Brian Riggs | Oppose HB1614

To the Committee, I was disheartened to hear testimony regarding H1614 at the Commerce and Consumer Affairs hearing today that was inaccurate and misleading. As the executive director of the Pavement Coatings Technology Council, I can state definitively that we are not a lobbying firm, as one testifier alleged. We are an independent trade association that sits between governments and for-profit companies for the purpose of education, research and the development of best practices. We have supported independent research for the benefit of every community for the past 20 years. Our purpose it to provide independent, scientifically backed research to ensure that companies, families and their dependents are accurately represented. Exponent, Inc., an engineering and scientific consulting firm, has no relationship too, nor interaction with Tom Brady, as was suggested during the hearing. They were retained by the NFL to assess environmental factors related to game play. PCTC takes environmental impacts very seriously. The Council exists to identify the best possible solutions for municipalities, companies, the environment and the economy. The testimony provided today was not grounded in environmental health facts and made no scientifically grounded connection between pavement coatings and health outcomes or environmental health. The hearing conflicted with our annual convention in Louisiana and I was unable to testify in person today. If afforded the opportunity, I would be happy to attend the Full Committee Working Session on February 18th to address any questions the committee may have and make an independent expert available as well. Sincerely, Brian Riggs Executive Director