The Build It Michigan Strong Coalition Supports New Hollier Legislation To Stop Government Waste And Fix More Roads With The Taxes Drivers Already Pay

LANSING – The Build It Michigan Strong coalition of labor and business groups announced that it fully supports new legislation introduced today in the Michigan Legislature by Senator Adam Hollier. The proposed policy would reduce the cost of the sand and gravel needed to rebuild our roads, bridges and infrastructure, allowing taxpayers to see more roads fixed with the taxes they already pay.

Hollier, D-Detroit, introduced SB 431 earlier today in the Michigan Senate. The legislation ensures that Michigan’s infrastructure builders can fully access our naturally abundant supply of construction-grade aggregates through increased sand and gravel mining closer to major construction zones. Aggregates are the building blocks of the concrete and asphalt needed to rebuild our state’s roads, bridges, sewers and other infrastructure.

Hollier’s bill is necessary because:

• Michigan’s infrastructure needs a massive rebuilding job.

• However, current sand and gravel supplies are dwindling or non-existent in some areas. For example, S.E. Michigan currently imports 9 million tons of aggregates each year for construction projects.

• The cost of transporting sand and gravel to where it is needed most (for example, from Eaton County to Oakland County) can double or even triple the cost of the raw materials, meaning government is WASTING tax dollars before even one shovel of concrete is laid down.

• A strong economy and increasing demand are driving up costs for construction aggregate materials, reducing the scope of projects Michigan can afford.

• And, potential new spending on road repairs will require even more aggregates.

• Uniform permitting and processes across the state will ensure that every community is treated fairly and we can most effectively harvest the raw materials necessary to finish infrastructure projects.

• Michigan families can no longer afford for affluent individuals and communities to rope off their communities while we endure more and more trucks carrying aggregates across the state, putting unnecessary wear and tear on our roads.

“With tight supplies driving up costs and long-distance transit costs devouring road funds before a project even starts, it is no wonder Michigan residents are fed up with the status quo roads situation,” said Doug Needham, President of the Michigan Aggregates Association. “Michigan taxpayers are right to ask, ‘Where in the heck is my money going?’”   “Sen. Hollier’s plan is the perfect answer to that frustration. It fixes more roads without asking for a tax increase and does so by ending wasteful government spending. This is the type of solution Michigan needs to help solve our road crisis.”

Unprecedented Coalition Backs Hollier’s Reform Plan

The Build It Michigan Strong coalition, which was formed to support a modernization of the PA 113 aggregate mining permitting process, brings together an unprecedented pairing of labor and business groups dedicated to rebuilding our state and growing our economy— without wasting taxpayer dollars.

Coalition members include:

OPERATING ENGINEERS 324
MICHIGAN TEAMSTERS JOINT COUNCIL 43
MICHIGAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MICHIGAN AGGREGATES ASSOCIATION
MICHIGAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
MICHIGAN CONCRETE ASSOCIATION
ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN

SB 431: Modernize PA 113 to Stop Wasteful Government Spending and Fix More Roads

• Clarifies obligations of local units of government to process and approve mining applications and stop the endless delay tactics fought by NIMBY activists.
• Maintains the requirement for aggregate producers to adhere to all state and federal environmental laws and regulations, including working with the new Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Prescribes, in detail, protections for local communities related to quality of life issues with nearby aggregate mining, including: hours of operation; setbacks and berms; aggregate storage; noise; trucking routes; and plans for reclamation of the mining site after the mine is closed.

The legislation was referred to the Senate Natural Resources committee.

Learn More About The Build It Michigan Strong Coalition

You can learn more about the Build It Michigan Strong Coalition by visiting our website at builditmichiganstrong.com.