Following votes in the U.S. House and Senate to pass the surface transportation bill, both the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and Associated Equipment Distributors issued statements in support. The bill, known as the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) is expected to be signed by President Obama shortly.
“On behalf of AEM, the 21,000 members of the I Make America campaign and all of our industry allies, we appreciate Congress coming together to pass a surface transportation bill,” said AEM chairman and Krone North America president and CEO Rusty Fowler. “This long overdue legislation is critical to market certainty and economic growth, and I encourage the President to sign this into law without delay. While we fully understand that the House and Senate did what they could to get a bill passed, we also want to remind them that there is still more work to be done. The comprehensive investment our country needs requires a long-term strategic vision and a well-structured, sustainable funding mechanism in order to be effective. The much-needed two years of market certainty provided by the legislation passed in Congress today should be used by all to continue working on a more effective infrastructure solution to keep America strong and competitive for years to come.”
“The legislation not only maintains critical investments in our nation’s deteriorating surface transportation infrastructure, but it also makes significant programmatic improvements that will restore public confidence in the federal highway program, paving the way for future discussions about how to restore the long-term viability of the Highway Trust Fund and increase investment," added AED president and CEO Toby Mack.
“This bill will provide much-needed certainty for contractors, dealers and suppliers,” added AED 2012 chairman Larry Glynn, president and owner of CMW Equipment in St. Louis.
