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ARTBA Washington Newsline for April 18, 2011
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Register Now! ARTBA’s May 23-24 Federal Issues Program
ARTBA Washington Newsline
A P R I L 1 8 , 2 0 1 1
NewslineWashington
President Signs Final FY 2011 Funding Bill
House CutsTransportation 30 Percent
Jumpstart Highway & Transit Bill During Congressional Recess
Ending months of short-term
appropriations bills, President
Obama signed legislation
that funds the
government
through the end
of the fiscal year
in September.
Like the interim
spending
The U.S. House of
Representatives April 15 voted
235 to 193 to approve its
version of a FY 2012 budget
resolution that, among other
things, assumes a more than
30 percent reduction in total
federal transportation spending
from current year levels. The
budget does not provide
details on individual program
funding levels, but clearly states
future highway and public
transportation investment
should be based on existing
Highway Trust Fund revenues.
During the debate on the
With members of the House and
Senate returning home April
16-May 1 for a congressional
work period, you have a golden
opportunity to contact them
directly about the multi-year
highway and transit bill.
ARTBA continues to work
hard in the Nation’s Capital to
press for action, but grassroots
efforts by industry leaders like
you are critical to jumpstarting
the reauthorization process
and helping move a bill—in
either the House or Senate
transportation committees.
While we obviously care
about the investment levels
and policy provisions in these
bills, we should not expect to
agree with every aspect of them
at the outset. Nor should we
let those concerns become an
insurmountable stumbling
block to legislative progress.
The priority is to get the
legislative process started. We
will then know who our friends
are and the real world impacts
of the proposals.
Here’s what you can do.
Call the district offices of
your members of Congress
today and set up a personal
meeting—either at their office
or at your company or job site.
ARTBA’s Grassroots Action
center has the phone numbers.
If they visit you, introduce them
to your employees. Explain to
your congressman and senators
how uncertainty over passage of
a multi-year bill impacts your
business decisions—like hiring
and equipment purchasing.
ARTBA’s Mobilize! Grassroots
Action Guide has all the tools
you need to have a successful
meeting.
The “ask” is simple. You want
your congressman and senators
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 3
Continued on page 2
One of America’s Most Successful Public-Private Partnerships. Use It - Save Lives!
MOBILIZE!Grassroots Action Guide For The Federal Highway & Transit Bill
2 ARTBA Washington Newsline
Upcoming Events
ARTBA Federal Issues Program & TCC Fly-InMay 23–25 Washington, D.C.[Add to Calendar]
ARTBA Young Executive Development ProgramMay 23–26Washington, D.C.[Add to Calendar]
International Bridge ConferenceJune 5–8 Pittsburgh, Pa.[Add to Calendar]
TransOvation 2011 WorkshopSeptember 7–9 Near Dulles Airport, Va.[Add to Calendar]
Transportation Development Hall of Fame Gala Dinner at TransOvation 2011September 7Near Dulles Airport, Va.[Add to Calendar]
ARTBA National ConventionOctober 2–5 Monterey, Calif. [Add to Calendar]
ARTBA Public-Private Partnerships ConferenceNovember 15–16 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]
ARTBA REGIONAL MEETINGSNortheastern November 28–29 New York, N.Y.[Add to Calendar]
SouthernNovember 30–December 1 Tampa, Fla.[Add to Calendar]
WesternDecember 5–6 Los Angeles, Calif.[Add to Calendar]
CentralDecember 7–8Chicago, Ill.[Add to Calendar]
Visit our Events Page for more information.
Continued from page 1
Get The Ball Rolling!
commitment to you that they will:
• Tell their party leadership in the
House and Senate REPEATEDLY
to make passage of the long overdue,
surface transportation bill a
PRIORITY THIS YEAR!
• Keep an open mind on supporting
any funding mechanism that is
necessary to pass a strong bill that
meets national and state/local
economic and competitiveness
needs.
Too many elected officials are under the
impression that delaying action brings little
political or economic consequences. We
must show them why they are wrong!
Let’s get the reauthorization ball rolling
and make our presence felt in every
congressional district! Remember, you
vote… so they will listen!
www.transportationcreatesjobs.org
3ARTBA Washington Newsline
30% Transportation Cut In House BudgetContinued from page 1
Products & ServicesAdvertising Opportunities for May-June “Transportation Builder” Magazine Available!
