On October 12, 2016, U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX-1) joined representatives from American TieTek LLC, LT Resources, Inc., and other rail stakeholders to tour American TieTek’s manufacturing facility.
Coordinated by REMSA, the tour was led by Linda Thomas, President, LT Resources, and Dale Ramthun, Vice President of Operations, American TieTek. The group toured American TieTek’s manufacturing facility, which produces recycled and recyclable composite products. LT Resources is a woman-owned small business specializing in the supply of environmentally friendly composite highway-rail grade crossings, railroad ties, and other products. These composite products are durable, cost-effective, utilize materials that would have otherwise been disposed of in landfills and are proudly made in the USA. LT Resources is American TieTek’s exclusive distributor in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for sustainable composite railroad ties to meet industry standards. American TieTek is LT Resources’ contract manufacturer for ENDURANCE® highway-rail grade crossings.
“We are honored to be joined by Congressman Gohmert to highlight manufacturing and rail issues in East Texas,” said Thomas. “Our businesses are working around the clock to improve safety and make our industry more environmentally friendly with high quality composite products. We appreciate the Congressman taking the time to learn about the challenges we face in our industry.”
American TieTek and LT Resources employ approximately 50 employees throughout Texas.
Congressman Gohmert focused his remarks on encouraging economic development in East Texas, and ensuring a strong, efficient, and safe freight rail system to connect agriculture producers to the global market.
“A strong and efficient railroad is crucial for getting East Texas’ goods to market,” said Congressman Gohmert. “To see firsthand the extraordinary array of products TieTek is creating and the extent to which they literally help keep the economy rolling down the track in East Texas is simply stunning. Being the servant in Washington for such a phenomenal team of high-skilled, pride-driven producers is indeed a privilege.”
The rail stakeholder group discussed the bipartisan and bicameral Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy (BRACE) Act, which would make the Short Line Tax Credit permanent. This effort will allow the nation’s small, local freight railroads to increase their reinvestments to upgrade and expand the “first and last mile” of their transportation infrastructure. The bill has garnered over 220 bi-partisan cosponsors in the House.
The group also discussed recent regulation initiatives issued by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on reciprocal switching and commodity regulation. These efforts risk creating major inefficiencies in the national freight network and artificially creating government-mandated price caps. These efforts would lead to reduced capital investment in freight rail which is critical to supporting high-paying rail supply jobs throughout the United States.
Also in attendance were: Chet Oaks, Trainmaster, R.J. Corman Railroad Group; Chad Sutton, Operations Manager, TieTek LLC; Mike Thompson, Owner, Texas Plastics Recycling LLC; and Sean Winkler, Grassroots Coordinator, REMSA.
In Texas, 49 freight railroads operate over 10,000 track miles and employ over 16,000.