NRC Member Ontario Trap Rock Hosts Congresswoman Robin Kelly at Middle River Marine Facility for a Tour & Rail Policy Discussion
Thursday, November 15, 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.
CHICAGO, IL - On Wednesday, August 29th, Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL-2) joined the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and our NRC member company, Ontario Trap Rock, for a tour and transportation public policy discussion at the Middle River Marine facility in Chicago.
"It was a pleasure to tour Ontario Trap Rock's facility and see, first hand, the challenges and opportunities facing this important job-creating industry," said Congresswoman Robin Kelly.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly serves Illinois' 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has dedicated her career to public service as an advocate for Illinois families. Since being elected in 2013, she has worked to expand economic opportunity, community wellness, and public safety across the state, championing numerous initiatives to generate job growth, reduce health disparities, and end gun violence. Prior to her election to Congress, Kelly was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, served as Chief Administrative Officer of Cook County (the second largest county in the United States) and was Chief of Staff to Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias - becoming the first African American woman to serve as Chief of Staff to an elected constitutional statewide officeholder.
Ontario Trap Rock produces a durable rock ideally suited to the most demanding environments and applications. The very hard, durable nature of trap rock makes it ideally suited to the stringent specifications of railroads applications. Ontario Trap Rock's parent company Tomlinson offers an extensive network of over 18 Canadian and U.S. ports which give asphalt producers, pavement preservation contractors, and railway operators the confidence of timely and reliable deliveries of the highest quality friction aggregates and rail.
Attendees also participated in a brief policy discussion about the importance of the Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy (BRACE) Act, which, if passed by Congress, will allow the nation's small, local freight railroads to increase their reinvestment for upgrades and expanding the "first and last mile" of transportation infrastructure. Participants 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. 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.