Staying Focused on the Issues

As the voice of the concrete pumping industry, one of the ACPA’s missions is to advocate the industry’s concerns in Washington. Through our Washington advocates at Bose Public Affairs, we’re continually urging Congress to consider the critical issues affecting your business and the concrete pumping industry.

One action ACPA favors is increased infrastructure funding, since many of our members are involved in bridge and related infrastructure projects across the country. As a member of the North American Concrete Alliance (NACA), we recently signed a letter to Speaker Ryan, Majority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leaders Pelosi and Schumer, urging a quick move on legislation to address the mounting crisis of our nation’s failing infrastructure.

We and the other members of NACA believe Congress should craft and pass bipartisan legislation in the coming months providing for investment in infrastructure, with a sustainable long-term funding mechanism for the highway trust fund. Such legislation would provide for a safe transportation system as well as improve the economic vitality of our country.

The White House also supports infrastructure investment, recently unveiled in its a $200-billion spending plan. In the Trump administration’s plan, a proposed $100 billion would be made available to states and municipalities in the form of matching funds for infrastructure projects. The plan caps federal funding, however, at 20 percent of any project’s overall cost. Cities and states would be responsible for raising the remaining 80 percent. According to officials, the plan will stimulate $1.5 trillion in new infrastructure investment.

In addition to infrastructure investment, the White House plan includes reforms to the federal permitting process. Designed to reduce the amount of time it takes for infrastructure projects to gain approval, the plan calls for the streamlining of current environmental permitting rules to accommodate a wide range of infrastructure projects. With the White House support and plan revealed, we’re hopeful Congress will make infrastructure spending a top priority during its current session.

We’ll continue urging Congress to act for the repair and rebuilding of our transportation infrastructure and other issues important to the concrete pumping industry. By aligning with other concrete industry associations through NACA and through our own Washington advocacy, ACPA ensures your voice is heard. For more information on our efforts, follow the Washington Report in each edition of the Concrete Pumping Magazine, as well as on the ACPA website: www.concretepumpers.com.