In IAP World Services, Inc.; EMCOR Government Services, B-407917.2 et al. (July 10, 2013), involving a protest challenging an award by the U.S. Department of the Navy (the “Navy”) for base operating support services, the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) held that the Navy unreasonably credited the joint venture awardee with…
The Milwaukee Public Museum’s 8-story tower’s marble façade facing West Wells Street is being replaced with 234 solar panels. It was reported that, over the past 50 years, the Museum’s heavy marble façade on the south wall facing West Wells Street has weathered and become less stable. Milwaukee County, which…
Since the California Mechanic’s Lien Law was established more than 100 years ago, it has been black-letter law that a contractor or materials supplier has no right to assert a mechanic’s lien against public property. Thus, contractors and material suppliers (and even legal practitioners) have resigned themselves to the notion…
UPDATE: Natural Resources Defense Council Staff Blog, Great News: NY Governor Cuomo Pledges $1 Billion For Solar (Jan. 8, 2014) On July 17, 2013, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the State University of New York’s (SUNY) College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) will revitalize a vacant…
UPDATE: Sacramento Business Journal, California hits solar power record, twice (Mar. 11, 2014); The Huffington Post, California More Than Doubles Solar Energy In 2013 (Jan. 13, 2014): “California installed more megawatts of solar energy in 2013 than it did in the last 30 years combined, the California Solar Energy Industries…
In early July, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the withdrawal of lands identified for solar energy development in the West from new mining claims that could impede development of solar energy sites. Public Land Order No. 7818 (PLO 7818) withdraws 303,900 acres of land within 17 Solar Energy…
At the 2013 North America Intersolar Conference in San Francisco, California Governor Jerry Brown, and many others spoke confidently about solar opportunities in California. “Just within the last two months we actually recorded over 2,000 MW of solar energy being put into the grid…,” Governor Brown reported. He also confirmed…
On June 21, 2013, the government issued an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) to remove the dollar limits on contracts that may be set aside for Women-Owned Small Businesses (“WOSB”) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (“EDWOSB”). The FAR rule conforms to a final rule issued by…
Since we last checked in on California’s planned high speed rail system nearly a year ago, it has continued to take baby steps toward construction. Mike Rosenberg of the San Jose Mercury News notes here that on June 6 the California High Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) board authorized its CEO…
On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered the implementation of across-the-board cuts – sequestration – primarily directed to military and domestic discretionary spending because the White House and congressional leaders could not agree to an alternative. The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 2011 requires this sequestration, which…