California Already Has Begun Through SB 1

America’s manufacturers are urging President Trump to make good on a campaign promises to find money to repair the nation’s highways, airports, dams and bridges. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), which represents 12 million people, has sent a letter to the President asking him to move forward on a bipartisan proposal that will strengthen our transportation infrastructure.

“The infrastructure investments of the 1950s and 1960s brought tremendous economic benefits, built strong communities, improved productivity and competitiveness and allowed manufacturing to grow and put people to work in solid middle-class jobs,” said Jay Timmons, NAM’s president and CEO, in the letter. “Today, however, as more and more of our infrastructure crumbles, it is not keeping up with modern demands for safety and innovation, nor is it giving American workers the tools they need to compete with the rest of the world.”

The organization warns of the “urgent and acute economic need for transportation investment” —and key members agree: “We must remember that it is our infrastructure that allows our American manufacturing operations to remain competitive in the global economy,” says Volvo North America. “Infrastructure investments and an efficient transportation system will have a direct impact on growing our business,” adds BTE Technologies, Inc.

President Trump had promised a job-creating $1 trillion infrastructure bill within his first 100 days in office. But that aggressive goal has yet to be met. Now, manufacturers want the White House to prioritize infrastructure and find a bipartisan funding fix as soon as possible.

NAM is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Its proposal, Building to Win, calls for ending funding uncertainty and streamlining the permitting process, as well as other goals:

  • Shore up the Highway Trust Fund with a reliable, user-based, long-term funding stream.
  • Spend the $9 billion balance in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for ports and harbors.
  • Eliminate the maintenance backlog of transit and passenger rail systems.
  • Quickly upgrade aging locks and dams.
  • Find incentives to continue reinvestment into railroad infrastructure.
  • Upgrade and modernize drinking and wastewater infrastructure.

As uncertainty around federal infrastructure funding deepens, California has forged ahead with its own solution: The Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1). This significant new funding source invests $52.3 billion in California transportation over the next decade. As the state begins to rely on this important safety net, SCPFJ pledges to work with CA Congressional representatives on a federal fix to the state’s and the nation’s transportation fiscal woes.

Source: Gov Tech