DOE Offers $17.5B in Loans to Restart Large Nuclear Construction
DOE offered up to $17.5B in loans for long-lead equipment on 10 Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, the biggest federal push for large nuclear since Vogtle.
Workforce Pell Grants Go Live for Short-Term Trades Training
Workforce Pell grants took effect July 1, letting students use federal aid for 8-to-15-week trades training as construction hunts for 499,000 workers.
EPA NEPA Reform Would Cap Reviews at 150 Pages and Two Years
EPA’s NEPA reform proposal caps impact statements at 150 pages and two years, as 60+ agencies rewrite permitting rules behind the White House push.
Construction Spending Stalls at $2.21T as Private Work Keeps Sliding
May construction spending edged up 0.1% to a $2.21T annual rate but sits 1.5% below last year, with private nonresidential work down 3.8%.
Hudson Tunnel Funding Freeze Ends as Judge Rules DOT Broke the Law
A federal judge permanently bars DOT from blocking Hudson Tunnel funding, ending the freeze that twice threatened to stall the $16B Gateway megaproject.
Construction Confronts Its Suicide Crisis With More Mental-Health Training
Construction has the highest suicide rate of any U.S. industry. Firms and safety groups are answering with mental-health training and stand-downs on the jobsite.
DOL Opens $85M for Apprenticeships as States Fund Construction Trades
The U.S. Labor Department opened $85M for Registered Apprenticeship expansion while California added $18.6M to train 55,000 building-trades apprentices.
U.S. Ports Race to Add Container Capacity as Trade Routes Shift
From Los Angeles to Houston and Savannah, U.S. ports are expanding container terminals to handle bigger ships and shifting trade, with new capacity coming online.
Fervo’s Cape Station Puts Enhanced Geothermal on the Grid This Fall
Fervo Energy’s Cape Station in Utah is set to send its first 100 MW of enhanced geothermal power to the grid in October, a first at commercial scale.
AGC Mid-Year Outlook Shows a Two-Speed Construction Market
AGC’s 2026 mid-year outlook finds construction holding up better than expected, but almost entirely on the back of data centers while other sectors sag.
Gypsum Price Notices Pile Up as Material Costs Grind Higher
A wave of mid-2026 gypsum board price notices from major manufacturers is forcing contractors to tighten quotes as energy and tariffs push material costs up.
GlobalFoundries Commits $16B to Expand Its New York and Vermont Fabs
GlobalFoundries will spend $16B expanding chip and packaging capacity in New York and Vermont, anchored by a new fab at its Malta campus.
Holtec and TVA Land Up to $800M as DOE Pushes SMRs Toward Construction
The DOE selected Holtec and TVA for up to $800M to advance small modular reactors, with Holtec eyeing a 2026 construction start at Michigan’s Palisades site.
California’s ARCHES Signs $12.6B Hydrogen Hub Deal With the DOE
California’s ARCHES becomes the first of seven regional hydrogen hubs to finalize its DOE agreement, unlocking a $12.6B clean hydrogen buildout.
Lane-Brayman JV Wins $1B ALCOSAN Ohio River Tunnel Contract
Steel City Tunnel Partners, a Lane Construction and Brayman JV, wins the roughly $1B Ohio River Tunnel contract, the largest piece of ALCOSAN’s Clean Water Plan.
Modular Construction Goes Mainstream for Data Centers and Hospitals
Offsite construction has shed its temporary-building image. In 2026 it’s how hyperscalers and hospital systems are hitting schedules they otherwise couldn’t.
Construction Costs Keep Climbing in Mid-2026 as Metal Tariffs Bite
The Turner index keeps rising and 2026 escalation is pegged at 4–6%, with steel, aluminum and copper tariffs driving the sharpest increases in exposed trades.
Trench Deaths Fall Nearly 70% as OSHA’s Zero-Tolerance Push Holds
Trench-collapse deaths have dropped nearly 70% since 2022 as OSHA’s excavation emphasis program keeps up inspections, criminal referrals and six-figure penalties.