Greece Opens Onshore Oil, Gas Blocs For Exploration

Greece will start opening new onshore oil and gas blocks for exploration in 2018, the head of the Hellenic Hydrocarbons Resources Management (HHRM), Yannis Bassias, told Reuters in an interview published on Monday.

One of the first areas slated for opening is the region of Grevena in northern Greece, close to the route of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), Bassias said.

“As of next year, and perhaps earlier, we will begin announcing that we are opening the door to whoever is interested in onshore sites,” according to the head of Greece’s oil and gas resource management body.

HHRM will begin compiling data packages for the Grevena region and for central regions, Bassias told Reuters.

Greece, which has been struggling with a severe debt crisis in the past few years and has received billions of euros of EU- and IMF-backed bailout support, is trying to resume efforts to search for hydrocarbons both onshore and offshore and possibly lessen its dependence on energy imports in the future.

In October last year, Greece’s energy ministry named a consortium led by France’s Total SA and comprised of Italy’s Edison and Greece’s largest refiner, Hellenic Petroleum, as the preferred bidder to drill for gas in an offshore block in the Ionian Sea west of the country.

Just last week, Greek company Energean signed a lease agreement with the Greek government for the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas at the Aitoloakarnania block, onshore Western Greece.

According to Bassias, the first new onshore and offshore drilling would start in two years if the parties overcome all bureaucratic obstacles.

Higher oil prices and a more stable political landscape in Greece would also attract companies to sign up to explore the remaining 17 blocks, out of 20, in the Ionian Sea and south of the island of Crete, for which no bidders competed in a 2014 offering, Bassias told Reuters.

http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Greece-Opens-Onshore-Oil-Gas-Blocs-For-Exploration.html

Half of Miami's Construction Workers Struggle to Afford Rent, Food, or Medical Care

Construction is one of Miami's largest industries. Where other cities rely heavily on computers, technology, universities, or medicine, Miami's economy is still stubbornly based on filling hotel rooms and ensuring construction cranes remain in the air.

Given the building industry's outsize role in the local ecosystem, you might assume Miami's construction workers are able to earn a solid living from the profession. But a study released earlier this month shows 44 percent of Miami's construction workers have trouble paying for basic necessities such as rent, food, hospital bills, utility payments, and items for their children.

"Political and economic leaders in Miami have often looked to the city’s construction industry to lead job growth and power the local economy, but there is little evidence that the industry is investing in its workforce in significant ways," the report says. "If Miami is going to combat its pressing poverty issues, leaders and policy makers must begin by ensuring that the city’s construction workers earn a living wage."

According to the study, conducted by the union-backed Workers Defense Project and the Partnership for Working Families in tandem with a University of Chicago professor, one in three Miami construction workers struggled to pay for at least one basic necessity, and one in ten said they have issues paying for all of them. Black and Latino workers are hit harder than whites, and the people tasked with building commercial projects, as opposed to residential or "heavy" projects such as highway infrastructure, are offered lesser benefits.

This flies in the face of current wisdom. Construction work is typically a union job, but according to the Partnership for Working Families, contractors, employers, and union reps haven't done a great job of keeping up with steep cost-of-living increases in Miami-Dade County.

According to the report, Miami workers earn a median of $14 per hour, with median weekly earnings totaling $654.34.

"These wages are better than the wages found in housekeeping or food service, but pale in comparison to the cost of living in Miami," the report says. More than half of the city's construction workers support at least two children or dependents — and according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a "living wage" for a person supporting two kids is anywhere from $22.72 to $28.92 an hour in South Florida. In terms of household income, analysts estimate a family with two kids would need to earn more than $77,000 per year, or $37 per hour.

One in five workers earns below the living wage for even a single, childless adult.

Likewise, 26 percent of the study's respondents said they struggle with irregular work hours, and less than a third of the workforce is given paid time off. If they're sick or need to attend your kid's graduation, they'll most likely lose their pay for the day.

Furthermore, only half of the city's workforce is eligible for employer-offered health insurance, and an even smaller number — 31 percent — actually takes it.

The study also shows that payroll fraud is a persistent problem in Miami. According to data from the Partnership for Working Families, one in four workers is intentionally misclassified as a "contractor" rather than a full employee and thus isn't eligible for nearly as many workers' protections.

"Misclassified workers do not have control over their schedules or tools as true contractors do, but they are often paid in cash and must pay their own payroll taxes like contractors," the report says. While 90 percent of full-time workers are paid overtime wages, only 40 percent of "contractors" get the same benefits. Twice as many "contractors" also said they experienced wage theft than regular employees. Incorrectly labeled "contractors" are even stripped of extremely basic items like water: Despite working in sweltering conditions half the year, 68 percent of Miami contractors said they had to bring their own water to work.

"A recent investigation of federal housing construction projects in Florida found that 15 percent of construction workers were misclassified and that the State of Florida was losing $400 million a year in lost payroll taxes, assuming the rest of the industry had a similar misclassification rate," the report says. "Responses in the Build a Better South survey suggested these figures could be much higher. "

The Partnership studied five other Southern cities: Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, Houston, and Dallas. According to the report, it's far less safe to work on Southern job sites than Northern ones: One in three workers killed on the job in 2015 died in either North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, or Florida. (Florida's fatality rate was third among the five states.)

Workers in the South are also paid significantly less than those up North. "General laborers" in New York and Chicago earn $51,000 and $59,000 per year, respectively, while the average annual salary for the same job in Dallas and Miami is only $28,000. The construction industry in those states earns an estimated $175 billion per year.

(The study also warned that injuries across the five surveyed states are likely drastically underreported. Texas was the only state studied that does not guarantee workers' compensation if a worker is hurt on a job site.)

Miami's living-wage problems don't end with construction workers. Strict laws mandate that the state is the only body that can set minimum wages. The current minimum wage is just $8.10 an hour, and the state teamed up with a trade group backed by Publix and the Walt Disney Company to sue Miami Beach when that city tried to circumvent the law. Gov. Rick Scott and his corporate teammates won earlier this year. Miami Beach has since appealed the case.

