The Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) sent correspondence March 21 to Gov. Tom Wolf, urging him to reconsider his ban against construction projects continuing in Pennsylvania to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
AED President and CEO Brian P. McGuire and AEM President Dennis Slater argued in their letter that their member organizations are essential to the critical infrastructure community in protecting, maintaining, and building vital community infrastructure for security, safety, and resiliency. AED and AEM, together, represent 40 equipment manufacturers and 318 dealer locations in Pennsylvania that support nearly 97,000 jobs and contribute $9.9 billion to the state’s economy each year.
“As you deal with the ongoing and ever-changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19, please reconsider the essential nature of the construction industry and the health and safety precautions inherent in the sector,” McGuire and Slater wrote. “Building and maintaining Pennsylvania’s vital infrastructure is key to ensuring critical goods are delivered in a timely manner, expanding health service capacity, and guaranteeing water, electricity and other crucial services are uninterrupted.”
Gov. Wolf mandated that thousands of businesses that were non-life sustaining close their physical locations on March 19 in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and the enforcement of the order became effective on March 23 at 8:00 a.m.
Business guidance issued by the Wolf administration states that heavy and civil engineering construction, building construction and work performed by specialty trade contractors may not continue operating, with the exception of emergency repairs and the construction of health care facilities.
House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) noted that Pennsylvania is the only state in the country that does not recognize the critical nature of highway and infrastructure construction amid efforts of halting the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Stopping these projects that are of an open-air nature makes no sense and greatly hurts the economic development of western Pennsylvania,” Turzai wrote in a March 21 letter sent to Gov. Wolf. The PA Turnpike and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have several projects that are now sitting idle.
“Halting highway construction will devastate the households of hundreds of western Pennsylvania families when they could be earning a paycheck and helping fuel the economy,” Turzai wrote.
The leaders of AED and AEM also noted that the construction industry is inherently a social distancing profession with workers commonly wearing masks, gloves and gear to protect themselves from many health hazards.
“In response to COVID-19, the industry has only gotten more diligent to safeguard the health of its workers, they wrote. “The order to halt construction will do more harm than good for construction workers, residents, the local economy and our member companies that supply the equipment used on projects.”
Both associations have released guidance for companies navigating the COVID-19 crisis. On its website, AEM stated that it has called on Congress to provide liquidity funding and coronavirus relief packages for struggling equipment manufacturers as well as urged President Donald Trump to implement immediate tariff relief for companies.
AED cited the “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” guidelines released by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), noting that manufacturers and dealers will likely fit into more than one category under CISA guidance. This includes “workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential public works facilities and operations, including bridges, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of critical or strategic infrastructure, traffic signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other emergent issues.”
McGuire and Slater stated that the health and safety of Pennsylvania is very important to the commonwealth’s construction industry and that both associations are ready to help ensure public safety while protecting economic livelihood.
“Economic harm is inevitable as we navigate the uncharted waters of a global pandemic,” they wrote. “Impacting several critical infrastructure sectors, shutting down construction projects in Pennsylvania not only jeopardizes continued relief and prevention efforts surrounding COVID-19, but will also exacerbate an already dire situation with little safety or health benefit.”