Page 56 • June 16, 2021 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT GUIDE
Completing Restoration Projects Is AEM Lauds Surface ‘Walk in the Woods’ for North State Transportation Act RESTORATION from page 22
lizes two Terramac RT14R crawler carriers. “I enjoy being able to do something good for the environment by engineering with mother nature to fix some of the existing problems with our streams and wetlands,” said Westmoreland. “It’s rewarding to take something that’s in bad shape and not functioning the way mother nature intended and restore it back to its natural state. Our goal is to restore the ecosystem to a state where the public would never be able to tell it was touched by man.” A majority of North State Environmental’s projects are in sensitive ecological locations that require detailed work. “We’re not like most bulk earthmoving companies,” explained Westmoreland. “We’re building habitats for different species of plants and animals, which requires operators that can fine grade within a tenth of an inch. “At our Big Run job site and a lot of our other projects, we’re working close to the water table and flood plain areas,” noted Westmoreland. “Because of that, we prefer high floatation equipment with low ground pressure tracks. That’s where the Terramac machines come into play. Conventional earthmoving equipment will sink in these conditions, whereas the Terramacs allow us to keep our earthwork operations and projects moving forward. “The particular model we use is a Terramac RT14R,” continued Westmoreland. “We like the ‘R’ series, which are
rotating units, because they allow us to move around in tight areas where we don’t want to spin the tracks. We prefer to use the rotation so that we can drive into an area where we’re working, spin 180 degrees, dump or load material, then spin the truck back and drive out.” Westmoreland’s son, Operator Daniel Westmoreland, appreciates the technology on the RT14R crawler carrier. “The controls inside the cab and features of the machine make it top-of-the-line. Everything is joystick controlled, which means there’s no foot play or other distracting controls. By putting buttons at the operator’s fingertips and simplifying the joystick movements, the machine is easy and efficient to operate.” Dealer support plays an important role in North State Environmental’s decision to partner with Terramac. “Our trusted Terramac dealer is Linder Industrial Machinery, and they’ve provided excellent service and support for us,” stated Westmoreland. “Through Linder, we’ve had the opportunity to work with Terramac one-on-one, tour their factory and facilities, and talk to their team about parts and ideas to keep the machines running efficiently. Working with a dealer that stands behind their equipment and believes in the product is one of the most important things I consider when looking at equipment, and it’s clear both Linder and Terramac fully back their product.”
Linder Industrial Machinery is North State Environmental’s Terramac dealer.
of 2021 Agreement Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) president Dennis Slater issued the following statement in support of a bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bill that calls for a historic investment in U.S. roads, highways and bridges. “The Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021 reflects many of the policies that are vital to keeping equipment manufacturers competitive in the global economy and creating new jobs, new growth and new prosperity for all Americans. “We applaud Senators Carper, Capito, Cardin and Cramer’s leadership in securing this historic, bipartisan agreement to fund America’s roads, highways and bridges. Their tireless leadership will ensure Americans have the safe, reliable, and modern surface transportation system our economy needs. “This investment will also benefit U.S. equipment manufacturers and the 2.8 million men and women who build the equipment needed to make a 21st century infrastructure system a reality. This represents an important step forward in advancing the ongoing national debate about the future of U.S. infrastructure and we look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives to get a bill to President’s desk as soon as possible.” U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW); Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va), the committee’s ranking member; Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chairman of the EPW Subcommittee on Transportation Infrastructure; and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), the subcommittee’s ranking member, on May 22 announced the release of a bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bill that will be marked up by the EPW Committee on May 26, 2021. The Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021 sets a new baseline funding level at a historic high of $303.5 billion for Department of Transportation programs for highways, roads and bridges. This marks an increase of more than 34 percent from the last reauthorization to pass Congress, the FAST Act, in 2015. The prior authorization for surface transportation programs expired in 2020; Congress passed a one-year extension that will expire on Sept. 30, 2021. For more information, visit www.aem.org.