The lack of protections is particularly glaring in a city that's so dependent on construction. As the saying goes, you can keep tabs on the city's economic health by counting the number of cranes in the sky. But apparently, though the number of bulldozers has increased since the Great Recession, workers' protections haven't.

“While the construction industry is booming in the South, construction workers are barely scraping by,” Nikki Fortunato Bas, the executive director of Partnership for Working Families, said in a news release earlier in May. “The people building luxury condos in our cities often struggle to pay medical bills with no insurance, to cover living expenses with low pay, and sometimes to even get paid for their work. If we’re going to invest in construction jobs to build our communities, we must ensure that these are good jobs.”

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/half-of-miamis-construction-workers-struggle-to-afford-rent-food-or-medical-care-study-says-9374995

State considers opening land near Talkeetna and Willow for oil and gas exploration

The state has received an application for an exclusive oil- and gas-exploration license in a giant area in the Susitna Basin mostly west of the Parks Highway near Talkeetna and Willow.

State officials won't name the applicant, respecting the individual's or company's privacy in the early stages of an application. But the request for the Susitna Valley exploration license is unique. The area that might be opened lies far from Cook Inlet and the North Slope, where oil and gas companies have operated for decades.

The 1.5 million acres of state-owned land that Alaska officials are considering making available to exploration falls under a state program designed to encourage prospecting in little-explored regions.

The area extends west beyond Skwentna and east nearly to Willow. Talkeetna lies just outside the northern boundary. The area surrounds portions of the Yentna River and the Susitna River that feed salmon into Cook Inlet.

Cook Inlet Energy was the only company to have held an exploration license there, but it never conducted exploration drilling. It relinquished its license in 2015 amid financial difficulties that led to bankruptcy. The small oil and gas producer still operates elsewhere in Alaska, with new financial backers.

Its chief executive, Carl Giesler, said on Friday that his company is not the applicant.

"No idea who it is," he said.

The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas announced the application on Wednesday, launching a month-long public comment period.

Cathy Teich, a retired speech pathologist living near Talkeetna, said she opposes making the land available to petroleum exploration out of fear it will destroy salmon streams.

She predicted that the idea won't receive a favorable reception in Talkeetna, where people will be "rabidly" against it.

"Everyone's livelihood in this area is from fish and tourism, and this would devastate the economy, not to mention the ecosystem of this area," she said.

The state keeps the applicant anonymous for now because competitors can sign on, potentially leading to a bidding contest for the license, said Jonathan Schick, a natural resource specialist in the division. Bidders are also kept anonymous until bids are opened in Alaska's traditional lease sales, such as on the North Slope.

The exclusive license is a preliminary step in exploration. If it is granted, the company's name will be publicly available, Schick said.

The license holder has the right to explore state land in the area for up to 10 years. But before a company can receive a license, the state must decide whether it's in Alaska's best interest to open the basin again to potential exploration, Schick said. That could take a year.

Public comments received by June 23 will be used in that finding.

Before the company can conduct exploration drilling or do related work, it will need to submit a plan of exploration to the state for approval. That will require its own public comment period, said Schick.

In a licensed exploration effort in a different part of the state, regional Native corporation Ahtna drilled a gas well in October near its headquarters in Glennallen. The company has an eye on selling natural gas in the Copper River Basin and surrounding areas.

Ahtna has not released results from that well, or information on future plans, a spokeswoman with the company said last week

https://www.adn.com/business-economy/energy/2017/05/29/state-considers-opening-land-near-talkeetna-willow-for-oil-and-gas-exploration/

Brunell: Texas flush with transportation cash from tolls

In the last decade, there has been a highway construction boom in Texas. On the other hand, lawmakers in Olympia still scramble to fund road maintenance.

Texas, a state with a population of 27 million, is flush with cash thanks partly to a 10-year voter approved initiative which will pump $2 billion a year into highways. Then recently, that state’s legislature added $9 billion to further help relieve traffic congestion.

“What’s Texas doing that we aren’t?” The answer is private-public partnerships.

Since 2011, the state’s transportation department has been allowed to enter into agreements with the private sector to build and operate new tollways. The billions needed upfront comes from investors, not taxpayers.

There are 16 joint ventures underway where TxDOT works with companies to build, maintain and operate high-tech highways. There are no tollbooths. Cars, trucks and buses’ license plates are scanned and drivers receive a monthly bill. Companies recoup their costs by collecting the tolls.

Time is money. The Houston Chronicle reports that 170,000 vehicles travel on Interstate 69 through Houston each day. “The resulting gridlock translates to more than 21 million lost hours just in that area.”

TxDOT is pushing contractors to complete another four-lane tollway in the Houston metropolitan area. It is being built under a 52-year contract worth an estimated $2.1 billion.

There are some risks with these agreements.

In the Austin area, SH130 has a 41-mile section designed for an 85 mph speed limit which allows drivers to avoid the congestion between San Antonio and the state capitol. However, since its opening in October 2012, too many drivers chose to avoid the tolls.

Consequently, the SH 130 Concession Company, an independent company formed by Cintra and Zachry American Infrastructure, filed for bankruptcy last year and the company is working through Chapter 11 protection.

Making SH130 work is important to Cintra, which in 2005 landed a contract to be a strategic partner with the state to design and plan the Trans-Texas Corridor (Laredo to Texarkana), the largest toll-road development in our nation.

The agreements have their legislative critics who are concerned by the depth of private sector involvement. Some balk because the negotiations are between TxDOT and private companies and basically cut lawmakers out. Others just recoil at tolling.

However, Texans are more willing to take risks when it comes to partnering if they have good roads and avoid congestion. That partly explains the state’s growth in jobs and economic output.

Texas, which traditionally relied on energy, survived the recent plunge in crude oil prices and is rapidly diversifying its economy. It is growing faster than the national average.