The May-June 2011 issue of “Transportation Builder” magazine focuses on the bridge design and construction industry. Topics include green construction techniques, project spotlights, and public-private partnerships in the bridge industry .
The materials deadline for this issue is Wednesday, May 18.
Contact Liz Cavallaro or view the 2011 ARTBA Media Kit for more information.
To learn more about other products and services available, visit the ARTBA Store today!
proposal, authored by Budget Committee
Chairman
Paul Ryan
(R-Wis.), House
Transportation
& Infrastructure
Committee
Ranking
Democrat Nick
Rahall (D-W.
Va.) told his
colleagues:
“According to a Congressional Budget Office
(CBO) analysis of the Republican budget
assumptions, this budget would slash
current year highway funding from $41.1
billion to approximately $27 billion in fiscal
year 2012. A 34 percent cut in year one of
the reauthorization bill will destroy more
than 490,000 jobs over the coming years.”
The ARTBA co-chaired
Transportation Construction Coalition
wrote April 13 to all House members to
express opposition to the budget proposal
2011 ARTBA FEDERAL ISSUES PROGRAM & Transportation Construction Coalition Fly-In
May 23 - 24: ARTBA Federal Issues Program May 24 - 25: TCC Fly-InMandarin Oriental, Washington D.C.
Be an industry leader & lobby Congress on the highway/transit reauthorization bill.
Meet face-to-face with top federal agency officials to discuss the real-world impacts ofexisting and proposed regulations.
Get in-depth legislative, economic & market reports from ARTBA staff & industry experts.
For more information, or to register, visit: www.artbafederalissues.org.
due to its significant cuts in transportation
investment. It is important to remember
the budget resolution is non-binding and
does not establish specific programmatic
investment levels. Those decisions will be
made in the long-term reauthorization of
the surface transportation program and the
annual appropriations process.
4 ARTBA Washington Newsline
“I cannot imagine a worse beginning to a U.S. high-speed rail effort. Billions of dollars in rejected grants have been returned by recipient states, and it is critical that there be transparency for why these projects were selected in the first place and why any future projects will be selected.”
Reaction from Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, to reports by the Government Accountability Office the Obama Administration’s grant selection process.
The purchasing power of highway funds in Alabama has brought us to the point of almost becoming nothing more than a maintenance department...With current funding levels, very little is available for increasing the capacity of our existing roads or constructing new roads, which we still need in Alabama.
Alabama DOT Director John R. Cooper at the April 14 Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works hearing.
TRB Newsletter: April 12, 2011ARTBA is pleased to make available another service for members that highlights new research, technologies, industry best practices and information resources available to the transportation design and construction industry. This material comes from the Transportation Research Board. Read the most recent newsletter.
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Master Innovator?Do your innovation skills pass muster with the industry’s best-of-the-best? You can put them to the test at ARTBA’s
“TransOvation” workshop to be held September 7-9 at the Landsdowne conference center near Dulles, Va. This workshop will be led by ENR Award of Excellence Winner John Hillman, MacArthur Foundation “genius” award winner Ted Zoli, and 3M executive Jerry Karel. Learn from the best what it takes to innovate for to improve your bottom line and invigorate your business! Visit www.transovation.org for more information.
Overheard
Fostering Innovation
“ ”Legislative & Regulatory News
President Signs Final FY 2011 Funding
measures over the past six
months, funding for highways
remains at the FY 2010 levels
of $41.1 billion and does not
include $293 million in surface
transportation earmarks or
$650 million in supplemental
highway investments provided
from the federal general fund.
Airport Improvement Program
investments also continue at
$3.52 billion—the same amount
as FY 2010.
High speed rail is “zeroed
out” in FY 2011. The bill cuts
the New Starts Program, which
funds fixed rail transit projects,
in FY 2011 by $400 million to
$1.6 billion and rescinds $280
million of the funds provided to
the program in FY 2010. Other
cuts to transportation include
rescinding about $630 million in
unused earmarks from legislation
enacted in the 1970’s through
1998’s TEA-21 and lowering the
Department of Transportation
discretionary grants program
(the TIGER II program) from
$600 million in FY 2010 to $528
million this year.
Also included is a rescission
of $2.5 billion in unobligated
highway contract authority—
rescissions do not lower
highway investment, but can
constrain how states use federal
funds.
