The Daily Log
Issue No. 60
Thursday, September 17, 2026
WORKFORCE
Data Centers Lift Backlog, But Labor Shortages Follow the Work
U.S. nonresidential contractors posted stronger sales and profit expectations in August, with data centers the primary engine of backlog growth even as heavy industrial segments weakened. "Data centers continue to keep contractors busy even as activity softens in other segments," said ABC chief economist Anirban Basu. The same surge is tightening supply of specialized high-voltage and mission-critical field talent nationwide.
Full story →PROJECTS & PIPELINE
$67B NextEra-Dominion Merger Adds $5B Virginia Supplier Program
NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy sweetened their proposed $67-billion merger with a pledge of up to $5 billion in Virginia supplier commitments, including skilled-trades training and priority local contracting opportunities — an overt bid for state regulatory approval. For Virginia-area field leaders and specialty contractors, the program represents a significant pipeline of future work contingent on the deal closing.
Full story →INFRASTRUCTURE
Feds Gut Carbon Standards for Coal and Gas Power Plants
Trump agencies finalized a rule eliminating nearly all carbon emissions requirements for coal- and gas-fired power plants, with a separate rulemaking proposed to remove all remaining pollution control standards. The regulatory reset is likely to extend the operating lives of existing fossil-fuel plants and reshape the power-sector construction and upgrade pipeline for contractors in those markets.
Full story →