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IN THE KNOW Congress Keeps Transportation Construction Dollars Flowing House and Senate leaders reached an agreement Sept. 9 to extend surface transportation and aviation pro‐ grams. The House passed the exten‐ sions Sept. 13 by voice vote. On Sept. 15, the Senate approved the Surface and Air Transportation Extension Act of 2011 (H.R. 2887). The bill, which the president signed on Sept. 16, ex‐ tends surface transportation and air‐ port construction programs until Mar. 31, 2012, and Jan. 31, 2012, re‐ spectively. Had the programs lapsed, the Highway Trust Fund would have lost $100 million per day in gas tax revenue and more than 1.6 million jobs would have been at risk. According to the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), the legislation extends current levels of contract authority for the highway program at $39.9 billion, minus the $3.1 billion in rescissions of unoblig‐ ated contract authority in the FY'11 Transportation‐Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. It is important to note that because the Highway Trust Fund firewalls and guaranteed spending requirements were repealed at the start of this Con‐ gress, the actual level of highway and aviation spending will be set by the appropriators, not the extension bills – setting a dangerous precedent for the future of highway spending, ac‐ cording to NSSGA. NSSGA also said the extensions are "clean" in that the FAA will not see a 5 percent cut that was considered in earlier drafts, nor will there be any back pay for furloughed employees during the two‐week shutdown this summer. The Associated Equipment Distribu‐ tors (AED) noted its approval of the extension. "AED applauds Congress for putting politics aside and mov‐ The bill, which the president signed on Sept. 16, extends surface transportation and air- port construction programs until Mar. 31, 2012, and Jan. 31, 2012, respectively. ing forward with extensions of fed‐ eral transportation construction programs," said AED President and CEO Toby Mack. "This legislation en‐ sures that the hundreds of thou‐ sands of workers who build and maintain our highways, bridges, and airports can continue their work, at least temporarily. "While the extension is welcome news, it falls far short of giving the construction and equipment indus‐ tries the certainty essential to recov‐ ery and job creation," Mack said. "By delaying action on a new multiyear highway bill, Congress is putting off much‐needed investment in the infra‐ structure the U.S. economy needs to grow and flourish." As further evidence that the Hill is waking up to the need for action on highway reauthorization, a memo on job creation by the House GOP lead‐ ership released on Sept. 16 cited in‐ frastructure spending as a possible area for bipartisan cooperation say‐ ing, "Congress and the President should spend the next few months working out a multiyear transporta‐ tion authorization bill." Lafarge Quarries Recognized with Community Relations Awards Two of Lafarge North America's Illinois aggregate quarries, Cave in Rock and Joliet, were recently awarded with the Illinois Association of Aggregate Produc‐ ers (IAAP) Community Relations Award. The IAAP Community Relations Award recognizes Producer Member compa‐ nies whose community involvement and support activities have enhanced the public's perception of the member's aggregate operation and the aggregate industry in general. Lafarge's Cave in Rock quarry was rec‐ ognized for its community efforts 10 ROCKproducts • OCTOBER 2011 around wildlife habitat restoration, working with residents to help clean up the banks of the Ohio River and dona‐ tions of money, materials and services to community groups. Similarly, the Joliet quarry award was awarded for the site's community ef‐ forts and donations of 63 tons of materi‐ als to Habitat for Humanity, 560 lbs. of can goods for Morning Star Mission Min‐ istries, and employees' labor to clean up the shoreline along the Illinois River. "We truly appreciate being recognized by the IAAP for our community efforts," said Matthew Dantinne, vice president and general manager for Lafarge Mid‐ west Aggregates. "It is part of our oper‐ ating philosophy to give back to the communities in which we operate. We enjoy being part of the communities and continue to look for opportunities where we can help make a difference." Cave in Rock and Joliet quarries were honored by the Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers. www.rockproducts.com PRODUC ER NEWS FAST FACT LE G ISLA T IVE FAST FACT