To be clear, our member companies support Buy America policies that ensure American manufacturing is protected and undue influence from foreign adversaries is not reaping the benefits of taxpayer investments; however, since Buy America’s enactment, Congress, and every administration, Republican and Democrat, have long understood that certain construction materials and their inputs should not be included under Buy America’s regulatory framework, and we reiterate this long-standing position.

ALEXANDRIA, VA- The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) President and CEO Michael Johnson issued the following statement after the House passed its surface transportation reauthorization package, H.R. 3684, Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act.

On behalf of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) and the aggregate industry we represent, we appreciate the House taking up the H.R. 3684, Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act. It is critical that Congress passes a robust, multi-year surface transportation reauthorization bill before the current one-year extension of the FAST Act expires on September 30.

We appreciate President Biden’s commitment to MSHA in his FY 2022 budget request and urge the Committees to support additional funding for MSHA’s Directorate of Educational Policy and Development (EPD). EPD is essential to promoting mine safety through better training and compliance assistance. Further, we call on the Committees to provide resources for thorough and continuous training of inspectors – particularly newly hired individuals and those who are transitioning from inspecting coal mines to inspecting metal/non-metal operations.

On behalf of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) and the aggregate industry we represent, we welcome recent developments between a bipartisan group of Senators and the Biden Administration to reach agreement on a framework that will provide roughly $600 billion in new infrastructure investments. We call on you to move this bipartisan infrastructure proposal through congress in the coming months to deliver historic infrastructure investment that the American people have been waiting for.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) President and CEO Michael Johnson issued the following statement regarding the Biden administration’s announcement that a bipartisan deal has been reached with the Senate on an infrastructure framework.

NSSGA appreciate STIA’s five -year, $78 billion authorization of critical safety, trail and multimodal programs necessary for our advancement of our transportation system. We welcome STIA’s authorization for $36 billion in federal investments for rail programs, $27.8 billion for multimodal programs and $13 billion for safety programs. Further we appreciate your efforts to invest roughly $1.2 billion a year in the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight program and improving coordination between federal and state governments regarding freight planning.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs Michele Stanley issued the following statement as the U.S. Department of Labor released its long awaited Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) which targets healthcare and does not cover other workplaces under the jurisdiction of OSHA or MSHA.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs Michele Stanley issued the following statement after the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced its surface transportation reauthorization package, the INVEST in America Act after a 19-hour markup.

While we welcome the urgency your committee is undertaking to introduce and markup your surface transportation reauthorization package, we encourage you to continue to strive for bipartisan solutions that incorporate stakeholder feedback across infrastructure and surface transportation industries. Meaningful federal investment and bipartisanship go hand-in-hand and we look forward to the package you report out of committee and ultimately pass on the House floor