ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs Michele Stanley issued the following statement commending Reps. Greg Stanton (AZ) and Troy Balderson (OH) on their introduction of the Rebuilding Our Communities by Keeping aggregates Sustainable (ROCKS) Act in the 117th Congress.

“The 400 members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association thank Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ) and Rep. Troy Balderson (OH) as well as their staffs for their work on introducing the Rebuilding Our Communities by Keeping aggregates Sustainable (ROCKS) Act. Their leadership to advance this bipartisan legislation, that promotes sustainable access to needed construction materials, will improve the lives of all Americans.

“Aggregates are the second most utilized product in the world and are the bedrock in the creation of buildings, roads, airports and bridges. They are indispensable in developing the infrastructure needed to access to clean water, deliver reliable energy and advance environmental stewardship. It is imperative that all communities have access to these essential resources as we work together to improve our outdated infrastructure. Sustainable, local access to aggregate materials improves construction costs, extends taxpayer dollars, reduces congestion and leads to better environmental outcomes.

“This critical legislation has a proven record of success receiving 22 bipartisan cosponsors in the last Congress. The underlaying text was included in the House of Representatives surface transportation reauthorization package that was advanced by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It was then passed through the full House last July. H.R. 611 has also received support from the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), the Arizona Rocks Products Association (ARPA) and Ohio Aggregates & Industrial Minerals Association (OAIMA). We urge all Members of Congress to cosponsor this legislation that demonstrates the importance of crushed stone, sand and gravel as essential for local communities.

NSSGA is the leading advocate for the aggregates industry. Its members – stone, sand and gravel producers and the equipment manufacturers and service providers who support them – produce the essential raw materials found in homes, buildings, roads, bridges and public works projects, NSSGA represents more than 90 percent of the crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel produced annually in the United States. Learn more at www.nssga.org.

CONTACT: Kerry Lynch/ Chuck Fuqua
(703) 526-1072, klynch@nssga.org