The White House has outlined a final rule implementing the American Rescue Plan’s Special Financial Assistance (SFA) program, billed as protecting “millions of workers in multiemployer pension plans who faced significant cuts to their benefits.” Before American Rescue, retirees participating in more than 200 multiemployer pension plans faced the prospect of not receiving full benefits—often the consequence of past financial…
Read MoreCategory: Government Affairs
Life cycle assessment standards group revises PCR and EPD preparation guide
“2022 ACLCA PCR Guidance – Process and Methods Toolkit: Creating standardized, consistent, and reliable PCRs & EPDs for transparency, procurement, and supply chain data” provides process checklists for each of the roles in product category rule (PCR) creation. A successor to charter 2013 guidance, the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA) document features methods and methodologies addenda to raise…
Read MoreFHWA sketches transportation greenhouse gas emission reduction framework
The U.S. Department of Transportation has opened a public comment period for a Federal Highway Administration Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for states and municipalities to track and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act makes more than $27 billion available for state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations to meet a declining GHG emissions…
Read MoreABC: Registered apprenticeship system no match for skilled labor needs
It would take 14 years for federal and state government-registered apprenticeship programs to educate the 650,000 workers the construction industry needs to hire in 2022, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data from 2021. DOL figures indicate that the construction industry’s federal government-registered apprenticeship system produced just 24,822 completers of its four- to…
Read MoreProgrammers complete AASHTOWare Project, ForneyVault interface
Construction materials testing equipment and technology provider Forney LP is preparing release of a ForneyVault-AASHTOWare Project Construction & Materials interface to state departments of transportation. Linking its signature platform and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials software suite, the company notes, “Drives increased transparency, productivity and efficiency—especially pertinent for DOT labs today in light of the Infrastructure…
Read MoreShaping the future, sharpening the carbon focus
BY JOSEPHINE PATTERSON Within a year of the California Nevada Cement Association’s release of an industry-wide roadmap to attain net zero carbon operation by 2045, a rare alignment of state government, industry stakeholder and environmental group initiatives is validating some of the lowest hanging fruit in the action plan. CNCA envisions three major pathways for the industry to attain the…
Read MoreCement, concrete producers stay in front of proposed climate rule
Environmental Protection Agency reporting measures and market mechanisms like the U.S. Green Building Council LEED rating system could position publicly traded portland cement, concrete and aggregate producers for seamless compliance with a proposed U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming risk disclosures. The subject of a public comment period closing this month, the…
Read MoreCalPortland, Cemex, Ozinga, PCA compound Energy Star records
Four familiar names in construction materials are among 210 U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency 2022 Energy Star Partner of the Year Award recipients. CalPortland Co., Cemex USA and Ozinga Bros. Inc. earned awards in the Energy Management category, Portland Cement Association in Energy Management Program Delivery. The 2022 Partner naming marks 18 consecutive years of such recognition…
Read MoreCarbiCrete enjoys $12 million welcome to venture capital stage
CarbiCrete, Montreal developer of a mix design and curing methodology capturing up to 150 kg (330 lbs.) of carbon dioxide emissions for every metric ton of concrete produced, has secured $12 million at the first close of its Series A financing round. Leader FS Investors, a private entity based in La Jolla, Calif., was joined in the round by ARC…
Read MoreICF walls keep PulteGroup up with the Joneses in solar-powered town
One of the nation’s largest builders has turned to insulating concrete forms for two homes in Babcock Ranch, a solar power-oriented community outside of Fort Myers, Fla. Ahead of listings, Atlanta-based PulteGroup unveiled the models last month to test the energy performance of R-22 rated ICF walls paired with “the latest advancements in sustainable new home technologies and innovations.” Florida…
Read More