Duncan Hunter: “The roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects we seek to advance in the legislation before us today require a…”

“The roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects we seek to advance in the legislation before us today require a steady supply of aggregate and gravel. Without it, we might as well not even be here debating this legislation. In fact, a report from the U.S. Geological Survey--2011 USGS Report: Aggregate Resource Availability in the United States--found ``a 70 percent increase in annual aggregate production may be required to upgrade our transportation infrastructure.'' The report went on to say, ``There is an indisputable need for an uninterrupted, large supply of aggregate for the restoration and rehabilitation of the infrastructure.'' It is also important to note that a substantial portion of the cost of aggregate is its transportation costs, and lowering those costs will reduce the cost of construction projects. My State of California is just one example of where the need is great. According to a recent report, California goes through 200 million tons of high-grade aggregate every year, which is the equivalent of more than 7 million trips by large diesel trucks. So here is what my amendment does: It streamlines access to marine-accessible sand and gravel aggregate supply points throughout the United States, allowing our country to meet the future needs of the national infrastructure projects which are covered in this legislation.…”