National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) president & CEO Michele Stanley has welcomed the committee passage of the BUILD America 250 Act.
Stanley’s comments came following the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee passage of H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act (the surface transportation reauthorization bill) by a 62-2 vote.
She added: “NSSGA would like to thank Chairman Sam Graves and Ranking Member Rick Larsen for their leadership in drafting and passing the BUILD America 250 (Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th) Act, and we thank every member of the committee who voted yes.”
Stanley said the US$580bn, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill is critically important to the aggregates industry and the national economy. It guarantees long-term funding needed to successfully plan, build and deliver America’s transportation infrastructure projects. In turn, this will create a positive ripple effect across our nation, supporting diverse economic activity. Stanley said each dollar of earnings in the aggregates industry creates another $US4.95 of earnings in other sectors.
She commented: “We also support the addition of a new fee to ensure that drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles, which are already driving on our roads today, pay to use our roads like everyone else. Additionally, this bill will dramatically improve our transportation networks by prioritizing highway formula programs and focusing on roadway and bridge investment programs, all while incorporating common-sense policies to improve project delivery timelines.
“We continue to urge Congress to pursue sustainable, user-based revenue solutions for the Highway Trust Fund’s long-term stability. Passing the bill through the committee was an important first step, and we urge the House of Representatives to now swiftly consider and pass the BUILD America 250 Act.”
The NSSGA advocates for the aggregates industry. Its members – stone, sand and gravel producers and the equipment manufacturers and service providers who support them – represent more than 90 percent of the crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel produced annually in the United States.
