Fall 2017

28 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry  | Fall 2017 www.wvfa.org BIC Endorses Govenor’s Road Plan The WV Business & Industry Council has endorsed Gov. Justice plan for improving state roads, for reasons outlined below. Rationale West Virginian’s economy continues to struggle and one of the persistent problems plaguing our state is the poor quality of our infrastructure. Recent reports have shown, that we have the 5th worst bridges in America, only 17% of our roads were in good condition, and motorists were already spending an average of $647 in additional costs to maintain their vehicles. We need this surge of infrastructure spending to jump start our economy by creating 48,000 construction jobs and long-term economic development opportunities by helping our businesses and tourists access the markets. Bond Overview As you may know, the Saturday, October 7 special election will ask voters to consider a constitutional amendment called the “Roads to Prosperity Amendment.” The Road Bond Amendment would authorize the state to issue general obligation bonds not exceeding $1.6 billion over a four-year period starting in 2018. Proceeds from the bonds would be used for the improvement and construction of highways, secondary roads, and bridges in West Virginia, as well as to qualify the state for matching federal funds for highway and bridge construction. No New Taxes The Legislature voted overwhelmingly to put this issue on the ballot and the new revenue to fund it is already in place, so no new taxes will be enacted if the bond passes or fails. The Legislature also voted in a bipartisan fashion to already authorize and begin collecting July 1 the new revenues which are dedicated solely to the State Road Fund and will be used the fund the bonds if approved by the voters. The Legislature also approved other highways initiatives totally unconnected to the bond election, such as, continuing to collect the WV Turnpike tolls and expanding the state’s ability to more quickly utilize federal highway dollars allocated to West Virginia through what are called GARVEE bonds. Due to all of these actions by the Legislature that have already taken effect, the state has already begun to expand its paving programs this summer. If the bond passes, the rest of the work will happen quickly and 48,000 jobs will be created in the process Jobs Impact According to a Duke University study $2.8 billion in highways work would create 48,000 jobs. The $2.8 billion comes from the combined effort of the bond, Turnpike, and GARVEE efforts. Bond Election Lower turnout is very likely for this Saturday, Oct. 7 election. The Governor’s office is paying 100% of the costs of the election, by reimbursing counties, from existing funds. Just like regularly scheduled elections, voters will have the option to vote absentee, early in person, or at their precinct’s polling locations. Federal Opportunity If the Trump Administration and Congress passes a much- discussed infrastructure program, West Virginia will need state funds to match with new federal funding and this roads program will enable to do that. Coalition Support A broad coalition of business, labor, community, and regional groups are expressing support for the bond. Those groups will be marshalled together in a unified campaign that is starting to take shape under the “Tired of Being 50th” Action Fund which can accept unlimited contributions. Governor’s involvement Governor Justice is committed to spreading the message about this roads program to engage the public’s support for the bond. He is dedicating two days per week to travel the state to educate the public and highlight local projects. 