Jim Riley, Director, Government Affairs
John Boling, Director, Government Affairs
Joe Colaneri, Director, Government Affairs
Patricia Maeder, Division Coordinator
www.nssga.org
Action Center
e-Digest
- SAFETEA LU PROJECT FUNDING IN SIGHTS OF BUDGET HAWKS
- ACTION ON FY '06 APPROPRIATIONS LAG; CONTINUING RESOLUTION LIKELY
- ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT ON CONGRESS' AGENDA
- NEPA TASK FORCE FIELD HEARING HEARS FROM AGGREGATES REPRESENTATIVE
- PRESIDENT SET TO NOMINATE NEW MSHA AND OSHA ADMINISTRATORS
- COALITION SENDS LETTER TO SENATE LEADERS IN SUPPORT OF WATER BILL
- GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIVISION TO HOST STRATEGY SESSION
- PRIOR APPROVALS ESSENTIAL TO ROCKPAC'S GROWTH; NEW PAYROLL-DEDUCTION OPTION OFFERS ADDITIONAL SIMPLICITY
SAFETEA LU PROJECT FUNDING IN SIGHTS OF BUDGET HAWKS
It appears the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and rebuilding the Gulf Coast will occupy Congress for much of the rest of the year. A chief concern is how to rebuild the ravaged roads and bridges in the region. Because state and local government entities are still involved in the rescue effort, cost estimates of the damage to the region's physical infrastructure - roads, bridges, railroads, water and wastewater systems - are few and far between. Preliminary numbers floated by the Department of Transportation estimate that physical infrastructure damages to roads, bridges, airports and rail lines at this time to be about $2.5 billion to $3 billion. No estimates have been released yet on cleaning up water and wastewater operations, but this could take physical infrastructure damage costs to over $5 billion.
Two bills have been introduced in the Senate to address this infrastructure damage. One bill, S. 1714, would waive the $100 million limit on reimbursements to state governments from the Federal Highway Administration's emergency relief program. It also would authorize $2.9 billion for the relief program.
The other bill, S. 1709, would allow states to forgive the principal on clean water loans for affected states. This change is intended to make impacted drinking water systems immediately eligible for state funds. It also would allow the Environmental Protection Agency to test homeowners' drinking water systems for potential contaminates at their request.
The larger task is how to rebuild, leading some to call for a "czar" or authority to oversee the construction effort. Then comes the question of how to pay for it. Some lawmakers have suggested repealing or suspending the user fee on gasoline, although NSSGA and its coalition partners seem to have tamped down this idea. The focus appears to have shifted to calls for rescinding member projects included in SAFETEA LU. Also, some have suggested tapping the Highway Trust Fund (HTF); however, taking money from the HTF would affect the state apportionments and unsettle the delicate political balance crafted to achieve passage of the highway reauthorization bill.
NSSGA will continue to oppose attempts to repeal or suspend the gas user fee and attempts to tap the HTF for emergency funds that have always come from emergency spending or the general fund. NSSGA President and CEO Joy Wilson issued a statement just after Congress returned to session opposing efforts to repeal or suspend the gasoline user fee and joined with its TCC and ATM colleagues in a similar letter of opposition that was sent last week.
ACTION ON FY '06 APPROPRIATIONS LAG; CONTINUING RESOLUTION LIKELY
With just two of the FY '06 appropriations bills passed - Interior-EPA and Legislative Branch - talk has surfaced of a continuing funding resolution because the bills are unlikely to be completed by the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year. Several members have suggested a bill funding agencies through FY '06. There is talk that the Transportation-Treasury and Housing bill could be combined with the Labor-HHS bill, which looks suspiciously like an omnibus bill. Congress would have to really get down to business and negotiate the differences on the spending bills coming out of the two chambers in order to complete work on time. As a result of restructuring of Appropriations subcommittee jurisdictions, several of the House and Senate bills do not match which has further complicated the process. NSSGA will relay important developments affecting the aggregates industry as they occur.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT ON CONGRESS' AGENDA
Last week the House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises, Agriculture, and Technology held a hearing on the need for improvements and more incentives in the Endangered Species Act (ESA), while this week two more hearings are scheduled on the topic. First, the Senate Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Subcommittee wants to hear from witnesses regarding the roles of states, local governments and tribes in ESA, and then the House Resources Committee is scheduled to hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 3824, the "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005," followed by a mark-up session on Thursday.
Witnesses at the Small Business Subcommittee hearing generally commended Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) for his legislation that would provide direct incentives for small landowners. The National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition, which NSSGA is a member, testified in support of the proposal, supporting provisions that ensure efforts are voluntary, providing financial incentives for participating landowners, and also providing technical assistance to those who request it. Other witnesses echoed similar comments.
Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) has stated he wants to examine state's roles as part of a long-term effort to examine the ESA. In addition to the hearing, Chafee is inviting different stakeholders to summit in Keystone, Colo., later this fall, where they will try to find consensus on the contentious critical habitat issue.
While Sen. Chafee is progressing considerably slower than his House counterpart, House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) just introduced his much-anticipated overhaul of the 30-year old landmark law. The legislative hearing on Sept. 21, followed by committee mark-up on Sept. 22, have predetermined outcomes, since Republicans hold a majority on the Committee. However, Pombo's goal is secure the approval of many of the panel's Democrats, in hopes of passing the bill on the House floor with 50+ Democrats supporting it. The Committee is on notice that the bill may come before the full House of Representatives late next week. The bipartisan bill was introduced with 14 original cosponsors from all over the country.