According to the Perryman Group, an economic research and analysis firm based in Waco, expansion in Texas is projected to outpace the nation over the next five years. Real gross product is forecast at a 4 percent annual rate of expansion. An estimated 1.4 million net new jobs are projected for the Texas economy by 2021.

Perryman forecasts that all major industry groups are projected to expand through 2021, with the services, mining, and wholesale and retail trade segments likely to experience the largest growth in annual real gross product.

Texas leaders are investing in infrastructure as they prepare for a population to double by 2050. Alleviating congestion is critical to Texas’ future success.

Finally, it is important to remember that Texas and Washington are both leading manufacturers and exporters. Efficient and reliable road systems are critical for international trade.


Our state elected officials need to look to Texas. Who knows, allowing private tollways may work here as well.

http://www.columbian.com/news/2017/may/30/brunell-texas-flush-with-transportation-cash-from-tolls/

Russia sees oil and gas cooperation potential with Saudi Arabia

 Russia sees new avenues for cooperation emerging with Saudi Arabia in sectors tied to oil and gas production and transportation, its energy minister said.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak hosted his Saudi counterpart, Khalid al-Falih, in Moscow just weeks after both sides tabled a proposal that led to the formal acceptance of an agreement to extend a multilateral agreement to curb crude oil production for nine months.

During the meeting in Moscow, Novak said Russian companies tied to exploration and production were keen on establishing a footprint in the Saudi market.

"New prospects for bilateral cooperation, implementation of joint projects on production, transportation and refinery of hydrocarbons on the territory of participating countries and third states and technological interaction are opening up," he was quoted by Russian news agency Tass as saying.

On reaching out to third countries outside the OPEC-led agreement, Novak said during the weekend that Cuba was eager to secure more oil and petroleum products from Russian suppliers.

Novak served last week as the co-chair of a multilateral meeting in Vienna that led to the nine-month extension of an agreement steered by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to sideline the equivalent of about 2 percent of the global oil demand in an effort to balance an oversupplied market.

Of the parties to the agreement not counted as OPEC members, Russia is the largest contributor to the effort to produce less oil. Average Russian crude oil production for the first quarter of the year was around 11.2 million barrels per day, 130,000 barrels per day lower than the fourth quarter, but 120,000 barrels per day higher year-over-year.

Gazprom Neft, the fourth largest oil producer in Russia, said in a statement on performance during the first quarter that total production of hydrocarbons during the period was about 160 million barrels of oil equivalent, a level that was 4.8 percent higher year-over-year.

The multilateral agreement has helped establish a floor under crude oil prices of around $50 per barrel for Brent crude oil, the international benchmark.

A March report from the Russian Central Bank said oil prices should hold around $50 per barrel for 2017 on average. The forecast predicted some headwinds for oil, but said the Russian economy would be spared from any downturn because "recovery has already taken a sustainable track and the economy proved to be highly resilient to external shocks."

http://www.upi.com/Russia-sees-oil-and-gas-cooperation-potential-with-Saudi-Arabia/4311496146265/

Is China Liberalizing Its Oil And Gas Industry At The Right Time?

Foreign oil companies will soon be able to invest in China’s upstream sector through joint ventures with the country’s three major fossil fuel companies, according to a new manifesto by the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party.

The guidelines lay the groundwork for the liberalization of the Asian country’s energy production game, similar to the initiative spearheaded by Mexican President Enrique Nieto in 2014, which opened the nation’s fossil fuel industry to the world for the first time in nearly eight decades.

Unfortunately for Mexico, just weeks after the country became open for business with foreign companies, oil prices crashed for the first time. Investment in oil exploration and extraction shrunk drastically as the industry’s biggest players published multibillion sales of owned assets.

New funding for oil and gas has been hard to come by since the fall. Last year, global investment in upstream activities fell 23 percent.

But 2017 has been the year of recovery for bearish oil markets. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) historic deal to limit output by 1.2 million barrels per day from January 2017 to March 2018 promises slow and steady growth, provided U.S. oil exports do not flood the market and international inventories deplete soon.

A $60 barrel would trigger a new era of investments in the oil sector, which will benefit China in light of its 25 billion barrels in proven reserves.

Beijing will also be opening up its natural gas reserves to foreign companies, causing it to inch closer to meeting its carbon emissions obligations under the landmark Paris agreement of 2015. Allowing joint ventures, pushing for coal taxes and gas subsidies, and capping distributor profits are part of the government’s approach to lower the cost of adopting the “green” fossil fuel.

Even as gas consumption in China rose 22 percent year over year in April, experts are worried an impending drop in coal prices will tempt some major consumers to revert to their coal habit.

“As coal prices look destined to drop to around 500 yuan a ton this year, the conversion to natural gas will stop, and some price-sensitive industrial users may even think of switching back,” Tian Miao, of Beijing’s North Square Blue Oak Ltd., told Bloomberg this week.

China’s communist system allows for Beijing to retain control of the “big three” fossil fuel companies – China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) and China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) – even as multinationals begin to pick away at the government’s total market share in the upstream sector.

A comparison between Mexican energy reforms and China’s newfound interest in FDI falls apart when the two are measured for overall scope. The gargantuan Asian energy consumer seeks funding and technology to diminish the cost of oil and gas to increase the fuels’ competitiveness against the Chinese industrial world’s favorite: coal. On the other hand, the Mexican economic deregulation program took years to implement, with the latest round of measure sparking deadly protests after the revocation of fuel subsidies caused gasoline prices to spike up 20 percent.

That’s not an outcome likely in the Chinese version of the globalization of an energy sector.

Beijing has yet to offer a clear time line or a description of the procedure for the licensing of foreign companies to participate in drilling activities within its borders. Still, the government is on its way to economically incentivize the adoption of carbon-light fuels, defying expert opinions that said Chinese coal consumption—which made up two-thirds of energy use in 2015—would unlikely be curtailed fast enough to save the planet.

http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Is-China-Liberalizing-Its-Oil-And-Gas-Industry-At-The-Right-Time.html

Bike shop owner sues Lomita mosque over construction fallout

For nearly a decade, Mexican immigrant Javier Sanchez worked in the shadow of the Islamic Center of the South Bay in Lomita adjacent to his Twin’s Bike Shop.

