Geosynthetics August/September 2019 - 44

GMA NEWS

By Jonathan Curry

GMA on the road

GMA is dedicated to
our members' success.
GMA actively identifies,
assesses, analyzes
and acts upon market
growth opportunities
and issues that affect
its member companies.
The activities of
the association are
proactive in nature and
center on five areas:
» Engineering support
» Business development
» Education
» Government relations
» Geosynthetics industry
recognition

Jonathan Curry
GMA, Managing Director
jicurry@ifai.com
+1 651 225 6956

Division
Geosynthetics is the official
publication of the Geosynthetic
Materials Association.

pril and May are always busy months for the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA).
Construction season is gearing up and the association is preparing to kick off its spring
government relations activities. This year was no exception. GMA conducted its third state
visit of the fiscal year by traveling to Wyoming; members attended key environmental and
infrastructure meetings in Washington, D.C.; and our executive council held its second meeting of the calendar year. All these activities are member led and funded; without the generous
support of our member companies and employees of those companies, GMA would not be
able to achieve its mission and support the industry.

GMA completes its 20th state visit in Wyoming
The Geosynthetic Materials Association began its state and local government program in 2012
with a visit to Ohio. Since that time, members of our executive council have visited states from
coast-to-coast and even as far away as Alaska. State visits provide our members with a unique
opportunity to engage state engineers, regulatory agencies and lawmakers to educate them on best
practices pertaining to geosynthetic uses in applications such as containment and transportation.
Following these visits, GMA focus groups have had opportunities to provide input on multiple state
specifications pertaining to environmental, erosion control, geotextile and geogrid applications.
In April 2019 a delegation of eight GMA member companies visited Wyoming to discuss
opportunities for increased adoption of geosynthetic products and a review of the current geosynthetic usage in the state. Topics included road building, coal ash containment facilities and
farming applications. GMA members met with the governors' offices, departments of transportation and environmental quality, and many other key groups. GMA members answered questions
related to best practices for a wide array of geosynthetic products and state specifications, and
learned from state leaders about geotechnical challenges facing Wyoming. GMA focus groups
plan to follow up to provide technical guidance and education opportunities.

Infrastructure and the environment in D.C.
GMA members and industry leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., during the week of May
20 to advocate for greater consideration of geosynthetic products used in environmental and
transportation applications.
GMA's environmental focus group leaders-led by representatives from Owens Corning,
Raven Industries, HUESKER Inc., Tensar International Corp., and Engineered Polymer
Technologies-kicked off the week by meeting with associations from the energy sector and
officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Key topics of conversation
during these meetings were subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, liner
performance, coal combustion residuals (CCR) impoundments and municipal solid waste
landfills. GMA's environmental focus group will be starting work on these issues. If you are
interested in participating in these conversations, please reach out to me to discuss.
The association's spring Lobby Day kicked off on the evening of May 21, with a three-hour
meeting of GMA's executive council to discuss the association's priorities for the coming fiscal year, some of which include passage of the Innovative Materials for America's Growth

Geosynthetics August/September 2019

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