Looking Toward the Future In the past few months, there was a lot of focus and attention on the November election. As I mentioned last month in this space, although the race for President certainly took up most of our attention, there were several other federal and state offices on the ballot. But regardless of the changes at the federal and state level, UCANE will focus on what’s important: making sure our industry is healthy.
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hile contractors work to complete jobs before the end of the year, UCANE is looking forward, and continues to work to assure that jobs will be put out to bid next year and for years to come. Letting our elected officials and leaders know about what we do, and the importance of having access to clean drinking water, the safe disposal of wastewater, and our underground utility infrastructure in general is a large part of UCANE’s core mission. Right now, our focus is at the federal level where we continue to advocate for agreement on a stimulus bill that will help cities and towns deal with the economic impact that the pandemic continues to have on municipal budgets. As has been said many times before, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of water and our underground infrastructure. UCANE works closely with the Clean Water Construction Coalition (CWCC), a group of 30 associations from across the country representing over 11,000 firms. The states represented in the Coalition account for about 75 percent of the total annual funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs nationally. The CWCC is strongly advocating for not only a stimulus bill but also for a comprehensive infrastructure bill. While there is bipartisan agreement that both of these bills are important, Congress has yet to come to an agreement. These measures are far too critical to have partisan politics NOVEMBER, 2020
continue to hinder the health and economic wellbeing of our citizens. The CWCC will continue to push for the passage of these bills. The need for funding is certainly evident in Massachusetts. MassDEP recently solicited applications from municipalities and authorities to receive SRF funding for water infrastructure projects, and the response level was very high. This shows that DPW directors and town officials recognize the importance of these projects and that they need to move forward. However, as is always the case, the issue is funding. Without increased funding and incentives, these applications will stay exactly that: applications. Projects will not proceed and the cost to get the work done will only increase. UCANE continues to speak with legislators from all across the state to advocate for funding and to make sure drinking water, wastewater, and underground utility projects are a priority, and to advocate on behalf of contractors. We also work with Mass. Highway Association and local officials to try and find ways to make it easier for municipalities to approve projects. Solutions will only be found if federal, state, and local officials all work together. I’m sure that I am not alone when I say that I am looking forward to 2020 being over. But in order for 2021 and the years ahead to be prosperous ones, planning and action needs to happen now. n
“BUY FROM THE ADVERTISERS IN CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK”
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