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Updated: November 6th, 2009 11:21 AM EDT
Gini McKain
A large HTC-8660 grey and red striped 60-ton Link-Belt crane, trailered by Keen Transport from New Kingstown, PA, lead the procession of a dozen idle pieces of heavy construction equipment in and around the National Mall and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 28. It was all part of Start Us Up USA! - the last of three rallies held around America to call on the federal government to reauthorize critical transportation spending. The co-sponsors of the rally, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and the Associated Equipment Distributors, want to communicate the impact of the recession and lack of federal funding for the construction industry. The event expressed the critical need of a new multi-year highway bill now.
House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) was keynote speaker, with the Capitol and more idle equipment as a backdrop in a field of 5,500 orange flags representing 550,000 laid off workers. With over a half million construction jobs lost since the height of the industry in 2006, Chairman Oberstar exhorted the compelling need for the new bill saying, "Our committee, for two and a half years, has held hearings on the Surface Transportation Program, and the changes we need to restructure the department of transportation. We need to recreate the federal transit and highway administration, and establish an office to expedite projects in three months, instead of three years as it is today.
"By doing this, we can put people to work faster than we have been able to in the past - condense those 108 categories of federal programs at the floor, formulate programs, and give states the flexibility they need," he continued. "We need accountability, transparency, and responsibility to develop six-year strategic investment plans and annual bench mark reporting, so you know where your dollars are going. So people can see the results, in their lifetime and not wait until the next generation to see the benefits of these investments."
"Surveying of states shows that 15 have cut back on spending, and another 19 states will cut back on their 80\20 program next year," Oberstar added. "That means whatever gains we made in the stimulus side will be offset by losses on the regular program side. Those unsettling numbers are real. So let's act now! With your help, with your strong support, as you have been consistently supporting our six-year investment bill, we will put America to work. We can create six million new jobs!"
Associations speak
"Across the country, time is running out for the men and women of this industry as job losses continue to mount and prevent a broader economic recovery," said Toby Mack president of AED. "New transportation funding is a critical component to spurring a recovery of the construction equipment industry nationwide and improving our nation's infrastructure," added Dennis Slater, president of AEM.