WASHINGTON — Calling the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) is urging Congress to focus on sustainability through six policy proposals.
In a Feb. 4 letter to U.S. Senate and House leaders, the USTMA urges legislators to focus on energy efficiency, circularity and stormwater mitigation as they relate to tire policy and "related transportation sustainability initiatives."
"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to truly transform the country's infrastructure by focusing on our shared priorities," USTMA President and CEO Anne Forristall Luke said.
"The tire industry is ready to lead, with innovative technologies that not only improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles but also enhance the performance and durability of our roadways," the association said.
"By embracing these new technologies, we can create highly resilient infrastructure capable of carrying our nation well into the future, while bolstering the American tire manufacturing industry and propelling the United States as a leader in tire technology research."
The six policy areas identified in the Feb. 4 letter to Congress (and not contained in the IIJA) from the USTMA — representing 12 of the world's largest tire manufacturers — are:
- Investments for the research and integration of rubber-modified asphalt to advance infrastructure projects;
- Research investments for tire-derived aggregate in stormwater infiltration galleries;
- Research investments for stormwater- and roadway-runoff mitigation efforts;
- Incentives for the manufacturing and use of retreaded tires;
- Incentives for the use of low rolling-resistance tires for public and private use; and
- A federal fleet management policy that ensures 100% of tires in the federal fleet enter circular and sustainable scrap tire markets.
Copies of the letter, signed by Forristall Luke on behalf of the USTMA, were sent to President Joseph Biden; U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; U.S. General Services Administration Administrator Robin Carnahan; White House National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy; U.S. Department of Commerce Administrator Gina Raimondo; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administor Michael Regan; and members of the Senate and House.
