From the Executive Director's Desk

 

 

Welcome New Member

 

 

MORE FOR FORE!

 

Utility Construction EXPO '11 - "The Executive Experience"
January 18 - 21, 2011
El Conquistador Resort
Las Croabas, Puerto Rico 

Click Here for information on reservations, keynote speakers, vendors, schedules, & events.

NUCA's Safety Director's Forum 

Your support to Ooh La La Christmas made a huge impact for our wounded warriors in 2009. We started with a goal of $25,000 and with your help we raised $386,000. Your kind donation allowed Ooh La La Christmas Home Tour in NM to be the largest grassroots fundraiser in the nation for Wounded Warrior Project in 2009.

 

 

 

 

November 12th Benefit Dinner Dance
featuring Forrest Gump's
Gary Sinise and the Lt Dan Band

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 13th & 14th  Christmas
Home Tour of fabulous homes,
spectacularly decorated
for the holidays

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit www.oohlalachristmas.org for tickets and more information.

 

Ooh La La Christmas Home Tour in New Mexico, Inc is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit whose mission is to help fund and promote awareness of organizations that support the needs of severely injured service men and women.In 2010 we continue to join forces with Wounded Warrior Project.

Attempting to show the American public that addressing the unacceptably high unemployment rate is still a top White House's priority, President Obama recently challenged Republican senators to play a constructive role in the development of small business "jobs legislation" when they return to Capitol Hill on Sept. 13. The president said that the ever-rising unemployment numbers compels Congress to move quickly to pass a jobs bill. Speaking on the south lawn of the White House, the president attacked Republicans in Congress for "obstructing" pending legislation. "There's times when good people disagree in good faith, but this is not one of those times," he said. The president also noted that leading business organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses are in support of most provisions proposed by the White House. "It's obstruction that stands in the way of small business owners getting loans and tax cuts that they need to prosper, Obama charged. "It's obstruction that defies common sense." The president said that the bill, which has been blocked from coming up for a vote by Republican leaders, would cut taxes for small businesses, make loans more accessible, and allow small companies to write off more business expenses.
"Small business owners don't have time for political games," the president said. Since the 2008 financial crisis, small businesses have found it difficult to acquire loans that would help them grow as the economy recovers from the recession. NUCA continues to support many of the tax incentives and provisions to facilitate small businesses from receiving loans included in the president's $30 billion jobs proposal, but we are also making the case for inclusion of other provisions that would expand the underground utility construction market in any jobs bill considered. Most notably, we're advocating for priority legislation that would lift water and wastewater infrastructure projects from under the state volume cap on private activity bonds, and legislation to extend the Build America Bonds program, which fund a variety of infrastructure projects, including water and wastewater systems.

 

 NUCA Provides Suggestions for New PHMSA Survey

 

As NUCA has reported for some time, a priority issue on the association's legislative agenda continues to be fair and consistent implementation of the enforcement provisions included in the 2006 Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement and Safety (PIPES) Act, which allows for federal enforcement authority of state damage prevention and one-call laws in states deemed to have inadequate laws or enforcement of them. NUCA was recently invited to participate on a new government/industry damage prevention team to help in the evaluation of state damage prevention programs and enforcement practices. This initiative, spearheaded by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), will enhance NUCA's efforts to provide a more level playing field between excavators and underground facility operators in terms of balanced enforcement of damage prevention laws and regulations. PHMSA is developing a survey to be distributed to state officials responsible for developing and enforcing damage prevention laws and will make recommendations about whether and how they can be improved. NUCA recently weighed in with PHMSA about the survey, and sent the agency several suggestions about important provisions that should be included in state laws, including:

-Mandatory membership of facility operators to the one-call system
-Equitable opportunities for compensation for all damages
-Positive response

-Consistent marking of underground facilities
-Increased locator training requirements
-A designated state authority to oversee all elements of the program including the operation of the one
call center and implementation of the law; and

-All stakeholders held accountable in fulfilling their responsibilities in the call before you dig process NUCA commends PHMSA for reaching out to the excavation community while developing strategies for improved state damage prevention laws and enforcement practices, and we look forward to continuing to work with the agency on this important effort.

EPA Releases Draft Strategy for Clean Water Initiatives

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting the public to comment on the agency's draft
strategy to protect and restore our nation's lakes, streams and coastal waters. The strategy, "Coming Together for Clean Water: EPA's Strategy for Achieving Clean Water," is designed to chart EPA's path in furthering EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's key priority of protecting America's waters. EPA is now inviting the publicto consider and provide their comments on the approaches outlined in the strategy. NUCA is reviewing EPA's proposed strategy document and will submit comments to the agency by the September 17th deadline. As always, NUCA will encourage EPA to consider the huge environmental infrastructure needs in the final strategy document, in addition to initiatives related to conservation and enforcement actions on polluters,which are more than likely to be included in the EPA strategy. Conservation and enforcement of environmental laws are certainly important factors in meeting our clean water goals, but the repair and rebuilding of our water and wastewater infrastructure must be considered equally important to providing clean water and also contributing to the Nation's economic recovery.

 Eben Wyman                                                                                Ben Gann
Vice President, Government Relations                                              Director Government Relations
eben@nuca.com                                                                             ben@nuca.com