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Knife River CEO: ‘A need for real jobs meeting real needs’

July 29, 2010 |

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) Chairman Bill Schneider, president and CEO of Knife River Corp., testified July 27 before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the status of the stimulus and impacts on the aggregates industry.

Schneider told the committee that since passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act his company has been awarded nearly $200 million in stimulus projects throughout its 17-state operation, NSSGA’s eDigest & Washington Watch report.

What’s more, Schneider said that Knife River’s current backlog is 20 percent stimulus funded. He cautioned, however, that the industry is “headed back to square one and wondering what our future holds,” according to the report.

If Congress doesn’t pass a six-year highway bill soon, Schneider pointed out that construction job losses will skyrocket on an industry sector that already has an unemployment rate of more than 20 percent.

In Schneider’s testimony, he told Congress that the biggest issue right now is increasing revenue flow necessary for future funding. “With the overall condition of our economy, the biggest question is: Where will the money come from?” he asked.