But then the center embarked on a major expansion in 2014 on its 1.5-acre site that required a significant amount of construction, and nothing has been the same since.

Despite city-imposed conditions on the project, including measures to reduce the resulting dust from blowing into neighboring homes and businesses, it seemed to Sanchez and some of his neighbors that the company “brazenly ignored” the requirements, according to a lawsuit he filed in October 2015.

“Plaintiffs have had to expend countless hours cleaning their inventory and have had to hire additional employees solely for that purpose only to have ICSB and its contractor continue blowing smoke clouds across the neighborhood,” the lawsuit reads in part.

“For example, the clothing and other accessories need to be continually washed to keep them presentable for sale, only to have fugitive dust come back and make the merchandise dirty again,” it added. “And, when bicycles are sold, moving parts and chains have to disassembled, cleaned and reoiled before the bicycles can be taken by purchasers.

“Moreover, plaintiffs have begun experiencing physical and emotional distress including headaches, eye irritation and respiratory issues as a result of the dust.”

With customers complaining and negative Yelp reviews rolling in, Sanchez finally decided to move. Reluctantly, he relocated his business from the dense commercial area to a smaller storefront in a nearby Harbor City strip mall.

“It’s not the business the way it used to be,” Sanchez said. “This is not a commercial area, it’s more residential. Here, it’s really slow. We lost 80 percent of our business.”

Indeed, the only thing keeping it afloat, Sanchez said, was income from some real estate investments he made.

Sanchez said it was “intimidating” for the owner of a small business to take on a large religious institution with considerably more resources.

Indeed, a member of the mosque’s governing board warned Sanchez that if he sued the center would drag out the lawsuit until his business went under, he alleged.

Frightened neighbors declined to join the lawsuit. Among them was a woman unable to use her outdoor pool for two years because the water would get dirty quickly and clog the pool’s pumps, requiring new ones, Sanchez said.

In addition, Sanchez said he received an anonymous phone call threatening “to go after him and his family” if his legal action stopped construction.

Indeed, he did win an injunction against the center and its contractor, MPG Construction, that required the parties to take steps to reduce the construction dust leaving the property.

However, Sanchez’s attorney, Torrance-based Ernesto Aldover, said the steps proved ineffective and dust and dirt continued to leave the site in violation of the court order.

City officials never heeded the neighborhood’s pleas to enforce the conditions imposed upon the construction, Sanchez said.

Sanchez suspects that’s related to a federal religious discrimination lawsuit the mosque filed against the city after municipal officials initially denied the project the approvals it needed to build. That also triggered a Department of Justice probe into whether the religious institution’s civil rights were violated.

Eventually, the city approved revised plans anyway.

A lawyer representing the mosque did not return a call seeking comment Friday.

Alleging the construction was a nuisance and negligent, Sanchez is seeking compensation for the unspecified financial losses his business has incurred and punitive damages as a result of what the lawsuit describes as the defendant’s “malicious acts.”

The case is scheduled for trial in October.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20170529/bike-shop-owner-sues-lomita-mosque-over-construction-fallout

Quebec introduces “emergency” bill outlawing construction strike

Quebec’s Liberal government recalled the provincial legislature Monday so as to outlaw a six-day old strike by 175,000 construction workers.

The government’s “emergency” anti-strike legislation, which it has vowed will be rushed into law by this morning, threatens workers with harsh fines if they do not report for work at their regular start time tomorrow, Wednesday, May 31.

Bill 142 also illegalizes work slow-downs or “any diminishing or alteration” of workers’ “normal activities.” Under threat of legal sanction, union officials must publicly instruct their members to obey the law and document this for the Labour Ministry in an affidavit.

Even before construction workers walked off the job last week, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard signaled his government would criminalize the strike. Speaking yesterday, Labour Minister Dominique Vien and Treasury Board President Pierre Moreau deplored the strike’s “major impact” on the economy. "Do you honestly think,” asked Moreau, “Quebec can afford to lose $45 million per day? The answer is clearly no.”

Under Bill 142, the government is giving itself sweeping powers to shape the arbitration process that will determine the workers’ terms of employment if mediation fails to resolve the dispute by October 30.

This includes the right to choose the arbitrator or arbitrators, determine what issues will go before arbitration, select the method of arbitration and fix the criteria on which the arbitrator or arbitration board will base their decision.

In other words, the big business Liberal government, which has spent the last three years imposing massive social spending cuts and slashing municipal workers’ pensions, is now rigging the already anti-worker arbitration process to ensure that it rewards the construction bosses with most, if not all, of their concession demands.

These demands include sweeping cuts to overtime pay and “flexible schedules,” under which workers’ start-time could fall anywhere between 5 AM and 11 AM and be changed by up to six hours on a daily basis.

The legislation stipulates that the collective agreements covering all three sectors of the construction industry—residential construction; civil engineering and roads; and institutional, commercial and industrial—last for four years, ending April 30, 2021.

Bill 142 would grant construction workers a wage increase of 1.8 percent pending the finalization of their new contracts. This is less than the employers’ last offer and the increase is not retroactive to the expiry of the previous agreements.

Nevertheless, the construction employer associations are denouncing the government for according the workers any increase whatsoever. “We don’t understand why the government is granting pay hikes to workers, while not consenting to a single employer demand,” complained Éric Côté of the Quebec Construction Association.

As the Liberals were initiating the legislative process to strip the construction workers of the right to strike, thousands of construction workers from all corners of Quebec rallied outside the provincial legislature Monday.

The workers were outraged that the Quebec government has once again trampled on their rights. In 2013, a Parti Quebecois government imposed a similar back-to-work law and in 2014 the newly-elected Liberal government threatened to preempt any worker job action with a no-strike law.