NSSGA is currently analyzing the legislation to determine its impact on the industry. To review the legislation yourself, please visit: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/. NSSGA plans to continue working to produce a good bill that will produce benefits for the aggregates industry. Please visit NSSGA's Legislative Action Center for more information on the issue, and what you can do to support this crucial legislation. For more information, contact John Boling.
NEPA TASK FORCE FIELD HEARING HEARS FROM AGGREGATES REPRESENTATIVE
The House Task Force on Improving NEPA held its fifth field hearing Sept. 17 in Norfolk, Va., on the role of NEPA in the Mid-Atlantic States. CJ Spainhour, Manager, Environmental Services, Vulcan Materials, testified for his company and the aggregates industry at the Saturday hearing. Spainhour was one of seven witnesses and did an excellent job of explaining that too often the act has served to slow down the environmental review process, delaying much needed projects. Spainhour called for a certain end-point in the process and for simultaneous reviews by the various involved agencies, rather than sequential reviews which also help to extend the process. He pointed out that due to the fact most aggregate operations are on private land, it is often the local and state officials with whom the aggregates industry must most closely interact. In response to some audience interruptions in the presentations of witnesses, task force Chairwoman Cathy McMorris (R-Wash.) made the point that the task force was looking to improve the act, not eliminate it. She said that the task force has sought input from all interested stakeholders without bias. She expects the task force to complete its work in the D.C. area and make recommendations later in the fall.
PRESIDENT SET TO NOMINATE NEW MSHA AND OSHA ADMINISTRATORS
President Bush reportedly will nominate Richard Stickler as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. David Dye is currently acting MSHA Assistant Secretary. Stickler will fill the position formerly held by David Lauriski, who left MSHA Nov. 19, 2004. Stickler served as director of Pennsylvania's Bureau of Deep Mine Safety. He has held a number of positions in the mining industry -- including 30 years working for Beth Energy Mines Inc. His previous positions included mine manager, superintendent, and shift foreman.The president also intends to nominate South Carolina attorney Edwin Foulke to head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a position formerly held by John Henshaw, who left the agency Dec. 31, 2004. Foulke is a former Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission chairman. Foulke testified on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at a congressional hearing in support of Sen. Michael Enzi's (R-Wyo.) SAFE Act in the late 1990s. That bill would have established an OSHA program for certifying expert safety consultants to help employers identify, prevent, and correct workplace safety hazards.
NSSGA looks forward to working with Stickler and Foulke in furthering the aggregate industry's partnership with the government in advancing safe and healthy workplaces.
COALITION SENDS LETTER TO SENATE LEADERS IN SUPPORT OF WATER BILL
The National Waterways Alliance, of which NSSGA is a member, sent a letter to Senate leaders expressing the importance of passing the Water Resources Development Act of 2005 before Congress adjourns later this year. The House passed their version in July by an overwhelming 406 to 14. The House version includes funds for 37 projects relating to flood damage reduction, navigation, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and environmental restoration. The larger projects included in the bill are a complete reworking of the Upper Mississippi locks and environmental restoration, an Everglades restoration project, and restoration projects along the rapidly vanishing Louisiana coastline. Currently, some sectors are suggesting the Senate strip out the projects that relate to the hurricane ravaged areas and pass them separately. Unfortunately, a move like this could jeopardize passing the remaining parts of the bill. It has been five years since Congress passed a comprehensive WRDA bill, leaving many projects languishing.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIVISION TO HOST STRATEGY SESSION
TThe Government Affairs Division has scheduled a strategy session for Oct. 12, in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The session will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. followed by dinner (location to be determined) and is open to all interested Association members. The session is designed to review the surface transportation reauthorization process, but more importantly to strategize for the future, from the next surface transportation bill, to the other priority issues in which the Association must be involved.This session is one of several that is being held in conjunction with other association events beginning Oct. 10, with the Environmental, Safety and Health Forum. Please note that due Congress' weeklong Columbus Day recess the week of Oct. 10, NSSGA's Oct. 11 Capitol Hill reception has been relocated from the Cannon Caucus Room to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the exhibitors hall, Regency A, from 5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Please RSVP to Patricia Maeder regarding your attendance at the strategy session. Information materials will be sent out in advance for your review and consideration.
PRIOR APPROVALS ESSENTIAL TO ROCKPAC'S GROWTH; NEW PAYROLL-DEDUCTION OPTION OFFERS ADDITIONAL SIMPLICITY
NSSGA recently sent out requests to all member companies' official representatives (ORs) asking them either to grant prior approval for NSSGA to communicate with and solicit a company's executives and management for contributions to its political action committee, ROCKPAC, or provide updates to their current prior approval information. In no way does granting prior approval obligate you, your company or any of its employees to contribute. Your company's individual employees participation, however, ensures that NSSGA's voice will continue to be heard on Capitol Hill.ROCKPAC is offering for the first time the ability to donate throughout the year via a payroll deduction plan. This option, just approved for use by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), will simplify the donation process by enabling employees of participating companies to break up their contributions into smaller amounts spread out over a year, if they so choose, rather than making them in one lump sum. Please be sure to check the payroll deduction box on the prior approval form if you wish to provide your employees with this option. If you need a new form or have additional questions about the prior approval requirement, please contact Jim Riley for more information. We extend our sincerest thanks to all of the ORs of NSSGA member companies who have already helped NSSGA comply.
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