The Department of Transportation announced that Recreational Trails Program projects costing less than half a million dollars no longer must comply with Build America, Buy America Act provisions that have proven costly or impossible to meet for OHV trail maintenance and construction crews.
This is a press release from the MIC…
(August 23, 2023) OHV organizations and trail users across the country benefited from a major regulatory win last week. The Department of Transportation announced that Recreational Trails Program projects costing less than half a million dollars no longer must comply with Build America, Buy America Act provisions that have proven costly or impossible to meet for OHV trail maintenance and construction crews.
The act requires that all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in DOT-funded infrastructure projects are U.S. produced. The MIC Government Relations Office submitted comments in support of waiving the provisions and encouraged OHV organizations to weigh in.
“We are thrilled with this decision, and now our trail builders can get back to working on trails instead of waiver applications,” said Scott Schloegel, senior vice president at the MIC GRO. “RTP projects are minuscule compared to other DOT projects and should be treated differently. Meeting Buy America requirements was difficult at best, and impossible at times, particularly when attempting to purchase necessary trail construction and maintenance equipment.”
In his comments to the DOT, Schloegel stated that out of necessity, small equipment used for recreational trail construction and maintenance often contain more than 5 percent of non-domestic parts in their engines and hydraulic systems, even if the machines are 100 percent assembled in America.
The DOT opted to provide a general waiver for projects under $500,000, meaning that the overwhelming majority of RTP projects are automatically exempt from the act’s provisions. The RTP is administered by the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration and is funded from gasoline taxes, a percentage of which are paid by OHV enthusiasts. The funds are then distributed to the states to maintain and build trails for both motorized and non-motorized use.
The regulatory win comes at a time when the Coalition for Recreational Trails is redoubling its efforts to ensure a future of growth for the RTP. The CRT is an alliance of national and regional trail-related organizations representing a broad range of motorized and non-motorized trail users, and its members work together to build awareness and understanding of the RTP.
“The CRT is vitally important to the RTP and state trail programs,” said Duane Taylor, MIC director of Safe and Responsible Use Programs, and CRT vice chairman. “The CRT highlights the RTP’s many success stories through its annual awards and has proven to be a powerful advocate for the program on Capitol Hill. Please visit the CRT website to learn more ways to support the RTP.”
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