September 10, 2019 – Concrete Products

Administration stresses “Buy American” through revised procurement provisions

September 10, 2019 Concrete News

President Donald Trump issued an executive order strengthening Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council standards under the Buy American Act, which especially impacts heavy/civil or concrete contractors, along with precast or ready mixed producers, performing or supplying Federal Highway Administration-backed work. The latest in a series of orders supporting the Administration’s Buy American and Hire American initiatives directs federal agencies to consider tightening the preference requirements for Federal acquisitions and when foreign products can be used.

Lower interest rates cause a jump in mortgage refinancing

September 10, 2019 Concrete News

By: Pierre Villere

As I have been saying for months now, the fear of a stalling economy coupled with the stock market correction in the Fall of 2018 shook up Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and his fellow Board Governors, and they made public pronouncements that the Fed would pause any rate hikes for the foreseeable future. Shortly thereafter, the Fed came back and added that they were open to considering a cut in rates depending on the economic metrics they monitor to guide them in those decisions.

ACI 318-19 brings new provisions for alternative cements and aggregates

September 10, 2019September 21, 2020 Concrete News

There’s a newly released version of the American Concrete Institute’s ACI 318: “Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete,” the document that governs design and construction of structural concrete. While the document is primarily used by engineers and building officials, it incorporates provisions that address materials advancements and applications that have been making inroads in the marketplace. Therefore, it will have an impact on concrete producers.

Concrete carbonation facts counter claims of investors hung up on cement plant emissions

September 10, 2019 Concrete News

The London-based Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) has recently approached CRH Plc, HeidelbergCement AG and LafargeHolcim Ltd. about commitments to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions no later than 2050. The call to action aligns with strategies in the United Nations Conference of Parties’ (COP 21) 2015 Paris Agreement. The 150-plus signatory countries volunteer CO2 emission reductions whereby projected global temperatures rise no more than 1.5°C over this century.