FedEx Endorses Fuels Tax Increase
FedEx President and CEO
Fred Smith and officials from
several state departments of
transportation told members
of the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee April
14 a multi-year reauthorization
of the federal surface
transportation program is
critical to future U.S. economic
growth. During the question and
answer session of the hearing
Smith told senators FedEx
has long supported a fuels tax
increase to support needed
infrastructure improvements
and added that in the long-term
a transition to a vehicle miles
traveled fee would be appropriate
to accommodate for increased
fuel efficiency and alternative
energy use. Transportation and
Infrastructure Subcommittee
Chairman Max Baucus
(D-Mont.) suggested a two-year
reauthorization bill might be
necessary if Congress is unwilling
to raise the revenues necessary
to grow highway and transit
investment under a six-year
measure. Baucus also chairs
the Senate Finance Committee,
which has jurisdiction over
Highway Trust Fund revenue
sources.
GAO Recommends Improvements For Future Grant Programs
The Government Accountability
Office (GAO) released a
March 30 report calling for
improvements in how the U.S.
DOT implemented both the
Transportation Investment
Generating Economic Recovery
(TIGER) and High Speed Rail
competitive grant programs.
Specifically, GAO recommends
documenting key decisions for
all major steps in the award
process, including reasons
for acceptance or rejection
of grant applications. GAO
also recommends limiting
Continued from page 1
5ARTBA Washington Newsline
the influence of geographic
considerations in project
selection. Republican leaders
of the House T&I Committee
used the reports to criticize
the Obama Administration’s
transparency during the
implementation of the grant
programs.
DOT Provides Emergency Highway Relief Funds
U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood announced
April 11 the Federal Highway
Administration will provide
$319 million from its emergency
relief program to 28 states and
two territories to reimburse
them for damages to roads
and bridges caused by natural
events. Recipients include:
Alabama, Alaska, American
Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas,
Colorado, Connecticut, Florida,
Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky,
Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Puerto Rico,
Rhode Island, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Washington, West Virginia,
and Wyoming. View additional
information.
ARTBA-Supported 1099 Repeal Becomes Law
President Obama April 14
signed H.R. 4 into law, which
repeals a controversial provision
of 2009’s healthcare reform
law. The provision would have,
beginning in 2012, required
businesses to file IRS Form
1099s with the government
for every vendor with which
it transacted business of
$600 or more in a calendar
year. ARTBA, individually
Download a PDF copy of the digital “Washington Newsline.”
and through coalitions, urged
Congress to repeal the provision
citing the enormous paperwork
burden it would impose during
an economic recovery. The
enactment of H.R. 4 is a
legislative victory for all ARTBA
members.
House Panel Hears Testimony on 3% Withholding
The House Small Business
Committee April 13 heard
testimony on various tax issues
that affect the ability of firms to
grow and create jobs. A roofing
contractor from Stratford,
Wis., told the committee an
impending change in the tax
code could prevent many small
businesses from competing
for government contracts.
The provision, set to go into
effect in 2012, would require
a three percent withholding
for government contracts—
including transportation
projects—at all levels—city,
state, and federal. ARTBA
and its colleagues in the
Government Withholding Relief
Coalition continue to urge a
delay and full repeal of this
provision.
ARTBA Urges Small Business Panel to Study Impacts of Regulations
ARTBA submitted written
comments April 13 urging
the U.S. Small Business
Administration to assess the
effects on small businesses
of regulations promulgated
by the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) and
the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). With regards
to DOT regulations, ARTBA
focused on the Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise program,
hours of service for construction
drivers and the use of
proprietary products. As for
the EPA, ARTBA stressed
reforms to air, water and
hazardous substance proposals
and the need to streamline
the environmental review
and approval process for
transportation projects.
Don’t Classify Coal Ash “Hazardous,” ARTBA Says
ARTBA April 14 urged the
House Subcommittee on
Energy and the Economy to
pass H.R. 1391, the “Recycling
Coal Combustion Residuals
Act of 2011.” The legislation,
introduced by Rep. David
McKinley (R-W.Va.), would
prohibit the U.S. EPA from
classifying recycled coal ash as
a “hazardous substance.” In its
statement, ARTBA explained
that without coal ash, concrete
would become more expensive
and less durable and detailed its
role in reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and oil consumption.
TECHNICAL SESSIONS, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS: Featuring a new National Bridge Industry Workshop with key public and private sector speakers focusing on bridge preser-vation, asset management, contract management and procurement, P3s and FHWA’s “High-ways for Life” and “Every Day Counts” programs.
