On behalf of the 400 members of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, we appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback and response to the EPA’s RFI to support new IRA programs to lower embodied greenhouse gas emissions with construction materials and products. NSSGA is the leading voice and advocate for the aggregates industry and the businesses that supply them, with member companies representing more than 90 percent of the crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel consumed annually in the United States.

On behalf of the members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), I am writing to again thank the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for meeting with us on January 24th and to update the STB on issues that we have confronted with freight rail service in early 2023. As a reminder, the  NSSGA membership comprises of stone, sand, and gravel manufacturers and the equipment makers and service providers who facilitate their operations. Our member firms contribute to over 90% of the crushed stone and 70% of the sand and gravel used yearly in the United States.

The organizations signed below collectively submit the following comments to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) “Review of its General Applicability Wavier of Buy America Requirements for Manufactured Products.” We appreciate the opportunity to share our perspective of this review as it relates to our construction materials.

The undersigned associations (collectively, the “Coalition”) offer the following comments in response to the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ’s) Interim National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change (“Interim Guidance”). Our organizations represent a diverse set of economic sectors that form the backbone of the American economy—agriculture, energy, construction, mining, forestry, manufacturing, transportation, and other sectors.

On behalf of the 400 members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), I am writing to urge your support for the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act. This legislation will deliver more effective and safe means of commercial trucking, which is essential to our industry as we maintain our country's vast infrastructure.   NSSGA members consist of stone, sand and gravel producers; industrial sand suppliers; and the equipment manufacturers and service providers who support them.

The undersigned organizations support your bill, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2023. We appreciate your work to lead the country towards a commonsense tax code that does not impose a destructive double or triple tax at death. We support full and permanent repeal of the federal estate tax for the following reasons: Repealing the death tax would spur job creation and grow the economy. Many studies have quantified the potential job growth that would result from estate tax repeal. Last year the Tax Foundation found that the US could create over 150,000 jobs by repealing the estate tax.

The 33 national associations and construction trade unions of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) applaud Congress for including improvements to the federal infrastructure permitting process as part of H.R. 1, the “Lower Energy Costs” Act.  TCC members are on the front line of rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure. To accomplish this, significant changes need to be made to the current project review and approval process. H.R. 1 accomplishes this goal.

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reconsideration proposal for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Particulate Matter (PM).  NSSGA is a member of both the Coarse Particulate Matter Coalition (CMPC) and the NAAQS Regulatory Review & Rulemaking (NR3) Coalition, and incorporates their comments by reference.  NSSGA supports the proposal for retention of the current standard for PM10, but opposes the reduction of the PM2.5 standard. 

We represent construction materials vital to our nation’s infrastructure and are providing comments regarding the proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Particulate Matter (PM).  Our organizations represent hundreds of thousands of employees across the country and include the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), and the Portland Cement Association (PCA) (associations).

The undersigned organizations representing the majority of bulk commodities transported by our nations Class I railroads write to you to urge the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to prioritize a full committee hearing dedicated to the challenges and opportunities related to Class I freight rail transport reliability. Reliability and safety go hand in hand – staffing shortages and railroads' failure to adequately invest the resources required to ensure adequate capacity create challenges on both fronts.