Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/165243
Contractor Connection Now, eight years later, he's the chairman. "I tell people to stay involved and get other people to be involved. If you aren't, you are going to miss out and the industry will miss out, as well," said Gregorio. "One of the problems with utility construction, is everything is underground," he explained. "The only time you get attention is when things break. That is a problem, for the funding. We have to constantly be all over the House and Senate so we don't get shortchanged on the money." Water infrastructure funding is a key legislative issue for NUCA, as well as AED. NUCA members are fighting President Obama's FY2014 budget request that State Revolving Funds for clean water and drinking water be cut by approximately $500 million dollars. These cuts would devastate states relying on SRF funds to bid and, in many cases, continue funding water infrastructure projects. NUCA is also fighting to protect municipal bonds, which have come under attack during tax reform discussions. Over the last 10 years, 90 percent of infrastructure muni-bonds financing went to schools, hospitals, water and sewer facilities, public power utilities, roads and mass transit. NUCA supports the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 367), which would require rules written by regulatory agencies with an economic impact of more than $100 million to undergo review and approval by the House and Senate before taking effect. According to House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), major rules published in the past four years have added nearly $70 billion in new regulatory costs. The bill passed the House on Aug. 2. – at the time of this writing its fate is uncertain. Based on our aging water infrastructure, utilities should be a healthy and growing market. In a recently released study, the EPA reported that the U.S. needs to invest $384.2 billion over the next 20 years for thousands of miles of pipe, as well as thousands of treatment plants, storage tanks, and other key assets to ensure clean drinking water. Of course, the wild card is whether there will be money in the federal budget, given the current deficit woes. According to a study by AED and NUCA, each dollar spent on underground water infrastructure construction creates 12 cents in equipment market activity (sale, leasing, and product support). Gregorio is hopeful that working together, contractors, dealers and suppliers can support each other for their common goals. He's ready to do his part. Are you? n Joanne Costin is a freelance writer and marketing consultant focusing on the construction industry. She can be reached at (847) 358-1413 or jcostin@costincustom.com. Leverage your bottom line... with every lift! At Vacuworx, the objective is very simple – to provide the safest, most efficient heavy-duty lifting equipment in the industry. Vacuworx lifters increase load and unload cycles 7-12 times, with a fraction of the number of ground personnel vs. ...the global leader in innovative lifting solutions. Phone 1-918-259-3050 | requests@vacuworx.com | www.vacuworx.com 10105 East 55th Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74146 USA conventional methods. Vacuworx offers financing and rental options, and our service and parts departments are available 24/7 365 days a year. With 14 years of proven track record, no one offers a better selection or quality than Vacuworx. September 2013 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 33 30_Contractor_Feature_KP.indd 33 8/28/13 12:34 PM