Ailing Equipment Industry Urges Congress to Minimize Delay on Transportation Bill

Ailing Equipment Industry Urges Congress to Minimize Delay on Transportation Bill Long-Term Legislation Critical to Economic Recovery and Job Creation WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In response to a call from House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar to extend the federal transportation program through the end of the year, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) today issued the following joint statement: “While we are disappointed that Congress appears unlikely to pass a multi-year transportation reauthorization bill before the current law expires on September 30, we support the efforts of Chairman Oberstar and his colleagues to minimize the delay. The country cannot afford to wait 18 months for long-term investment that will provide comprehensive solutions to our transportation challenges and create jobs. “The recession may be abating for others. But the men and women who work in the construction equipment industry are being left behind due to a lack of federal support for needed transportation improvements that benefit the public. Demand for construction equipment has cratered over the past two years, causing significant layoffs and hardship in the manufacturing and distribution network. “A safer, less congested transportation network is critical for America’s future economic prosperity. Just as importantly, investing in these needed improvements will also spur a recovery in the struggling construction and manufacturing sectors while creating potentially millions of good-paying jobs. “We strongly urge President Obama and Congress to enact new transportation legislation before the spring construction season begins in early 2010.” The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (www.aem.org) is the North American-based international trade association for the off-road equipment manufacturing industry serving the construction, agriculture, forestry, mining and utility markets. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with offices in Washington, D.C., Ottawa, Beijing and a European presence in Brussels. It represents more than 800 companies. The Associated Equipment Distributors (www.aednet.org) is an international trade association representing companies involved in the distribution, rental and support of equipment used in construction, mining, forestry, power generation, agriculture and industrial applications. SOURCE Association of Equipment Manufacturers

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS154006+17-Sep-2009+PRN20090917

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