Business View Magazine | August 2020

23 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 economy. NUCA’s Washington Summit this year, tentatively scheduled for late September, will personally deliver a message to Congress that the infrastructure bills being considered this session should be seen as the most effective method to boost our national economic strength. These are projects that have been needed for years to rebuild decaying water systems, obsolete highway structures, and other neglected infrastructure. NUCA is a strong promoter of Congressional infrastructure legislation, such as the FAST Act surface transportation bill. NUCA’s advocacy program also focuses on industry favorites in the appropriations cycle. The EPA’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program, and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Services (RUS) are some of the most important federal programs that make investments in water infrastructure. NUCA also heavily advocates for the infrastructure programs proposed by Congress to alleviate the nation’s 2020 COVID-19 economic crisis. NUCA’s members are eager to get started on these projects, since each one helps a local community or large U.S. city restore or replace old water, sewer, and electrical systems, and creates hundreds--or even thousands--of new good- paying jobs. NUCA is known as a national leader in jobsite safety. Over the last several years, the association’s Trench Safety Stand Down program has been recognized by OSHA and similar state organizations as one of the best programs to instill good workplace awareness in employees. NUCA’s Trench Safety Stand Down program gives a structured opportunity for employers to talk directly to employees and others about safety. These Stand Downs focus on trench and excavation hazards and reinforce the importance of using trench protective systems and protecting workers from trenching hazards. Over 56,000 industry employees and municipal workers participated in the 2019 program, doubling the previous year’s numbers. The Association also offers several other safety programs, such as the NAT IONAL UT I L I TY CONTRACTOR ASSOC I AT ION Trenchless technology such as the microtunneling being completed at a NUCA member’s Pennsylvania project is the fastest growing sector of the utility construction industry.