NRC Member Harsco Hosts Senator Gary Peters For a Tour & Rail Policy Discussion
Friday, August 10, 2018
by: Matt Bell
Section: 2018 NRC Grassroots Events
The NRC's grassroots program was created to invite United States Congressmen to visit NRC member facilities and construction project sites. These visits give the Members of Congress firsthand knowledge of the rail industry and demonstrate how rail contractors and suppliers are positively affecting the rail industry and the local and national economy. If your company is interested in hosting your Congressman for a visit, please contact Matt Bell at mbell@nrcma.org to begin the process.
LUDINGTON, MI - On Friday, August 10th, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) joined the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and our NRC member company Harsco for a tour and transportation public policy discussion at Harsco's Ludington facility.
"On behalf of Harsco, our company would like to thank Senator Peters for being a huge supporter of railroads, the rail industry," and an advocate in Washington D.C. for increased infrastructure investment, said NRC Board member and Harsco Vice President of North America Region & Global Contracting Allen Branham. "Harsco Rail is very proud of its long history creating engineering and manufacturing jobs in Ludington, MI supporting the global railroad industry."
Harsco Rail is a global supplier for railway track maintenance, safety, and construction. With a broad range of high quality equipment, cutting-edge technology, and worldwide support, Harsco Rail takes care of customers' needs for virtually all major aspects of track maintenance, safety, and construction. The Harsco Rail Ludington, MI facility engineers and produces track maintenance equipment for North American and International railway systems. Harsco acquired Electric Tamper and Equipment Company, which was founded in 1923 by Corwill Jackson in Ludington, MI.
The attendees participated in a brief policy discussion about the importance of trade and the movement of goods by rail between Canada and the United States. The group also discussed the private nature of America's freight railroad network, which unlike other modes of freight transportation, does not rely on federal support for the expansion or maintenance of its network.
The group thanked Senator Peters for supporting the Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy (BRACE) Act. The BRACE Act will allow the nation's small, local freight railroads to increase their reinvestment for upgrades and expanding "first and last mile" of transportation infrastructure. Lastly, attendees called for maintaining the current federal limits for truck size and weight citing that, at current weight and size limits, trucks already cause more damage than they pay for on our nation's highways.
The tour was lead by Harsco's Ludington, MI plant manager Alex Whitacre. Also in attendance was Jacob Carter, REMSA; Jon Cool, Michigan Railroad Association; Larry Lloyd, GoRail; and leadership from the UAW 811.