However, the Alliance syndical de la construction (Construction Union Alliance) called yesterday’s protest not with the aim of mobilizing workers to fight the construction bosses and the Liberal government, but to defuse their anger.

In the name of preserving “social peace,” Quebec’s unions have suppressed repeated challenges to the austerity agenda of big business and the political establishment, including the 2012 student strike and 2015 Quebec public sector workers’ struggle.

Speaking to CBC Radio yesterday, Alliance syndicale spokesman Michel Trépanier voiced concern about the militant mood among construction workers and possible defiance of the Liberals’ anti-strike law. "I hope everything will go well,” said Trépanier. “But my feeling… I don't like the situation right now because people are angry, really angry.”

That construction workers were on a collision course with the Liberal government has been obvious since the outset of the negotiations. Trépanier has himself said that the construction bosses taunted union negotiators with the prospect of the government outlawing any workers’ job action.

But rather than warning workers about this threat and seeking to mobilize support from other workers in Quebec and across Canada for a joint struggle against concessions, anti-workers laws and the dismantling of public services, the Alliance syndicale kept mum about the threat of government intervention until Couillard himself raised the issue on May 12.

This conforms to what is by now a long pattern. Although governments in Quebec and across Canada routinely criminalize worker job action, the unions keep studiously silent about this threat. Then as workers begin to assert their interests, the unions invoke the passage or imminent threat of anti-strike legislation to torpedo the struggle, to say that workers have no choice but to return to work and/or accept sellout agreements.

Alliance Syndicale spokesmen have said they will “fight” Bill 142 in the courts and that workers will “remember” the Liberals’ actions at the next election in October 2018. This too has a long history. The unions have repeatedly urged workers to look to the capitalist courts to defend their rights, but time and again the courts have given their imprimatur to anti-worker laws. And the party that the Quebec unions have for decades promoted as a “progressive” alternative to the Liberals and are preparing to stump for once again in 2018—the big business Parti Quebecois (PQ)—has imposed social spending cuts and anti-worker law no less than the Liberals.

Yesterday PQ leader Jean-François Lisée took a typical two-faced stance on the Liberals’ anti-strike law. Lisée said the PQ supported ordering the construction workers back to work, but couldn’t support the Liberal bill because it gave the government too much control over the arbitration process.

Articulating the anger and fear of Quebec’s elite at construction workers’ economic power, François Légault, the head of Quebec’s third party, the Coalition Avenir Québec (Coalition for Quebec’s Future), criticized the government for not illegalizing the strike earlier and urged the government to introduce permanent limits on, if not outright abolish, construction workers’ right to strike.

Emboldened by the unions’ plans to enforce the back-to-work order, Labour Minister Vien said the Liberals would be ready to consider changes to the bargaining process—further limits on construction workers’ rights—but only once the current conflict is resolved.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/05/30/qcco-m30.html

Drones, 3D printers, and hard hats: The role of technology in construction

Technology is something we tend to take for granted, yet every industry is moving at the speed of technology. This is particularly true of the construction industry, which itself has undergone a metamorphosis driven by technology. Today, construction companies are measured by the speed and accuracy they employ in completing their various contracts. On many job sites, you may likely see a construction foreman using a laptop computer to review job progress, communicate with the client and the home office, keep work-related notes including any changes to the project, monitor inventories, review payroll, and control costs.

It has been said that "time is money," and technology is helping construction companies conserve time by increasing accuracy and adding to bottom line profit margins through the implementation of cost and quality controls.

Job site safety is also impacted by technology. Recently, there has been a move to implement safety technology to protect workers. More significant is the effort to protect the job site itself using the latest in sensor technology, utilizing a point cloud, a set of data points in a three-dimensional coordinate system.

In a three-dimensional coordinate system, these points are usually defined by X, Y, and Z coordinates, and often are intended to represent the external surface of an object. Point clouds may be created by 3D scanners to monitor the construction site for fire, water, and mold damage. These sensor systems offer both alerts and detailed analysis to help reduce long-term risk. The end result of this use of technology has been cost savings through reductions in construction site mishaps and building damage from natural causes.

Consider some of the latest in technology applications for the construction industry. The first is Building Information Modeling (BIM), a 3D model-based technology process for creating and managing project information. This technology has been most associated with the design process. However, BIM can be used before, during, and after construction.

A 3D BIM model is a digital description of every aspect of the build, and objects embedded in the model can be linked to related information such as photos, specifications, or manuals. BIM technology can benefit construction professionals by helping them create better design plans, produce faster results, and stay within budget, leading to less risk, more profit and better, faster implementation.

Another example of technology application in construction is the use of 3D Laser Scanners that capture a physical object's exact size and shape and input the data into a computer as a digital 3-dimensional representation, again utilizing point clouds. Once completed, the point cloud is outputted to a computer as a data file. This point cloud represents the set of points that the device has measured. As the output of 3D scanning processes, point clouds are used for many purposes, including to create 3D Computer Aided Design models for any number of visualization, animation, renderin,g and customized applications including those used for construction.

The construction trades are also making good use of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. In the simplest terms, a drone is a pilotless aircraft whose flight path can be automated using a predetermined route or manually controlled using a mobile device or remote control. Drones help construction professionals conduct site surveys and can be used to track project progress in real-time by generating aerial photos, maps, and 3D images. In addition to monitoring activity at the job site, drones can be used to improve worksite safety and overall productivity.

Many construction firms are employing the use of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Technology (VR/AR) as well. VR/AR technology enhances collaboration among project stakeholders before building begins. VR/AR technology allows construction teams to detect problems ahead of time and to avoid costly mistakes by improving job site safety, allowing site managers and workers to model job site conditions without subjecting them to actual safety hazards.

In the greater Grand Rapids area, construction companies are making good use of the available technology to control costs and improve customer satisfaction.

Calvin College alumnus Eric Timmer is the Director of Virtual Design and Construction for Allied Mechanical Services, Inc. As the focal point of his job, Eric uses tech to determine the best ways and methods that can be used to build a structure. Principally, Eric uses 3D Building Information Modeling, along with the data outputs or "point clouds" from 3D laser scanners. Utilizing BIM allows him to virtually create a full model of any building or project well in advance of construction.

