in Ohio.
While it could be years before an ethane storage hub becomes reality, there’s hard work behind the scenes by a group of public and private entities in Appalachia.
One of the most visible is the initiative by Appalachia Development Group to win a $1.9 billion federal Department of Energy loan guarantee that would go a long way toward funding the storage hub and pipeline system that experts say is necessary to build up the petrochemical industry in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.  Read More...
Supreme Court candidate to file legal challenge to Jenkins, Armstead appointments
CHARLESTON – A Charleston attorney who is seeking a seat on the state Supreme Court is ready to mount a legal challenge to Gov. Jim Justice’s temporary appointments to the court.
William Schwartz told The West Virginia Record he plans to file an writ of prohibition and order of mandamus soon regarding the qualifications of U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins and former House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead as temporary Justices, following the retirements of former Justices Robin Jean Davis and Menis Ketchum. Read More...
Crude exports hit record highs; Shell PA cracker bypasses steel hurdle; Enterprise begins NGL construction in Texas
Shell PA cracker progresses after steel and aluminum restrictions ease
Shell will continue construction of its multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in western Pennsylvania after the U.S. Department of Commerce waived restrictions on imported steel from South Korea, Argentina and Brazil.
Pipe spools needed by Shell for the cracker plant have been held by U.S. Customs and Border Protection since early June, unable to move to Pennsylvania since the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on steel imports and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports. Read More...
Educators and industry leaders huddle to bolster the workforce in the petrochemical and construction industries
“It’s kind of funny most kids today have never really seen a wrench or a screwdriver and all they know is their cell phone and a mouse,” Catudal said. He and others stressed that general life skills are essential – and it’s an area in which community colleges can offer real value to students and employers. It might seem very basic, Catudal said, but “one of the most important things is learning to show up for work on time.” 
Educators from all over Southeast Texas gathered in Houston this month to talk with leaders in the petrochemical and construction industries about improving their collaborative efforts to put people to work in high-paying careers.  Read More...
What's getting in the way of employers' getting handle on health care costs, quality 
Variations on health care costs and quality and the markets themselves are hampering employers' abilities to get a handle on rising costs and the best value.
That's a takeaway from a panel Thursday afternoon on provider quality data and the use of it by the private companies who pay for the bulk of their employees' health care costs. The panel was part of the annual Pittsburgh Business Group on Health Symposium, which drew western Pennsylvania employers interested in getting at better health care value. Read More...
Construction Gains 21,000 Jobs in Aug., Jobless Rate Stays Low
Construction added 23,000 jobs to its workforce in August as the industry’s unemployment rate held even with July’s but fell year over year, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says.
The BLS August employment  report , released on Sept. 7, shows that construction’s August jobless rate stood at 3.4%, the same as July’s mark and down sharply from the August 2017 level of 4.7%. Read More...
Why Downtown Development is Crucial for American Cities
Every year, mayors from cities of all sizes share their visions for the upcoming year in their  state of the city  speeches. NLC has analyzed trends in these speeches for the last five years, and it should surprise no one that economic development has remained the most popular topic. Read More...
Safety and Education
How to Comply With Pay Equity Laws
As women have become a significant part of the workforce (47 percent according to the U.S. Department of Labor), pay equity has very slowly come to the forefront. According to the 2016 Census Bureau data, women earn 80.5 cents for every dollar a man makes. Notably, this is not just an issue for women, but for other individuals who would be considered a minority for various reasons. This year, many cities, states and individual organizations have taken or are taking matters into their own hands by developing laws, regulations and processes to mitigate unfair pay policies and move toward closing the pay gap. Read More...
Easy Steps for Improving Construction Site Safety
Time is money in the construction industry. The constant pressure project managers and crews face to meet deadlines and stay within budget often causes safety to fall to the wayside. In 2016, out of 4,693 worker fatalities in private industry, one in five were in construction. Implementing each of these strategies can help improve health and safety in construction on any jobsite. Read More...
In light of the current and approaching hurricanes, we want to remind QuickTakes readers that OSHA has resources to help keep workers safe.

Hurricane season peaks in September, and wildfires are still burning throughout the Pacific Northwest and from California to Colorado. OSHA urges employers to be prepared to keep their workers safe during extreme weather events. The agency’s  Emergency Preparedness and Response webpage   provides information on protecting workers before and after hurricanes ,  wildfires ,  tornadoes ,  floods , and other natural disasters strike.
Safety Tool Box Talk
Plan Room News
What Is the OVCEC Plan Room?
  • It is a conveniently located source of construction plans for the Ohio Valley area
  • It publishes a weekly Construction Report listing projects out for bid, due dates, apparent low bidders and contracts awarded
  • It provides updates on projects throughout the week by email
  • It provides online access to plans and specifications for your review and downloading
  • It provides bidders lists
  • It has staff that will get the plans you need whenever possible
Submit Plans & Specs
As an Owner or Architect of a project, placing your project plans in the OVCEC Plan Room will help to insure the success of your project.
The Plan Room will:
  • Help you publicize your project
  • Increase the quantity and quality of bids you receive for your project
  • Help you get addenda out to bidders
  • Reduce your cost of blueprint duplication by allowing electronic submission to Plan Room Online