The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) sent out an industry call to action, signed by President and CEO Mike Johnson and Michele Stanley, vice president, government & regulatory affairs:
“New reports have been swirling in Washington about a potential COVID-19 relief deal. Much to our disappointment and despite our rigorous efforts over the last eight months, this package does not yet include dedicated funding for state Departments of Transportation (DOTs). The bill does provide $168 billion for State and Local Aid that allows an avenue for DOT support. We believe this focus on state and local aid reflects, in part, the lobbying efforts of the National Governor’s Association to centralize the funds. While NSSGA believes this is an immediate disappointment, we can assure you it does not reflect the vigor with which we are pursuing the fight for highways and infrastructure investment.
“More importantly, no legislative package is finalized, and there is still an opportunity to persuade lawmakers that targeted relief is needed and needed now. Over the next few days, we encourage you to reach out directly to your contacts in Congress and urge them to support targeted relief for state DOTs. Further, you can share this grassroots tool with your colleagues in your company to ensure our voice is heard on the hill. Remember, our last advocacy campaign generated 900 individual letters and was instrumental in pulling a flawed bill off the floor of the House of Representatives regarding a ban on asbestos.
“I want to assure you NSSGA will not stop aggressively advocating for this critical lifeline for highways and your businesses. Our collective engagement has led to the passage of a one-year extension to the FAST Act. Additionally, Congress provided over $10 billion in additional funding into the highway trust fund shortly after our annual fly-in, where we met with over 300 congressional offices.
“Our advocacy over this year has included multiple bipartisan ‘Dear Colleague’ letters – one in the House that garnered 137 signatures and one in the Senate that secured 26 signatures – and produced letters to Congressional leadership and the Trump administration signed by over 40 national trade organizations and businesses supporting state DOT relief. NSSGA also co-hosted a virtual Hill briefing on this issue that garnered more than 30 Congressional staffers, learning more about this need and the consequences on future infrastructure policies.
“Make no mistake – we have encountered a number of roadblocks in securing these critically needed funds and in fact, a lack of support from some organizations has been equally disappointing. That said, we wanted to share with you the actions we are undertaking in the days ahead:
- A letter from CEOs with operations in Kentucky to Senate Majority Leader McConnell. This is a follow-up to a meeting held with the leader in August and a meeting during our fly-in in September. We will also be hosting McConnell’s Chief of Staff Phil Maxson at our nest Policy Briefing;
- Continued advocacy and pressure on Problem Solvers members of Congress and other moderates who have been pulling together the latest proposal;
- Working with appropriations leadership and others on the committee to press for additional funding to be provided in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill for highways;
- Ongoing dialog with the leadership of the authorizing committees (Transportation and Infrastructure and Environment and Public Works) to ensure they are pressuring leadership to support highways by way of a letter or direct conversations; and
- Working with legislators who represent rural districts to also press leadership to urge support for highways.
“NSSGA is a leading voice in this cause, as calls and emails continue with our Congressional champions. Highways support must now be treated as a policy on its own, as other transportation modes make noise in attempt to absorb precious federal funds for their priorities. NSSGA understands this threat and is leading support for highways across the board.
“NSSGA’s GARA team is pushing and asks that you do the same throughout your channels, resources and connections. The ability for state DOTs to recoup funds and operations, or continue to proceed with handicapped support, will have real consequence on infrastructure policy in the 117th Congress and the Biden administration. Infrastructure investment is seen as a viable economic response to the pandemic. It is expected the House will move infrastructure in one of its first bills on the floor, and President-elect Biden is an infrastructure champion. But whatever political capital is used for these possible outcomes, if state DOTs are short-staffed and pausing or cancelling their local projects, these federal initiatives will be blunted.
“NSSGA will share updates as they become available, and we appreciate your support in amplifying our need for state DOT relief. Please let us know how we can assist your outreach or leverage any internal progress achieved.”