ARTBA for ARTBA

Environment/Superfund ENV

Urged United States Environmental Protection Agency officials not to regulate coal ash as a "hazardous" waste, which could make concrete more costly and less durable, thus increasing costs and the environmental impact of vital transportation improvement projects.

Contacted: SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Small Business Administration (SBA); President of the U.S.; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Aviation/Airlines/Airports AVI

ARTBA staff advocated to House and Senate offices for reauthorization of federal aviation programs, an increase in airport infrastructure investment, and an increase in the Passenger Facility Charge.

Contacted: SENATE; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); President of the U.S.; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Small Business Administration (SBA)

Energy/Nuclear ENG

ARTBA supported H.R. 702, legislation aimed at ending obsolete restrictions on crude oil exports.

Contacted: Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Small Business Administration (SBA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; President of the U.S.; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); SENATE; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Bills named: H.R. 702 (114th)

Civil Rights/Civil Liberties CIV

ARTBA staff and members met with senior officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to discuss implementation of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. The group discussed several larger DBE program issues including the legal and regulatory limitations on prime contractors' abilities to help grow DBE capacity as well as the disparity between the pool of certified DBE firms and those actually able to participate as subcontractors on federal-aid highway projects. ARTBA staff and members also met with DOT officials to discuss DOT's recently proposed pilot program regarding geographic-based hiring on federal transportation construction projects.

Contacted: Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); President of the U.S.; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); SENATE; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Small Business Administration (SBA)

Transportation TRA

ARTBA staff continued meeting with members of Congress to discuss myriad federal transportation issues, including the reauthorization of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act within the term of the current Congress and the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. ARTBA actively supported passage of H.R. 22, the "Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy" Act in the Senate and the "Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act" in the House of Representatives. Urged its passage in both chambers of the resulting "Fixing America's Surface Transportation" Act. ARTBA urged members of the House and Senate to fully fund the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014.

Contacted: President of the U.S.; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Small Business Administration (SBA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); SENATE

Bills named: H.R. 22 (114th)

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

ARTBA staff have met with congressional offices to urge inclusion of a long-term Highway Trust Fund revenue solution in any tax reform or deficit reduction package or a stand-alone measure. ARTBA urged Congress to reinstate 50 percent bonus depreciation and higher Sec. 179 expensing levels.

Contacted: President of the U.S.; SENATE; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Small Business Administration (SBA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers)

Budget/Appropriations BUD

ARTBA urged Appropriators to provide the full amount for federal transportation programs authorized in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. ARTBA supported language in the House and Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bills which would have ensured a DOT pilot program aimed at local hiring did not unduly restrict competition. ARTBA supported language in the House and Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bills requiring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to conduct a study demonstrating the safety benefits of the restart provisions of the agency's "Hours of Service" regulations before those provisions can be enacted.

Contacted: Small Business Administration (SBA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); SENATE; President of the U.S.

Clean Air and Water (quality) CAW

Urged opposition to expanding the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) jurisdictional authority under the Clean Water Act. Supported passage of S. 1140, the "Federal Water Quality Protection Act" which would have repealed the EPA/Corps "Waters of the United States" rule. Urged Congress to find a solution to the "Waters of the United States" issue after S. 1140 failed to reach the necessary vote threshold for cloture. Urged Congressional opposition to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to tighten federal ozone standards under the Clean Air Act.

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); SENATE; Small Business Administration (SBA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); President of the U.S.; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Bills named: S. 1140 (114th)