3D BIM allows Eric to determine all the components that will be needed to complete a particular project and the use of 3D laser scanner provides an accurate look at existing conditions within a site structure, including mechanical and electrical systems. “Technology is changing rapidly and Allied Mechanical is on the cutting edge on what the latest tools can do,” says Timmer.

Brian C. Knapp, creative director for Externa CGI 3D, a GR CGI firm, uses animation and virtual reality to plan for construction projects. “Utilizing 3D animation and drone aerial footage, Externa CGI is able to produce detailed 360-degree footage of any room, allowing consumers to virtually navigate a home or office prior to construction or purchase,” says Knapp.

This 3D technology can even adjust the lighting levels within a particular space to reflect the time of day in addition to the sun placement in the sky and any shadows. This allows for a more natural view of the space that can help facilitate better planning and decision making in advance, resulting in the potential for enhanced satisfaction of the construction on the part of both owners and tenants. One person who engaged in a virtual demo of this technology told of being “teleported” to a waterfront condo where she could enjoy not only the view but also move virtual furniture.

Steve Datema, project manager with Triangle Associates Inc., utilizes much of the aforementioned tech on a daily basis “Construction technology has changed more in the last five years than in the previous 50,” says Datema. "At Triangle Associates, drone technology is used to remotely conduct a site investigation. Doing the site investigation via drone helps keep costs down by not putting any individual in harm's way and also allows for maximum efficiency."

For existing buildings that are being remodeled, repurposed, or refurbished, Datema cites the use of 3D design packages that allow him to see building composition and how any of the existing steel, electrical, or mechanicals may overlap and pose a problem.

The effect of technology on the construction trades is wide-ranging and dramatic in its ability to improve building quality, increase efficiency, save time and money, and make projects more efficient, accurate, and safer for workers.

Construction companies are no longer simply the assemblers of the bricks and mortar that go into a building; they are serving to preserve and expand the use of technology by building better buildings and managing better projects. By using technology and applying it to its best use every day, the construction industry is making life safer and more productive.

http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/techandconstruction.aspx

Sustainable Transportation Start-Up Wants to Improve Refugees’ Lives

 A crowdfunded start-up is hoping to provide an answer to a transportation problem in refugee communities in Pakistan when it comes to accessible, reliable, and affordable means of getting around.

"People view transportation as luxury item when it comes to refugees, but it's actually a necessity," Gia Farooqi, co-founder of Roshni Rides, told NBC News. "Everyone needs to go to school, markets, and hospitals."

Roshni Rides, started by Pakistani Americans Farooqi, Hanaa Lakhani, Moneeb Mian, and Hasan Usmani, is a sustainable bus and transportation start-up aimed at easing the lives of refugees in Orangi Town, an informal settlement in Karachi, Pakistan. The four founders, who won the Hult Prize earlier this year, share a business background from Rutgers University, and said that starting Roshni Rides provided a business opportunity for them to help a community they care deeply about.

"Informal settlements are camps for people that are internally displaced," Lakhani told NBC News. "These settlements are not recognized by the government and we have a personal connection to Orangi."

 The team chose Orangi for the home of their start-up after speaking with Barkat Ali, a former refugee from that town who was also related to co-founder Moneeb Mian. Ali told the founders he only made $2 a day and it took him over three hours to get to work. He said he spent a large portion of his earnings on transportation alone and, because of that, his children could not afford to go to school.

According to Roshni Rides, refugees in Orangi spend an average 30 percent of their income on transportation.

Using funding from the Hult Prize and a successful campaign with LaunchGood, a crowdfunding platform for global Muslim communities, the four co-founders started a pilot program in Orangi. The start-up also has a team of advisors, which include Rutgers professors, and the Muslim community in New Jersey. They also work with a team based in Orangi to provide Roshni Rides with more in-depth research.


"We are partnering with and seeking out different suppliers now," Lakhani said. "We want every part of this to be a sustainable and ethical process."

 According to the United Nations, there are over 65 million displaced people globally. This does not count those who are placed in informal settlements. Approximately, 860 million people live in informal settlements.

Nowar Abudabus and Heba Shreffa — two students who live in Za'atari, a refugee camp for Syrians that is based in Jordan — told NBC News that transportation is necessary, especially when it comes to their education.

"There are bus stops at the entrance of the camp, but most people rely on walking to schools, hospitals and work," Abudabus told NBC News. "They also use bicycles and rental cars."

They do take the bus to school, but it can be expensive and it's not available at all times. Abudabus and Shreffa say they would benefit from a system like Roshni Rides.


"We'd love a change in the transportation system, so it's available in the evening and throughout the night as well," Shreffa told NBC News.

 Roshni Rides' goal this summer is to start creating transit hubs in different parts of Orangi. These hubs will be along strategically planned routes, and the stations will have about 30 solar-powered rickshaws that can each hold six to eight people. An individual ride will cost $0.13.

If the pilot is successful, the team will go on to accommodate the entire settlement, which holds roughly 2.5 million people and has been cited as Asia's largest slum.

"Rutgers, our family, and our Muslim community definitely helped and inspire us. Without this team support, we wouldn't have gotten this far," Farooqi said.


Lakhani added, "Our dream is to see this project [improve] the lives of refugees all over the world."

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/sustainable-transportation-start-wants-improve-refugees-lives-n763206

Latest BLM oil and gas lease auction in central Nevada draws protest

The federal Bureau of Land Management has scheduled a June 13 auction for new oil and gas leases across almost 196,000 acres in central Nevada.

The response from conservationists: Get the frack out of here.

A coalition of environmental groups will file an administrative protest Thursday in hopes of blocking the online auction and any future fossil fuel development, which they say could contaminate land, air and water in Nevada while contributing to global warming.

