NSSGA, Vulcan promote need for infrastructure investment

Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association president and CEO, spoke at a press conference during the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “America’s Infrastructure: Time to Modernize” event.

Johnson stressed the need for immediate and sustained infrastructure investments.

“The time is now. We are critically behind in funding the projects that we need in this country,” Johnson says. “Anything of significance that you build – all these infrastructure projects for example – begins with a rock. Rocks build America.”

Johnson called on local, grassroots involvement from the aggregate and other industries to push Congress to fund construction, as well as repairs and improvements of roads, highways, bridges and more.

“Without members of Congress hearing about this at home from their constituents, they’re not going to see this as important to address this year,” Johnson says.

Additionally, Tom Hill, president and CEO of Vulcan Materials Co., reemphasized the immediate need for America to rebuild its aging roads, bridges and highways.

“Imagine how much faster we could get this done if our leaders in Washington stepped up, like our local leaders and state legislators and voters have stepped up, to support infrastructure investment,” Hill says. “We’ve seen in the last few years 24 states raise funds through a gas tax increase, and 75 percent of ballot measures that addressed transportation or infrastructure passed in 2016 and 2017. As state after state has raised infrastructure revenues, those legislators have kept their jobs.”