PREMIER EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES: Service providers and manufacturers: Market your firm’s products and services to industry executives in the growing national and inter-national bridge market. Exhibitor discounts available.
For more information or exhibitor opportunities, contact ARTBA’s Jim Colleton at 202.289.4434.
JUNE 5-8, 2011 • DAVID LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER • PITTSBURGH, PA.
28TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE CONFERENCE®
6 ARTBA Washington Newsline
Foundation News
April 22 Deadlines for ARTBA Foundation Programs
1. Roadway Work Zone
Safety Award: Recognizes
outstanding efforts to help
reduce roadway work zone
accidents, injuries and
fatalities.
2. “Lanford Family Highway
Worker Memorial
Scholarship Program”:
Provides financial
assistance to the children
of highway construction
workers killed or
permanently disabled in
the line of duty to pursue
post-secondary education.
Visit www.artbatdf.org to
download application forms.
Contact Holly Bolton with any
questions.
Nominations Sought for 2011 Hall of Fame Class
Nominate an individual or
a family from the public or
private sectors who has made
extraordinary contributions
to U.S. transportation
development or demonstrated
exceptional leadership
over their lifetime to the
ARTBA Foundation Hall of
Fame. A new website—www.
artbahalloffame.org—contains
the 2011 nomination form and
details about the inaugural
class announced last November.
Nominations are due by
June 1. Contact Holly Bolton.
Meetings & Events
National Bridge Workshop Scheduled June 7 in Pittsburgh
ARTBA is hosting a “National
Bridge Industry Workshop”
June 7 from 8:00 a.m.-12:00
p.m., at the International
Bridge Conference. It will bring
together leaders from FHWA,
states and industry to discuss
the future of the bridge program
in these key areas: preservation,
asset management, contract
administration, P3s and
innovation.
Top FHWA officials are
confirmed speakers: King
Gee, associate administrator,
Office of Infrastructure; Butch
Wlaschin, director of the Office
of Asset Management; Gerald
Yakowenko, group leader,
Contracts Administration;
and Anwar Ahmad, bridge
preservation engineer. Chris
Kane, P3 Collaborative; Mike
Stenko, Transpo Industries;
Siva Venugopalan, Siva
Corrosion; and Barry Raeburn,
Advanced Infrastructure
Technologies, will also speak.
Register now. For more
details, contact Allison
Wenograd.
ARTBA News
Intelligent Transportation Systems Group Forming
ARTBA member firms with
an interest in Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS)
are encouraged to sign up
representatives to help lead,
organize and participate in
a new ARTBA ITS Policy &
Promotion Council. For details,
contact Rob Regier.
Transportation Design & Construction Careers
www.transportationconstructionjobs.org
What kind of jobs are there in the transportation design and construction industry?
Here are just a few examples of the hundreds of jobs and opportunities waiting for you—and the average annual salaries in 2010…
Construction Executive Management: President & CEOs: $170,000General & Operations Managers: $119,100Financial Managers: $104,500
Designing the Infrastructure: Civil Engineers: $74,900Architects: $55,300Surveyors: $53,300
Building the Infrastructure: Project Managers: $119,000Foreman/Supervisors & Superintendents: $61,800Estimators: $67,300Equipment Mechanics: $44,600Carpenters: $47,800Concrete Finishers: $41,100Excavating Machine Operators: $36,400Pile-Driver Operators: $50,200Paving/Surfacing Equipment Operators: $39,200Truck Drivers: $37,400Laborers or Helpers: $37,300Highway Maintenance Workers: $34,600
Other Occupations: Computer Specialists: $49,200Chief Engineers: $99,500Construction Managers: $93,300Financial Managers: $99,700Purchasing Managers: $58,500Human Relations Specialists: $57,500Clerk & Office Workers: $35,100Recordkeepers: $30,710Sales Representatives: $55,660Network Administrators: $66,330
Source: ARTBA analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Data; 2010 ARTBA U.S. Highway, Street & Bridge Construction Salary & Hourly Wage Guide
∙ High Tech
∙ Competitive Wages
∙ Leadership Skills
Transportation Design & Construction Careers Brochure
This new ARTBA brochure highlights the many benefits and leadership opportunities with a career in transportation design and construction. It also features a comprehensive list of annual salaries for a variety of industry jobs. It’s an excellent guide to distribute during “Construction Career Days,” job fairs, or other recruiting events.
Brochure is $25 for 100 copies. Contact Liz Cavallaro for more details.
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