With Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice concurrence, the Federal Trade Commission is proposing changes to the premerger notification form and associated instructions, as well as the premerger notification rules implementing the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. That law and its implementing rules require the parties to certain mergers and acquisitions to submit premerger notification to…
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Empire State agencies underwrite 3D-printed turbine foundation specialist
Reinforced Concrete Additive Manufacturing Technologies (RCAM), Los Angeles-based developer of 3D-printed concrete renewable energy and energy storage components, has been named to the Year 1 cohort of the New York State- and New York City-backed Offshore Wind Innovation Hub. Participants are afforded a six-month mentoring and business development program leading to potential partnerships in the offshore wind value chain. RCAM…
Read MoreEmployment watchdog scrutinizes “Equal Opportunity in Construction”
A new report deep on demographic and compensation data across construction trades will inform the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s next steps to address discrimination and harassment. “Building For The Future: Advancing Equal Employment Opportunity in the Construction Industry” includes a brief business overview, followed by a discussion of employment discrimination based on race, national origin, and sex in the…
Read MorePort Authority mix design approvals hinge on carbon emissions cap
Concrete schedules for the vast Port Authority of New York and New Jersey infrastructure and building portfolio will soon reflect maximum carbon dioxide emissions limits—equivalent to a 25 percent or greater reduction in portland cement content—plus portland-limestone cement and ground glass pozzolans allowances. The new CO2 threshold and conditional binder specifications are the latest measures in a three-year old program…
Read MoreAgency pilots low embodied carbon material requirements
The U.S. General Services Administration has commenced a six-month procurement program to test Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) submittal requirements for asphalt, concrete, glass and steel specified in 11 Inflation Reduction Act-backed building or paving projects. The pilot will generate insights into regional market availability of qualifying products and materials, and inform adjustments that may be needed for a final set…
Read MoreCement, steel production emissions add up to EPA rounding errors
The Environmental Protection Agency’s new Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks cites 5.586 billion metric tons (mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions for 2021, a 6 percent increase over the prior year. The Inventory spans six economic sectors; the third largest, Industry, accounted for 24 percent, or 1.34 billion mt of CO2e in 2021. U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS…
Read MoreNorth American steel producers lead push for single, universal CO2 standard
The Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC), Washington, D.C. has drafted a standard for measuring and reporting carbon dioxide emissions in steel production. Council members aim to build on current accounting methodologies and reconcile gaps in multiple standards, published or under development. The standard GSCC envisions will: Provide a single, technology-agnostic protocol that applies to all steel producers equally; Allow all…
Read MoreNational Science Foundation funds Roman concrete investigation
A researcher at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, is looking to solve the problems of tomorrow by using chemistry from the distant past. Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Dr. Monday Uchenna Okoronkwo is investigating how to mimic the chemistry and composition of ancient Roman concrete while also applying modern technology to make today’s slabs, structures and…
Read MoreNon-union crews approach 90 percent of construction workforce
According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of 2022 state union membership data published recently by UnionStats.com, at least nine out of 10 construction workers in private industry do not belong to a union in 26 states, up from 24 states in 2021. Nationwide, a record 88.3 percent of construction workers do not belong to a union, U.S. Bureau…
Read MoreUN office paves path to agencies’ low carbon material procurement
Officials of global or national cement, concrete and steel groups recently convened in Vienna for a United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) workshop aimed at developing a harmonized guideline for Product Category Rules. PCR published according to widely recognized standards underpin Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), the principal tools public and private construction stakeholders use when assessing carbon dioxide emissions associated…
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