News from APCA
APCA Market Penetration Study: Nonunion Sector of U.S. Pipeline Construction Industry Workforce Continues Growth
Almost 8 ou
t of every 10 U.S. construction trades workers building domestic pipeline construction projects do not belong to a union, according to a Continuum Capital report presented to members of the American Pipeline Contractors Association at the association’s Mid-Year Meeting in October.
“More than 77% of the U.S. pipeline construction workforce are employed by merit shop contractors, which are firms that are not signatory to unions,” Continuum Capital principal and report author Mark Bridgers said. “The merit shop share of the pipeline industry’s construction workforce has steadily increased from 50.6% in 2010 to 77.1% in 2023, according to the most recently published government data.” See a news release on the study here.
APCA Letter to Senate Commerce Committee on PIPELINE Safety Act (S. 2975) Markup
In an October 7 letter, APCA expressed support for strong underground damage prevention laws and commended the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for introducing the Pipeline Integrity, Protection, and Enhancement for Leveraging Investments in the Nation’s Energy to assure Safety, or PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 (S. 2975) on October 6 and marking it up Oct. 21. In May, APCA sent a letter of support for underground utility safety during a Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety.
Urge the U.S. Senate to Confirm President Trump's NLRB Nominees
APCA needs your help fixing the dysfunctional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that has irrationally overturned decades of labor law precedent and hurt employees, employers, and the economy. The NLRB’s radical interpretation of the National Labor Relations Act under the Biden administration’s NLRB appointees has come to an end. Now President Trump’s qualified NLRB nominees deserve swift confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
October Government Affairs Update
The October update from the APCA Government Affairs team of Ben Brubeck and Jaime Steve highlights these issues:
- PHMSA Reauthorization Gets Some Attention from Congress
- U.S. Senate Confirms Trump Nominee to Lead PHMSA
- CEQ Updates NEPA Implementation Guidance
- APCA Urges House to Oppose Mandatory Arbitration
- Senate HELP Committee Hearing Examines NLRB Nominees
- FTC Drops Defense of Noncompete Ban and
- Government Shutdown May Impact APCA Contractors
Read the complete update here and follow all of APCA's Government Affairs actions.
Tell President Trump to Reverse Course and End Project Labor Agreement Mandates
On June 12, the Trump White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued a memo (M-25-29) indicating it will continue former President Joe Biden’s controversial policy mandating anti-competitive and costly project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more, implemented by Biden’s Executive Order 14063 and a related FAR regulation.
September Is Suicide Prevention Month
APCA members support OSHA's efforts to raise awareness during Suicide Prevention Month throughout September. Please watch and share this message from Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling about the importance of suicide prevention and how the U.S. Department of Labor is supporting mental wellness at work.
House Moves to Unleash American Energy
On September 18, the U.S. House passed multiple bills that are now being sent to the Senate, bringing with them great potential to benefit the energy market. The three pieces of legislation focus on securing and building upon the country's energy excellence, as directed by President Trump's executive order "Unleashing American Energy Dominance."
With the bills now headed to the Senate, energy industry stakeholders, including APCA, will be watching closely to see whether this momentum continues.
Follow the link to get APCA government affairs representative Ben Brubeck's take on these important pieces of legislation.
APCA Weighs in on Unfeasible Warehouse Legislation
APCA strongly opposes recently reintroduced the Warehouse Worker Protection Act and joined 45 other industry organizations in sending a letter to Congress outlining the serious consequences it would have on our members and the broader economy. While we share the priority of protecting workers, the proposed bill would "impose long-discarded and unworkable regulations on warehouse distribution centers, curtail employers’ due process rights when challenging OSHA citations, and hamstring a critical part of our national supply chain."
APCA Presses Congress for a Prompt Permitting Fix
America’s permitting system is broken. That's why APCA and 500+ organizations from every U.S. state joined a U.S. Chamber of Commerce coalition letter September 3 calling on Congress to enact meaningful legislation to modernize America’s permitting process.
Expect Congress to hold hearings and introduce legislation as federal agencies examine NEPA reform regulations in accordance with President Trump’s White House policy directives on permitting reform.
If you have any real-world permitting horror stories/feedback, please send them to Ben Brubeck and Jaime Steve so we can incorporate them into our advocacy messaging and efforts.
Read the letter here: https://www.uschamber.com/energy/letter-to-congress-on-comprehensive-permitting-reform
APCA Offers Comments Ahead of Workforce Pell Grant Rulemaking
On August 27, a comment letter was submitted on behalf of APCA to the U.S. Department of Education in response to its request for feedback concerning a forthcoming Workforce Pell Grant program rulemaking, which will be negotiated by the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee. The letter makes suggestions to ensure that the Workforce Pell Grant program and the AHEAD Committee’s negotiated rulemaking result in the creation of more high-quality and employer-aligned programs and an increase in the enrollment of learners and workers in apprenticeship, career and technical education, and other programs that provide completers with new skills to sustain America’s 21st century economy.
APCA Endorses IPC Recommendations for State 811 Laws
On August 11 (811 Day), the Infrastructure Protection Coalition (IPC) announced 13 recommendations for states to incorporate into their 811/one-call laws. States implementing these recommendations can significantly reduce wasted time and inefficiency and reduce damages, improve public safety, mitigate risk, and achieve meaningful cost savings.
Tell President Trump to Reverse Course and End Project Labor Agreement Mandates
Last month, the Trump White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued a memo (M-25-29) indicating it will continue former President Joe Biden’s controversial policy mandating anti-competitive and costly project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more, implemented by Biden’s Executive Order 14063 and a related FAR regulation.
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