TEXTILES.ORG
GMA advocating for infrastructure funding
April 1st, 2018
Over the past year, infrastructure has been talked about regularly as the “next big issue” for the White House and Congress to tackle. With tax reform out of the way and the midterm elections fast approaching, it is time for Congress and U.S. President Donald J. Trump to act. On Jan. 30, 2018, during […]
GMA partners with FGI on free webinar program
April 1st, 2018
On Nov. 7, 2017, the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) and the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) hosted a webinar entitled “Fabrication, Installation, and Testing of Geomembranes.” Dr. Timothy Stark of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who is also FGI’s technical director, presented the webinar, and GMA Executive Council member Andy Durham of Owens Corning moderated. […]
GMA focus groups
April 1st, 2018
GMA provides technical guidance to outside agencies and groups seeking more information about best practices for the use of geosynthetic products. Our geotextile, geogrid, environmental and erosion control focus groups review specifications and provide industry guidance. In 2017 GMA reviewed specifications for nine states and worked closely with the American Association of State Highway and […]
GMA spring Lobby Day is May 16–17, 2018
April 1st, 2018
GMA’s biannual Lobby Day has helped the industry make significant strides toward increasing our exposure in Washington, D.C., and pushing for stronger consideration of geosynthetics’ use in environmental and civil infrastructure applications. Many members of Congress are now advocating for our industry, and geosynthetics have been cited as an innovative material in multiple pieces of […]
GMA officers meet with vice president’s office and the White House
February 1st, 2018
On Sept. 18, 2017, in Washington, D.C., GMA executive council officers Keith Gardner, Fred Chuck, and Doug Brown, and I attended preliminary meetings with the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality and vice president Mike Pence’s senior policy staff to discuss the status of the president’s infrastructure plan and the role geosynthetics will play in […]
Executive council gathers in D.C.
February 1st, 2018
Twice a year, GMA’s governing executive council meets in Washington, D.C., to review GMA’s programing initiatives and direct the association’s mission of providing high-quality engineering support, facilitating valuable educational resources and maintaining a robust government-relations program. The council’s most recent meeting took place on Oct. 24, 2017, the eve of our biannual Lobby Day. It […]
GMA fall Lobby Day
February 1st, 2018
GMA’s fall Lobby Day marked the end of an excellent year of meetings on Capitol Hill, 22 with the U.S. Senate and 31 with the U.S. House of Representatives. In recent years, Congress has advocated for geosynthetics in major legislation, such as the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation […]
U.S. representatives pen letter encouraging use of geosynthetics
February 1st, 2018
On Nov. 17, 2017, 10 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao encouraging the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to consider including the benefits of geosynthetic materials in future infrastructure legislation. “Geosynthetic materials are a critical, innovative element of the transportation construction industry,” the representatives wrote, […]
Geosynthetic Materials Association news: GMA visits Tennessee and Mississippi
October 1st, 2017
On June 22, executive council members and I met in Nashville, Tenn., to discuss Tennessee’s infrastructure and the newly passed state IMPROVE Act, which is intended to help attract manufacturing jobs to Tennessee and deliver nearly 1,000 road and bridge projects across the state. Geosynthetics are being manufactured in the state (by Berry Global and […]
Geosynthetics Materials Association news: Advocating for infrastructure investment
October 1st, 2017
Ever since the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, the infrastructure industry has been abuzz with hopes of a trillion-dollar infrastructure package. During President Trump’s first 200 days in office, he and his staff laid the foundation for an infrastructure bill that would increase public and private investment to help repair […]