Geosynthetics August/September 2022 - 37

GMA NEWS
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
By Fred C. Chuck and Bryan Gee
Government affairs, infrastructure
spending and planning: Watchwords
for the GMA this year
O
utlook® Conference 2022 included the debut of the " Geosynthetics Morning " -a new opportunity
to explore the intersection of markets and include professionals in geosynthetics
for a morning of specific education. The geosynthetics sessions included talks with Dave Bauer of
the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Jay Hansen of the National Asphalt
Pavement Association and Carolyn Slaughter of the American Public Power Association. Topics
ranged from environmental policies affecting public power-including updates on disposal of coal
combustion residuals-to the effects of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on the
transportation sector and how funding from the law will be appropriated by Congress. The inclusion
of this morning presented a new opportunity to expand the reach, increase attendance and enhance
the overall conference experience. This year's conference was held at the Omni Homestead Resort
in Hot Springs, Va., and attracted dozens of key industry leaders and several prominent speakers.
Return to Washington
In May, GMA held the 2022 Spring Lobby Day, meetings which focused on the implementation
of the IIJA. While not fully back to pre-pandemic normal visitation procedures on Capitol
Hill, Whitmer & Worrall were able to arrange 15 face-to-face meetings in congressional offices
for Lobby Day attendees to interact with members of Congress. GMA also hosted a lunchtime
reception at the Capital City Club where two congressmen made a special effort to join us for
extended conversations around the IIJA provisions.
Just prior to the Spring Lobby Day, members met with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Fred C. Chuck is the
executive director of GMA.
Bryan Gee is the director of
education and training for
Tensar International Corp.
and the chair of the GMA
executive council.
Agency (EPA) group in charge of the Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) program to open the
lines of communication and education on the use of geosynthetics in the CCR work. During the
Executive Council meeting, participants spent many hours preparing for Lobby Day by analyzing
the IIJA's $1.2 trillion provisions, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed 180-day hold for clarity, and the definition of
the " Buy America " clauses, and determining which parts of the law offer the most opportunity
for the geosynthetics industry and GMA members. Conversations focused on several key areas,
including the centers of excellence for the study of sustainability and resilience, new funding
mechanisms for local projects, resiliency and protective features funding under the National
Highway Performance Program (authorized under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation
Act of 2015), and the IIJA's Buy America provisions.
While Spring Lobby Day is in the books, GMA's government affairs work continues. The
Division
Geosynthetics is the official
publication of the Geosynthetic
Materials Association.
association expects a busy second half of 2022. There will be more to do on implementation
of funding from the IIJA, as well as advocacy work on upcoming major legislation concerning
water resources and disaster response. GMA is also expanding efforts to build even stronger
working relationships with the executive branch at federal agencies.
GMA has lots of exciting work to do, and the association needs the help of the geosynthetics
industry to continue to achieve GMA's advocacy goals. Contact GMA executive director Fred
C. Chuck at fred.chuck@textiles.org to learn more. G
GeosyntheticsMagazine.com
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Geosynthetics August/September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics August/September 2022