Officials from Colombia’s Cementos Argos cite a significant presence across the Southeast on the heels of a $760 million transaction spanning Lafarge North America assets in the region: 79 ready mixed plants in Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana; Harleyville, S.C., and Roberta, Ala., cement plants, plus an Atlanta-area clinker grinding mill; and, six cement terminals (five rail, one port).
Read MoreDay: July 1, 2011
Lafarge, WWF Canada scope 2050 roadmap
Lafarge North America has reaffirmed a commitment to the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains by extending a seven-year partnership with World Wildlife Fund Canada. Western Business Unit, Cement Division President Bob Cooper (left, below) and Western Canada Region, Aggregates & Concrete Division President René Thibault assembled last month at Seebe quarry, near Exshaw, Alberta, to sign the 2050 Conservation Vision Statement covering cement, aggregate and ready mixed operations in the province.
Read MoreEPA review continues
Environmental Protection Agency staff is poring over reams of responses submitted during the June–November 2010 public comment period for a proposed rule on coal ash disposal and handling. “The target date for release of a final rule will be determined, pending a full evaluation of all the information and comments received on the proposal,” the agency noted in a mid-May update.
Read MoreFlyAshDirect eyes broad Eastern seaboard reach
Regional marketer FlyAshDirect will significantly expand its Class F fly ash delivery footprint following installation of rail car and pneumatic tanker loading equipment at American Electric Power’s John E. Amos Generating Station near Charleston, W.Va. It has secured exclusive rights to market ash from the CSX rail-served, three-unit station—the fourth AEP operation in the portfolio of Cincinnati-based FlyAshDirect portfolio. More than half of the 2,900MW facility’s approximately 1 million tons/year of ash is concrete-grade, with a carbon content below 2 percent.
Read MorePCA takes plant emission standard challenge to appellate court
Portland Cement Association briefs filed last month with the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals outline members’ challenge to the portland cement national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP). Finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency in September 2010, the rule sets a September 2013 compliance target for stringent standards covering cement mill emissions of particulate matter, hydrochloric acid, total hydrocarbons and mercury.
Read MoreNRMCA: Sustainability goals hold despite economy
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association 2011 Sustainability Report details how the industry has invested millions in research, new education and training programs, new personnel and plant certifications, and codes and standards advocacy to establish concrete as the sustainable material of choice for building and infrastructure projects and lower its environmental footprint. Against the worst economic downturn in its history…
Read MoreBreckenridge parent adds three plants
St. Louis-based BMC Enterprises will operate the former Ready Mix Concrete Inc. plants in Ste. Genevieve, Perryville, and Fredericktown, Mo., under a new entity RMC, LLC, after recently securing a strategic interest in the properties. The parent company of St. Louis ready mixed market leader Breckenridge Material Co. has appointed former principal Gaylon Light as RMC, LLC managing director, also retaining his business partner Terry Guethle.
Read MoreRoanoke spreads the energy-savings message to RM customers
Through 3,000-plus hours of technical assistance and energy management training in 2010, Titan America-owned Roanoke (Virginia) Cement Co.’s (RCC) Plant A Star program saw staff position a group of ready mixed concrete customers to reduce plants’ electricity consumption by an estimated 15 percent.
Read MoreEPA: CalPortland sustains energy star excellence
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded CalPortland Company a 2011 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of its continued leadership in protecting the environment and its long-term commitment to energy efficiency. CalPortland’s accomplishments were recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. this spring.
Read MoreSakrete celebrates 75 years of strength and innovation
As one of the most recognized brands in construction and home repair, Sakrete, has evolved from a convenient, high-quality bagged concrete mix to a variety of premium packaged building materials. Seventy-five years ago, Art and Mary Avril created the Sakrete concrete business after Art saw the need for packaged concrete.
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