Ford to fix leaks on 200,000 cars
Ford says it will repair coolant leaks that it may find in over 200,000 recalled vehicles that are at risk of catching fire.
The repairs are detailed in documents posted by safety regulators in December. They come 10 months after Ford said it would only install a coolant level sensor “with supporting hardware and software.”
In March, the automaker announced that it would recall the vehicles because their 1.6-liter turbocharged engines can overheat if coolant gets low, causing oil leaks and possibly fires. Ford’s March press release and recall documents did not mention leak repairs but the company now says it had planned to fix them all along.
In a Dec. 13 letter to dealers, Ford said mechanics should check for leaks, and if concerns are found, they should make repairs.
Regulators shut down Sunoco gas pipeline
Pennsylvania environmental officials ordered Sunoco on Wednesday to halt construction of a natural gas pipeline across the southern part of the state, citing a series of spills and leaks of drilling fluid and other “egregious and willful violations” of state law that have plagued the $2.5 billion project.
The Department of Environmental Protection said it ordered work on the Mariner East 2 pipeline to stop until Sunoco complies with the terms of its permit. DEP has issued dozens of environmental violations to Sunoco since May, contending the company has demonstrated a “lack of ability or intention” to comply with the state’s clean streams law and other environmental regulations.
“Until Sunoco can demonstrate that the permit conditions can and will be followed, DEP has no alternative but to suspend the permits,” DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said in a statement. “We are living up to our promise to hold this project accountable to the strong protections in the permits.”
Factory orders up at end of 2017
U.S. manufacturers expanded at a faster pace in December, boosted by a sharp increase in new orders.
The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday that its manufacturing index rose to 59.7 last month from 58.2 in November. Any reading above 50 points to greater factory activity. Manufacturing has been expanding for the past 16 months.
“With a report like this, I can’t do anything but smile,” said Tim Fiore, chair of the ISM manufacturing business survey committee.
U.S. manufacturers have been helped this year by a solid global economy and a decline in the dollar’s value, which helps to make exports more competitive abroad. Firms will soon see whether the lower corporate tax rates signed into law by President Donald Trump will help to push profits and growth even higher.
New orders jumped in December to the highest level since January 2004. Production also rose. The pace of hiring slipped, although it remained positive.
The ISM, a trade association of purchasing managers, said 16 of 18 manufacturing industries expanded in December. Among the sectors seeing growth were machinery, computer and electronics and chemicals.
Construction spending hit record in November
U.S. builders spent 0.8 percent more on construction projects in November, the fourth consecutive monthly gain.
November advance follows October’s revised 0.9 percent gain, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The increase brought total construction spending for the month to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of $1.26 trillion, an all-time high.
Private construction spending, which was up 1 percent from last month, also hit an all-time high.
The increase in spending by builders, along with a robust manufacturing report released separately Wednesday, underscores the solid momentum of the U.S. economy heading into the new year.
The November increase was led by a solid advance in homebuilding, which rose 1 percent from October as strength in single-family construction offset weakness in apartment building. Construction of single-family homes rose 1.9 percent in November, offsetting a 1.3 percent drop in apartment building.
Google sued again for gender disparity
Accusations that Google pays women less than men have resurfaced in a new version of a lawsuit, which now makes specific claims that affected female employees include engineers, program managers, salespeople and at least one preschool teacher.
A judge dismissed an earlier version of the suit – which seeks class-action status – but invited the plaintiffs to submit a new version describing the purported affected class more specifically.
Plaintiffs Kelly Ellis, Holly Pease, Kelli Wisuri and Heidi Lamar claim that Google discriminates against women and breaks California law by slotting women into lower salary levels than men, giving women lower-paying jobs, promoting women more slowly and less frequently and generally paying female employees less than men for similar work.
Google said it disagreed with the “central allegations” of the amended legal action.
“Job levels and promotions are determined through rigorous hiring and promotion committees, and must pass multiple levels of review, including checks to make sure there is no bias in these decisions,” Google spokeswoman Gina Scigliano said.