 

The Center for Biological Diversity, Great Basin Resource Watch, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, the Sierra Club and the Western Watersheds Project teamed up to submit the protest. Patrick Donnelly, Nevada wildlife advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, called it a prelude to a possible lawsuit.

Next month’s auction includes 106 parcels in the remote valleys and mountain ranges of Nye, Lander and Eureka counties, but BLM spokesman Christopher Rose said it’s unclear how many of the parcels will actually be leased or developed.

A year ago, the bureau offered oil and gas leases on 74,702 acres in that part of the state. Just over 50,000 acres of that land — 12 of the 42 available parcels — sold during the auction for a combined total of $54,340.

‘Expressions of interest’
Donnelly said the land now up for lease is home to 34 natural springs and 664 acres of wetlands that could be polluted or drained by oil drilling, particularly the extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking.

He said BLM’s proposed protections for the lease areas are “incredibly weak and vague” and rooted in outdated planning documents that don’t even contemplate fracking.

Environmental advocates also argue that any new oil and gas development on federal land is inconsistent with the nation’s international climate commitments and the broader fight to slow global warming.

Leases like these are “committing the future to more greenhouse gas pollution,” said Taylor McKinnon, point man for the Center for Biological Diversity’s Keep it in the Ground campaign
.
Drilling industry groups contend that fracking is heavily regulated to protect the environment and produce fuel, particularly natural gas, that reduces the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
Two other conservation groups, the Wilderness Society and WildEarth Guardians, are planning their own administrative protests of BLM’s upcoming auction.

Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program manager for WildEarth Guardians, said he is tracking what appears to be a sudden surge in oil and gas speculation in Nevada, with developers nominating more than 2 million acres of federal land for possible leasing so far this year. Those so-called “expressions of interest” include several parcels just south of Great Basin National Park and several more within the boundaries of Basin and Range National Monument, where new oil development is currently prohibited.

“I work on oil and gas issues across the American West, and I have to say that there seems to be exponentially more industry interest building in Nevada than anywhere else,” Nichols said in an email. “No other state has seen as many expressions of interest and no other state seems on track to auction off as much public lands acreage as Nevada.”

Boom? What boom?
If the Silver State is on the cusp of an oil and gas boom, BLM officials see little evidence of it.

Rose said the size of next month’s auction is “within the range” of other lease sales in recent years and so is the amount of land being nominated for possible future sales.

And just because a developer nominates a parcel doesn’t mean it will be offered for lease, he said. Of the roughly 2 million acres nominated this year, 311,000 have been made available for auction so far.

According to federal records, Nevada was home to 627 oil and gas leases covering approximately 1.1 million acres of federal land in 2016, but only 37 of those leases on 27,000 acres of land produced any oil.

Richard Perry, administrator for the Nevada Division of Minerals, said the amount of land under lease in the state is largely a function of speculation and tends to fluctuate based on the price of oil.

In 2015, oil companies held leases on 2.35 million acres of federal land in Nevada. In 1990, when the state’s oil production hit an all-time high of 4 million barrels, there were more than 7.5 million acres under lease.

Perry said Nevada has never been a major oil producer, and these days it’s “barely on the radar” compared to other states.

Last year, production in Nevada fell to less than 279,000 barrels, its lowest level in at least 30 years. Texas typically produces about 10 times more oil than that in single day, Perry said.

Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @refriedbrean on Twitter.

Want to buy an oil lease?
The Bureau of Land Management auctions off oil and gas leases on qualifying federal land for the annual price of $1.50 per acre for the first five years and $2 per acre after that. Once the leased property begins producing, a 12.5 percent royalty is charged.

Half of the bid and rental receipts go to the state of Nevada.

Leases are typically good for 10 years but can be extended if drilling operations are underway or there is a well associated with the lease that is capable of producing a profit.

The lease will automatically terminate if annual rentals are not paid on time and it doesn’t have a productive well attributed to it.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/latest-blm-oil-and-gas-lease-auction-in-central-nevada-draws-protest/

'Please slow down' injured construction worker pleads after crash kills co-worker

APPY VALLEY, Ore. – A construction worker who was hit by a suspected drunk driver Tuesday afternoon in Happy Valley has a message for all drivers.

“I do want to say please slow down, pay attention,” said Preston Stucky. “Just please be careful. Don’t drink and drive.”

Stucky was part of a crew working a construction zone near Southeast 122nd Avenue and Yoakum Lane when he and two others were hit by a car driven by 51-year-old Fedsot Tsopko, of Portland

“We were just prepping then we heard one of the flaggers yell ‘stop, stop, stop!’ By the time we looked back the car already hit the flagger,” Stucky said.

The flagger, 62-year-old William Griffin, of Happy Valley, was still in the hospital recovering from non-life-threatening injuries as of Wednesday afternoon.

However, 48-year-old Pablo Dominguez-Amezcua, of Portland, was killed. Following the crash, ribbons were tied to the fence of D M Excavating, the company Dominguez-Amezcua worked for, to honor the man who Preston remembered as a great worker.

“He was a good guy, great worker, always had a smile when he showed up to work,” Stucky said. “He was always ready to be there, he was ahead of the plan. I was trying to keep up with him. Really good guy, I’m really sad to lose him.”

As for Stucky, he was back at his home in Cornelius after being released from the hospital.

“I’m just really sore right now,” he said. “I’m starting to really feel it. It’s hitting me right now.”

He plans to return to work as soon as he’s healthy enough to do so. And he has a message for distracted drivers.

“I just want people to know you need to slow down. We’re regular people, too. We go to work, we come home, we have families, too. Pablo has a family, too.”

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/please-slow-down-construction-worker-pleads-after-fatal-happy-valley-crash/442801161

Memorial Day weekend kicks off summer driving season

The summer driving season kicks off this Memorial Day weekend, and millions of people are expected to hit the road.

AAA projects that more than 1.1 million Virginians will travel at least 50 miles over the long holiday weekend. The projection is the highest by AAA since 2005 and a 2.6 percent increase over last year.

