Geosynthetics February/March 2021 - 42

GMA NEWS
GMA is dedicated to
our members' success.
GMA actively identifies,
assesses, analyzes
and acts upon market
growth opportunities
and issues that affect
its member companies.
The activities of
the association are
proactive in nature and
center on five areas:
» Engineering support
» Business development
» Education
» Government relations
» Geosynthetics industry
recognition

Bryan Gee is the director of
education and training at
Tensar and the chair of the
GMA executive council.

By Bryan Gee and
Fred C. Chuck

Chair's corner
By Bryan Gee

s we move into 2021, I hope all of you are finding renewed optimism for your
businesses and your personal lives, and that you remain healthy or are regaining
your health as we look forward to the waning of the pandemic. The Geosynthetic
Materials Association (GMA) continues our many efforts to advance the technology
in the geosynthetic field and the use of that technology, and we are planning for a
busy year.
With the opening of the 117th U.S. Congress in January, we continued our efforts
to promote the use of geosynthetics to improve our transportation infrastructure and
protect our water resources. I think it's important to emphasize that through all the
years GMA has conducted lobbying visits in our nation's capital and in state capitals,
we have never asked for a governmental mandate for the use of geosynthetics. Instead,
we have emphasized the benefits that our technologies offer, and we have advocated for
legislative language and regulatory policies to allow those benefits to be captured for
the betterment of society. This is a key factor in our positive reputation with legislators
and regulators: When we meet with them, our question is " How can we help? " instead
of " What can you do for us? "
This approach has paid many dividends for our industry over the years, and as
our nation looks to address the many challenges ahead, we will continue to look
for new ways to advance our interests by advancing the interests of society. A particular emphasis in 2021 will be looking for other organizations whose goals align
with ours, so we can magnify our efforts and achieve even more. We invite you to
join GMA to help us meet our objectives, or to increase your involvement if you are
already a member. I am confident you will find the experience both beneficial and
personally rewarding.

GMA happenings
By Fred C. Chuck

Fred C. Chuck is the
executive director of GMA.

Division
Geosynthetics is the official
publication of the Geosynthetic
Materials Association.

Two major events occurred or will occur during this pandemic winter season for
GMA. In November, 28 members participated in a virtual Lobby Day. Meetings were
held via Microsoft Teams with 19 congressional offices covering all sectors of the
United States. Seven of the meetings included the senator or representative in attendance. During the conversations, GMA members discussed support for a long-lasting
and well-funded transportation infrastructure package, including reauthorization of
the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and the Water Resources
Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). Additionally, the congressional offices were
reminded that GMA has been and continues to be supportive of the coal combustion
residual (CCR) rulings from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the

Geosynthetics February/March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics February/March 2021