Industry News and Advocacy
David Howell Elected NUCA Chairman of the Board
NUCA’s Board of Directors formally inducted David Howell as our new Chairman on February 13 at their Annual Meeting held in Tucson, Arizona during the 2026 National Convention. “This coming year we will continue the efforts that the last few Chairmen have been leading and that is the advancement and modernization of our organization,” said Howell in his acceptance speech. “The one thing we cannot do is to ever rest on our laurels…We will continue to work together on funding, regulation, damage prevention, safety, and workforce development. My goal is that as part of our efforts we also work to find ways to provide for the future generations with the same opportunities I was able to take advantage of that NUCA has offered.”
Howell currently serves as NUCA’s Vice-Chairman. He has also represented multiple NUCA Chapters on the association’s executive committee, including the chapters in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Howell is the Vice President of Business Development for Midwest Mole. Also elected to the leadership team at the 2026 NUCA Annual Meeting was Jason Clark as Vice-Chair, Kirk Blomgren as Treasurer, and Victor Serrambana as Secretary. Kevin Cripps, the former NUCA chairman, now becomes Immediate Past Chairman.
House Hearing on Drinking Water SRFs
Over the last month, Congress has slowly begun its work on its 2026 water infrastructure agenda. On Feb. 24, the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a subcommittee hearing, “From Source to Tap: A Hearing to Examine Challenges and Opportunities for Safe, Reliable, and Affordable Drinking Water.”
Lawmakers examined the use of $50 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds allocated to the EPA for water infrastructure via the State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs. Both Democrat and GOP lawmakers stressed aging infrastructure, a projected $625 billion need over 20 years for maintenance and upgrades, and emerging threats like PFAS contamination, lead pipes, cybersecurity risks, and workforce challenges. NUCA calls for continued strong federal support and stable funding for the SRFs to address modern challenges, while noting federal aid alone cannot solve the problem.
US Customs Agency Not Ready To Reimburse Tariff Costs
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on March 6 that it needs an extra 45 days to establish an automated system for processing refunds on Trump-era tariffs recently invalidated by the Supreme Court. The agency is working to disburse approximately $166 billion in collected duties to over 330,000 eligible importers. In a court filing, CBP’s Brandon Lord explained that the volume of refunds is unprecedented, requiring reprogramming of the agency’s entry tracking system. The Supreme Court ruling called for automatic refunds with interest, but CBP cannot comply immediately. Around 2,000 lawsuits have already been filed by importers seeking refunds.
USDOL Proposes New Independent Contractor Rule, Repealing Biden-Era Regulations
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced on February 26 a proposed rule to clarify worker classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The proposal would rescind the 2024 Biden-era final rule—which used a six-factor “totality of the circumstances” test often seen as favoring employee status—and replace it with a streamlined “economic reality” test similar to the 2021 Trump-era rule.
The DOL aims to provide greater clarity and predictability for workers and employers. NUCA has applauded the DOL for revising the regulations to better clarify independent contractor standards.
Association News
Your NUCA membership delivers business benefits that will help your bottom line. Are you or your employees taking advantage of them?
NUCA Assurance: Get more control over your business insurance program
Join like-minded NUCA contractors who have taken control of their claims, managed their risk, and secured better, more focused insurance services for their businesses. NUCA Assurance is a construction-focused group captive owned by NUCA members and designed by insurance experts to deliver the claims control and risk-management support smart construction business owners need. This cost-effective association benefit helps your company purchase workers’ compensation, general liability, and auto liability insurance. Find out how to get more control over your utility construction company’s insurance needs by starting at NUCAAssurance.com.
NUCA Benefits: The expanded NUCA Advantage member benefits program
Your NUCA membership investment can deliver benefits far in excess of its cost — but only if you ask your human resources office to explore what it offers. Start by forwarding this document to them and ask them to check out NUCA Advantage. Our online portal leads to expanded health care benefits options for your company, as well as payroll, wellness, compliance, benefits administration, 401K programs, online training, OSHA logs and a wealth of free HR benefits available only to NUCA members. Find our expanded NUCA Advantage benefits program at www.NUCAAdvantage.com.
NUCA Benefits: Why NUCA Members Should Rethink Their 401(k) Strategy
Managing a 401(k) plan often creates more work than it should especially for NUCA members already stretched thin. That’s why NUCA has now partnered with Voya, AMP Administrator, and Greenline Wealth Management to create the Voyager 401(k) Pooled Employer Plan (PEP), built specifically for utility contractors and their employees.
Voyager simplifies plan administration by pooling multiple NUCA companies into a single structure unlocking access to economies of scale and service. Greenline also conducts a no-cost benchmarking review for NUCA members to identify savings and help reduce fiduciary liability through full outsourcing. Whether you’re offering a plan today or considering one for the first time, Voyager offers a compliant, cost-effective solution designed around your construction business. Schedule your free plan review today by calling 561-405-6609 (option 7), or email info@greenlinewm.com.
NUCA Benefits: NUCA-WINS–Now Featuring AI-Powered Report Generation
We’re excited to announce a major new feature in NUCA-WINS — AI-Powered Report Generation! With this new tool, you can now generate detailed reports instantly using natural language. NUCA-WINS new AI report generator understands your request in plain English and produces accurate, ready-to-share results in seconds — no need for filters, formulas or complex queries. Each report may be immediately exported to your choice of a PDF, CSV or Excel file. This means you can now get insights faster, save hours on manual report prep and share data-driven updates instantly with your team.
It’s live now! Just log in to your NUCA-WINS account and look for the “AI Reports” button in your “Outputs” section. Go to www.nucawins.com to start today.