ALEXANDRIA, VA – NSSGA Board Chair and President of Bond Construction Corp. Karen Hubacz spoke to the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee today about the impact of inflation on the aggregates industry. The House T&I Committee Republicans this morning held a roundtable discussion on the “Inflation Crisis Impacts on Infrastructure,” hosted by Ranking Member Sam Graves (MO).
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) President and CEO Michael Johnson issued the following statement after President Biden asked Congress to approve legislation to suspend collection of the federal gas tax for three months.
The Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) coalition and the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) opposes any and all efforts to undermine recent and historic infrastructure investments, including suspending federal and state motor fuel user fees, commonly known as “gas taxes.” American consumers are facing significant economic anxieties brought about by record inflation, continuing supply chain issues, high energy prices, labor shortages, and continued concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) and the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) represent thousands of companies who are responsible for creating and supplying construction materials needed to build our infrastructure and communities.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides you with a unique opportunity to directly confront the supply-chain challenges that are adversely impacting the U.S. economy and the daily lives of all Americans. We urge you to dedicate as much as allowable by law in discretionary grants for FY 2022 to support projects that will facilitate and ease the movement of goods. Over the past two years, the supply chain has endured extreme slowdowns due to pandemic-related pressures.
The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (“NSSGA”) submits these written comments to the Surface Transportation Board (“STB” or “Board”) pursuant to the April 7, 2022, Notice from the STB in the proceeding referenced above, which permits “written comments by any other interested person” concerning freight service. NSSGA members use freight rail to supply aggregates, particularly in fast growing metropolitan areas. The Association of American Railroads (“AAR”) estimates that freight rail moved 1.1 million rail cars of stone, sand, and gravel in 2020.
As Congress returns to session, we urge immediate consideration and passage of H.R. 4373, which would provide additional support for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. The legislation also includes S. 3011/H.R. 5735, a measure to provide greater flexibility to American Rescue Plan (ARP) state and local resources. The ARP law provided $350 billion in relief funds and $10 billion in capital improvement assistance, which was critical to state and local governments managing pandemic-induced budget shortfalls.
As Congress moves to consider H.R. 4373, which would provide additional support for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, we applaud the inclusion of S. 3011/H.R. 5735, a measure to provide greater flexibility to American Rescue Plan (ARP) state and local resources. The ARP law provided $350 billion in relief funds and $10 billion in capital improvement assistance, which was critical to state and local governments managing pandemic-induced budget shortfalls.
We, the undersigned associations, represent both public and private sector organizations that produce and use the materials, products, and equipment necessary to build America’s infrastructure and employ millions of hard-working Americans in well-paying jobs.
The National Stone, Sand, & Gravel Association (NSSGA) respectively submits this letter to thank Chairs Peter DeFazio and Donald Payne, Ranking Members Sam Graves and Rick Crawford, and the Members of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials (Committee) for holding this important and timely hearing on “Stakeholder Views on Surface Transportation Board (STB) Reauthorization” on March 8, 2022. NSSGA strongly supports the funding of the STB to ensure it can properly and effectively carry out its statutory duties.