Sources: Federal Highway Administration; CP staff
The Inflation Reduction Act-funded Low Carbon Transportation Materials Discretionary Grant Program will provide $1.2 billion with reimbursement and incentive funding to purchase American-made low carbon construction materials and products, primarily concrete, asphalt, glass and steel. The program is part of the White House Buy Clean Initiative, which leverages federal government buying power to spur demand for materials or products of lower carbon dioxide emissions profile than traditionally found in for federal building, highway and infrastructure projects.
Under Low Carbon Transportation Materials, state DOTs can establish processes to implement specification criteria on Federal-aid construction projects. Arizona DOT, for one, will develop a program that guides overall planning for concrete and asphalt mixes, including an inventory of low-carbon transportation materials and process for selecting eligible materials. With an eye to using construction materials or products of substantially lower than normal levels of CO2 emissions profile, Massachusetts DOT will issue specification language and establish procedures to monitor and report on project performance. Wisconsin DOT will focus on concrete and asphalt purchase categories by developing a framework for material selection and tracking material usage through Environmental Product Declaration data. Like their counterpart agencies in 29 other states, Massachusetts DOT and Wisconsin DOT will receive Low Carbon Construction Materials grants just under $32 million, versus $27 million for Arizona DOT. Remaining grants range from the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s $14.5 million to Hawaii DOT’s $28.9 million.
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