�鶹��Ƶ

James H. Roberts, President and CEO of Granite Construction Inc., represented �鶹��Ƶ at a hearing held July 24 by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee to examine how the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) was working in light of the large budget increase it received in MAP-21. Also testifying at the hearing was Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx making his first appearance before Congress since he was sworn in.

On Tuesday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing on the fiscal condition of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF).  The subcommittee heard testimony from Polly Trottenberg, undersecretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Kim Cawley with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  In Cawley’s testimony, CBO provided a dire warning about what will happen to federal highway and transit programs dependent on Highway Trust Fund revenue – they will receive no new money.  While Ms. Trottenberg offered no new solutions to the problems facing the trust fund, she instead continued to push for President Obama’s idea to take a piece of the savings from the drawdown from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (an idea that has very little chance of happening). 

James H. Roberts, president and chief executive officer of Granite Construction Inc., represented �鶹��Ƶ at a hearing held on July 24 by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. The hearing was held to examine how the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) is working in light of the large budget increase it received in MAP-21. Roberts began his testimony by pointing out that, “Our transportation investment needs are great and the funds to fix the problem are running short.” He emphasized the construction industry’s very real concern about the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and urged the committee to address this problem sooner rather than later.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) released its Semiannual regulatory agenda this week, which gives a status report on a number of pending rules and regulations that the agency is working on. Many of the rules on the list are related to implementation of provisions in MAP-21.

New truck driving limits went into effect on July 1, 2013. �鶹��Ƶ is hearing that these new requirements are having significant impacts on delivery of asphalt, concrete aggregates and other highway construction materials. �鶹��Ƶ is seeking examples of these impacts to use in a petition to the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for an exemption from these rules.

Registration is now open for the 2013 Highway and Utilities Contractors Issues Conference. This year’s conference is scheduled for November 7-9, 2013 at the Arizona Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, Ariz. This conference addresses the top issues impacting contractors involved in highway, bridge, transportation and utility construction, including funding, regulations, technology, risk allocation, legislative developments and others. 

This week, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a notice seeking comments regarding the continued need for the general waivers from Buy America requirements for manufactured products and other items. The waivers on manufactured products have been in effect since 1983. The notice also asks for comments on the continuing need for a minimal use threshold currently established at $2,500 or 1/10 of 1 percent of the total contract value - whichever is greater. The Buy America requirements have been in effect in the Federal-aid highway program since 1983.

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, joined Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WS) to introduce a bill this week that would provide $5.5 billion for state transportation departments to address the 150,000 or so structurally deficient bridges across the nation.

This week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) passed their funding bill for FY 2014.  The bill funds the federal highway and transit programs at the MAP-21 levels. In total, the bill provides over $40 billion for the highway program and $10 billion for the transit program.  �鶹��Ƶ members who participated in April’s Federal Contractors Conference and this month’s Transportation Construction Coalition Fly-In lobbied their members on the hill to ensure the THUD bill included MAP-21 funding levels.

New truck driving limits go into effect on July 1, 2013.