Underground Construction - March 2021 - 28

APCA
American Pipeline Contractors Association

Plans for Busy 2021

Like much of the construction industry -
and really like most of the world - pipeline
construction sailed uncharted waters when
the coronavirus blindsided the market last
March. Members of the American Pipeline
Contractors Association (APCA) were
all set to travel to the Bahamas for their
Annual Convention at the end of March,
but that meeting was canceled when the
resort shut down for all business.
But APCA did not shut down at all.
The APCA Board, Government Affairs
Committee, Safety Committee and
staff immediately went to work planning
new meetings, setting a new course
and addressing a variety of new and
important challenges for businesses
in the pipeline industry.
APCA is a national association of meritshop pipeline and station contractors. It
was founded in 1971 as a regional alliance
to promote mutual interests and address
industry concerns of its members and
associates, and 50 years later it continues
its quest to support its members in
their efforts to secure a fair operating
environment in the pipeline industry.

Virus reaction

As the coronavirus spread across the
country, the Department of Homeland
Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency (CISA) provided guidance
intended to help state and local officials
decide which industry sectors should
continue normal operations. On March
20, APCA President Mike Castle, of
Progressive Pipeline, sent a letter to
CISA urging them to include those who
work on energy infrastructure on any
and all lists of " essential " workers.
To ensure that APCA associate members
were also included in this effort, the letter
stated that " as the federal government
continues to respond to the coronavirus
pandemic, it's important to recognize
all facets of the construction industry,
including contractors, manufacturers and
all service providers who play a role in
the assurance of providing sound energy
infrastructure. "
These efforts proved successful, as the
vast majority of energy infrastructure
construction workers were included in the
second version of the CISA guidance.

In March, APCA supported the
establishment of the Paycheck Protection
Program (PPP), which allowed small
businesses to pay their employees and
cover many critical, non-payroll expenses
through federally guaranteed loans.
In June, as economic conditions
worsened, APCA supported several
effective changes to the PPP, successfully
fighting, in December, for a congressional
interpretation that clarified that business
expenses paid for with PPP loan proceeds
are, in fact, tax deductible.

Work goes on
Aside from COVID-19, APCA faces
several challenges in 2021, especially
given the Democratic control of the
White House and both houses of
Congress, albeit by very slim margins.
The association's government affairs
team is addressing the growing hostility
toward pipeline infrastructure, Big Labor's
newly re-introduced Protecting the
Right to Organize (PRO) Act, and the
possibility of mandated project labor
agreements on federally funded projects.

T
re
APCA President Mike Castle, Progressive Pipeline

28

MARCH 2021 | UCONonline.com

APCA Board members Roy Weaver, Weaver LLC, and Nick Bruno, Bi-Con Services
http://www.UCONonline.com
Underground Construction - March 2021

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