NAPA briefs members on Capitol Hill
The first day of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) Fly-In kicked off for NAPA members with a mid-morning briefing from subject matter experts and congressional staffers at the J.W. Marriott Senate Conference Room in Washington, D.C.
NAPA Sustainable Pavements Director Joseph Shacat told the nearly two dozen gathered about the industry’s progress in steering sustainability policy in Oregon and Minnesota. He also noted that usage of NAPA’s Emerald Eco-Label tool has grown significantly since March 2022 when only six states had published environmental product declarations (EPDs). He reported 284 plants had published 2,599 EPDs across 45 states and D.C.
Shacat said 525 plants participated in a NAPA-led benchmarking effort, which aims to develop industry averages, an ENERGY STAR energy performance indicator, and possibly a low carbon label program.
Leslie Parker, Coalition Director for the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee and Steve Carlson, Chief of Staff for Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), shared their observations as advisors to the elected officials on how NAPA members can make the best use of their time with congressional members and aides during their visits to Capitol Hill offices. They emphasized the importance of storytelling and advised visitors to personalize their perspectives whenever possible.
NAPA Vice President for Government Affairs Nile Elam facilitated the event and led a discussion after lunch on the trade association’s policy priorities, alongside Vice President for Environment, Health, and Safety Howard Marks and consultants Paul Sass and Chris McCannell.
TCC Fly-In activities continued into the afternoon, as members of the coalition’s 33 organizations attended ballroom sessions featuring government speakers and a special presentation from Charlie Cook of The Cook Political Report, who was introduced by NAPA President & CEO Audrey Copeland.