Traffic is expected to be heavy across the nation, with AAA projecting that 39.3 million people will head out for the holiday, an increase of 1 million compared to last year’s Memorial Day projection.

An increase is expected in other modes of travel, too. The projection of air travelers nationwide is up 5.5 percent over last year. AAA expects a 5.8 percent increase this year in air travel by Virginians.

But most travelers will hop in a car.

Nearly 1 million of Virginia’s holiday travelers are expected to drive to their destinations.

“The expected increase in Memorial Day travel mirrors the positive growth seen throughout the travel industry this year,” AAA spokeswoman Martha Mitchell Meade said in a press release.

She said low gas prices at the pump is one reason for the expected spike in travelers this Memorial Day weekend, which runs from Thursday to Monday.

The average Fredericksburg-area gas price this week was $2.11, according to AAA. That is 5 cents more than this time last year. But gas is cheaper than it was in other years around Memorial Day. In May 2014, the national average price for a gallon of gas was hovering around $3.68, according to gasbuddy.com data.

Preparations are being made to ensure the holiday weekend is safer and easier on travelers.

The Virginia Department of Transportation will put most major construction projects on hold and lift lane closures where possible, from noon Friday until noon Tuesday. VDOT also has an online tool to help travelers see when Memorial Day traffic has historically peaked and ebbed.

VDOT said in a press release that the peak on southbound Interstate 95 and eastbound Interstate 64 has hit on Saturday from morning into the afternoon. The peak for northbound I–95 and westbound I–64 has come on Monday, from noon through late evening.

To accommodate the heavy traffic, adjustments also will be made for the I–95 express lanes schedule
.

Drivers also should expect to see a heavier police presence this weekend as the Virginia State Police will put more troopers on duty.

With the increase in traffic also comes more crashes, so transportation officials are asking drivers to be extra cautious.

“As drivers, we must remember before taking our weekend trips to maintain a safe speed, avoid distractions, give someone else the keys if you have been drinking, and always buckle up—every seat, every trip,” said George Bishop, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles deputy commissioner.

http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/transportation/memorial-day-weekend-kicks-off-summer-driving-season/article_f65fb333-6f30-5f7a-b05c-604ea99778df.html

Oklahoma budget crisis spurs battle among oilmen

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An impasse among Oklahoma lawmakers over how to fix the state's worst budget problem in decades has sent the legislature spiraling into chaos and focused blame on the usually sacrosanct oil and natural gas industry for not paying more taxes.

The industry has historically been the key driver of the state's economy, providing tens of thousands of jobs and accounting for about 13 percent of Oklahoma's household earnings.

But a sharp cut approved two years ago in oil and gas production taxes, which has led to severe budget problems for schools and social services, has triggered bitter infighting not only among Republicans but industry leaders about whether oilmen are paying their fair share.

Earlier this month, Tulsa oilman and banker George Kaiser, one of the state's wealthiest residents, wrote a stinging open letter published in newspapers calling his industry's justification for its low tax rate a "myth.
"
"We drill where God put the hydrocarbons, not where the tax rate is lowest," Kaiser wrote.

Dozens of smaller, independent producers formed a lobbying group to call for revoking the tax break, which had dropped the rate from 7 percent to 2 percent during a well's first few, most profitable years.

Fighting back fiercely have been other industry leaders, including oil barons Harold Hamm, the chairman and CEO of Continental Resources, and Larry Nichols, founder and chairman emeritus of Devon Energy.

Ads attacking lawmakers who would consider a rate hike have been running on television and in newspapers, and large pieces of oilfield equipment were parked outside the Capitol to protest any change.

The battle has left the GOP-dominated legislature in turmoil, unable to fill a huge $878 million budget hole but fearful of making more program cutbacks that could cause a wave of schools and nursing homes to close.

With only days left in the session, prospects for a special session are growing as Republican Gov. Mary Fallin has threatened to veto any major cuts to state programs.

The public criticism for oil companies has been an unusual experience for an industry that is part of the state's identity and always has been warmly embraced by both political parties. The state Capitol itself sits atop a giant oilfield, and an oil derrick stands outside the building as a symbol of the industry's importance.

Oklahoma's tax rate on oil and gas production has been 7 percent, similar to other oil producing states. But with tax revenues flush during the recent oil boom, the Legislature agreed to lock in a 2 percent rate for the first three years when wells are most productive. The cut soon backfired when oil prices declined and tax revenues began to shrink.

A recent study of effective tax rates, including property taxes, paid by the oil and gas industry in nine major energy states shows Oklahoma's rate of 3.2 percent is the lowest. Neighboring Texas, the largest producer, had an effective rate of 8.3 percent.

In defending the lower rate, industry officials insist they are being unfairly blamed for lean times caused by lower oil prices and production. They argue that higher rates would lead to less drilling.

"It's disheartening at times to be demonized the way we have been...," said Tim Wigley, head of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association trade group. "Oklahoma's economy is based on whether rigs are up and running. When they are, the state does great and people buy more trucks buy more homes. When they're not, the state suffers. It's always been that way."

But Democrats in the Legislature, who are leading the push for higher rates, say the industry is turning a blind eye to the damage the revenue loss is causing to communities, especially schools, where arts, sports and Friday classes are being cancelled.

"They don't want to pay their fair share," said House Democratic leader Rep. Scott Inman, whose members wouldn't agree to a rate lower than 5 percent on any new wells drilled. "If the oil and gas industry wins the day ... the people who lose are the citizens."

Republicans have looked to increase a variety of fees on things like cigarettes and vehicle purchases to help close the budget gap.


Rebecca Murdock, a special education teacher from Tulsa who came to the state Capitol on Tuesday to advocate for a higher gross production tax, said she's lost a teaching assistant and had to pay for her own supplies amid budget cuts at her school. "Until we have big movement on that (production tax), it's just nickels and dimes, and everyone will suffer."

http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2017/05/oil-and-gas-oklahoma-budget-crisis-spurs-battle-among-oilmen.html