Washington Business Spring 2017 | Washington Business | Page 28

washington business
“Local agencies and the
private sector have a
long history of working
together to prioritize
infrastructure needs.”
of the business community and their employees who are stuck in traffic and aggravated by
increasing infrastructure disrepair.
Ennis agrees with the groups’ assessment: Forward-thinking investments are necessary to ensure
clean and ample water supply and move goods and agriculture to a growing number of people in
Washington and around the world.
“The backlog we have now is impressive
in its scope and size, but waiting is not
an option. Each year, more people are on
— Eric D. Johnson, executive
our roads and expanding populations are
director, Washington Public
moving outside the central Puget Sound
Ports Association
region. Our entire state needs to be ready,
whether that’s wastewater treatment or
modernized airports. Our state and local partnership has a roadmap to
make that happen,” Ennis said.
— Peter B. King, chief executive officer,
And, Ennis added, there are many Washingtonians who would
Association of Washington Cities
welcome the high-paying jobs the projects would create.
“The infrastructure needs in
our state are great, and we
need long-term and continuous
investment to maintain our
economy and prepare for
natural disasters.”
now, washington waits
The new administration and Congress
officially took office in January, but the
bipartisan support for a robust federal
infrastructure spending plan began on the
campaign trail last fall.
Both presidential candidates and
congressional leadership lauded the idea of
coalescing around something on which they
could find common ground — the nation’s
infrastructure is in critical condition and is
in dire need of investment.
Building on that agreement in Congress
would be a pathway to building Washington’s
economy.
And, when and if funding is approved,
the state, local and employer partnership is
ready to make good use of the dollars.
“Local agencies and the private sector
have a long history of working together
to prioritize infrastructure needs,” said
Eric D. Johnson, WPPA executive director.
“ Wa s h i n g t o n s t a t e i s r e a d y f o r t h i s
investment.”
“We are anticipating a renewed commitment to
infrastructure and this report lays the groundwork
to position our state to take advantage of
opportunities that arise.”
— Kris Johnson, president, Association of Washington Business
Building the Economy: Infrastructure Needs
in Washington (full report): bit.ly/BuildWAReport
Building the Economy:
Infrastructure Needs in Washington
(two-page summary): bit.ly/BuildWAsummary
28 association of washington business
Eric Johnson, executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties;
Peter B. King, chief executive officer of the Association of Washington Cities; Eric
D. Johnson, executive director of the Washington Public Ports Association; and
AWB President Kris Johnson.