ATSSA Town Hall on Buy America guidelines set for Sept. 7 ATSSA Town Hall on Buy America guidelines set for Sept. 7 Virtual event will offer insights to help members prepare for enactment Pam / Wednesday, August 30, 2023 0 4040 Article rating: No rating Get ready for enactment of the new Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) guidelines by attending ATSSA’s free virtual Town Hall on Sept. 7. Speakers will address questions on the recently released guidance for the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA). The virtual Town Hall panel will include ATSSA Director of Federal Government Relations Cameron Greene and Kathy Ruffalo, president of Ruffalo & Associates, a Washington-based advocacy and consulting firm. Ruffalo has significant transportation and infrastructure experience at both the federal and state levels. Registration is now open. Read more
Final ‘Buy America’ guideline published, starting 60-day clock to enactment Final ‘Buy America’ guideline published, starting 60-day clock to enactment Pam / Thursday, August 24, 2023 0 5401 Article rating: No rating The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Wednesday published the final guideline for the Build America, Buy America Act, starting a 60-day countdown to its enactment. Included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), this expansion of the Buy America program led to the inclusion of a number of materials and products used and manufactured by ATSSA members. ATSSA’s Government Relations Team provides a summary of the most important sections of the 162-page guidance and will continue to update ATSSA members as more information becomes available. ATSSA also will be holding a virtual town hall on this topic on Sept. 7. Read more
Final guidance issued on ‘Buy America’ policy Final guidance issued on ‘Buy America’ policy Pam / Wednesday, August 16, 2023 0 4067 Article rating: 5.0 The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released the final guidance related to the Build America, Buy America Act provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This final guidance includes comparisons to the initial guidance from OMB from April of 2022 and responses to comments submitted to the OMB Request for Information from earlier this year. The IIJA expanded current Buy America requirements for infrastructure projects, including the addition of construction materials as a covered category. The final OMB guidance directly responds to specific concerns raised by ATSSA. Read more
TRIP report estimates $1.9 trillion in societal harm from fatal and serious traffic crashes in 2022 TRIP report estimates $1.9 trillion in societal harm from fatal and serious traffic crashes in 2022 Maria Robertson / Wednesday, June 21, 2023 0 5827 Article rating: No rating TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, this morning released a report showing that the high number of traffic fatalities and serious-injury crashes over the past three years took a significant toll on the nation in both lives lost and economic costs. Utilizing data from a 2023 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, TRIP estimated that fatal and serious traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2022 caused a total of $1.9 trillion in “societal harm,” including $465 billion in economic costs and $1.4 trillion in quality-of-life costs. Read more
House committee releases draft of FAA reauthorization bill House committee releases draft of FAA reauthorization bill Pam / Friday, June 9, 2023 0 3624 Article rating: No rating The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee today released its draft reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The bipartisan Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act would reauthorize the FAA aviation infrastructure and safety programs for the next five fiscal years, with a total investment of around $103 billion over the lifespan of the bill. At ATSSA’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo in February, the Government Relations Committee approved a policy allowing for the Association to get engaged with this reauthorization, with a specific focus on increased investment on airfield and curbside infrastructure. The bill released earlier today would provide $20 billion in grant funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The AIP is the main grant program responsible for funding airfield and access road focused infrastructure safety projects. The full list of AIP eligible projects is available online. Read more
Worker protection headlines Spring Issue of Roadway Safety magazine Worker protection headlines Spring Issue of Roadway Safety magazine Convention Extra supplement details awards, highlights of 2023 Traffic Expo Pam / Wednesday, May 17, 2023 0 8746 Article rating: 2.0 Roadway Worker Protection Council Chair Doug Dolinar told Roadway Safety magazine it’s time for a “paradigm shift” in how the industry looks at worker safety. The Council spent the past year laser focused on that issue, producing a Worker Protection Toolkit that provides members aids for that effort. Details on the toolkit are included in the latest issue of Roadway Safety magazine. Plus, check out the Convention Extra supplement, packed with highlights from this year’s record-breaking Convention & Traffic Expo in Phoenix where roadway safety and innovation intersected. Read more
Roadway safety highlighted in construction festival on National Mall Roadway safety highlighted in construction festival on National Mall ATSSA joining effort to showcase the tools that build U.S. infrastructure Pam / Tuesday, May 9, 2023 0 5978 Article rating: 1.5 ATSSA will be on the National Mall alongside others engaged in construction of our nation’s infrastructure May 14-16. Join thousands on Mother’s Day for the kickoff of the Celebration of Construction on the National Mall. Bring the kids to see the construction vehicles spread across the area between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument and hear ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner as a panelist for a discussion of job site and roadway safety. This free event provides an opportunity for individuals, families, government officials and policy makers to see the equipment and technology responsible for the country’s building and transportation sectors. The event also provides a chance to learn about careers in these industries. Read more
ATSSA announces departure of Vice President of Engagement ATSSA announces departure of Vice President of Engagement Nate Smith to take new role with Caterpillar Inc. Pam / Monday, May 8, 2023 0 3118 Article rating: No rating The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), a leading organization in the roadway safety industry, today announced the departure of Nate Smith, Vice President of Engagement. Effective May 9, Smith will resign his leadership position with ATSSA to join Caterpillar Inc. as a Manager of Government Affairs, focusing on transportation, infrastructure and other related policy issues. Stacy Tetschner, ATSSA President and CEO, said of Smith, “We are grateful to Nate for his incredible body of work in advancing roadway safety. He has been integral to our government relations and membership endeavors for over 14 years. During his tenure, ATSSA has experienced tremendous success in growing our membership as well as engaging those members in our advocacy efforts, which ultimately led to record funding being passed to advance roadway safety infrastructure. We will miss his contributions and are supportive in his moving to a broader leadership role in the transportation and infrastructure community. Under Nate’s leadership of advocacy efforts, the industry experienced the biggest government investment into roadway safety infrastructure programs in U.S. history.” Read more
ATSSA CEO urges FHWA to update MUTCD by May 15 ATSSA CEO urges FHWA to update MUTCD by May 15 Tetschner sends letter seeking 11th edition of MUTCD by deadline Pam / Tuesday, May 2, 2023 0 5148 Article rating: No rating ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner today sent a letter to Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shailen P. Bhatt urging the FHWA to publish the updated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) by the deadline set forth in the U.S. Code. “On behalf of the American Traffic Safety Services Association’s (ATSSA) 1,500 member companies, I write to urge the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to publish the 11th edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) by the May 15th deadline required under Section 109(d)(2) of title 23, United States Code,” Tetschner wrote in today’s letter. Read more
ATSSA submits comments on Buy America manufacturing products waiver ATSSA submits comments on Buy America manufacturing products waiver Association ‘strongly urges’ continuation of public interest waiver Pam / Thursday, April 20, 2023 0 6014 Article rating: No rating ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner this week submitted comments to the Federal Register on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Review of its General Applicability Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Manufactured Products. “ATSSA strongly urges FHWA to continue the current public interest waiver for manufactured products that do not contain iron or steel,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said in the ATSSA submission. “Especially with the challenge of increasing traffic fatalities in recent years, it is not an appropriate time to potentially hamstring the ability to deploy life-saving devices and countermeasures on U.S. roadways when the [U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)] and state and local agencies are aggressively moving to combat these fatalities. “If, however, FHWA proposes to alter the current waiver, ATSSA strongly encourages FHWA to continue to exempt transportation products that are incorporated into highway safety improvement projects as defined in 23 U.S.C. 148, regardless of federal program funding source.” Read more