The American Council of Engineering Companies’ newest Engineering Business Sentiment report shows engineering firm executives have an extremely positive outlook on their firms’ financial standing (+86), the industry (+83), and the U.S. economy (+39). Optimism about the U.S. economy, specifically, has increased four points from last quarter and is up 54 points from its low of -15 in Q3 2022.…
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Energy Department defines zero emissions building
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy; ASHRAE, Atlanta; CP staff The Energy Department’s new National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building will augment public and private owner efforts to decarbonize commercial or residential properties and lower home and business utility bills. The U.S. has upward of 130 million buildings or homes, which collectively require $400 billion-plus a year to heat, cool,…
Read MoreWhite House outlines carbon market and credit policy pointers
Sources: U.S. Department of the Treasury; CP staff Three Cabinet and three senior White House officials have issued a joint policy statement on voluntary carbon markets (VCMs), where public and private entities buy or sell credits representing one metric ton of carbon dioxide removed from, or captured or eliminated prior to release to, the atmosphere. VCMs have the potential to…
Read MoreDepartment of Energy supports Cat C13 hydrogen-hybrid R&D
With partial U.S. Department of Energy backing, Caterpillar Inc. has launched a three-year project to demonstrate an advanced hydrogen-hybrid power solution built on its new C13D engine platform. The company aims to prove how advanced control systems and electric-hybrid components can help hydrogen fueled engines meet or exceed traditional diesel engines’ power density and transient performance. Caterpillar will serve as…
Read More“EPD on Demand” tool arms aggregate producers for Buy Clean
Tennessee-based life cycle assessment and environmental product declaration services provider WAP Sustainability has launched Theta EPD for Aggregates with National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association support. The first tool of its kind programmed specifically for North American producers, Theta Aggregate builds on WAP’s expertise in LCA and EPD generation software for ready mixed concrete, concrete pipe, cement and slag. The…
Read MoreCTS Cement helps EPA-backed Hydrova prove aluminum recycling
The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a $400,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program Phase II grant enabling Santa Ana, Calif.-based Hydrova Inc. to advance work on black dross—a material frequently landfilled after primary aluminum recycling—for applications including cement clinker raw feed. Themed “Complete Resource Recovery and Hydrogen Production from Secondary Aluminum Processing Waste,” the grant extends a $100,000 Phase…
Read MoreFHWA publishes portland limestone cement benchmark
The Federal Highway Administration’s new TechNote on Portland Limestone Cement (FHWA-HRT-23-104) provides state highway agencies, contractors and concrete practitioners information enabling broader adoption of a blended binder to which cement plants across North America are migrating. The 12-page document reviews the history of PLC in the U.S.; chemical and physical requirements for a binder combining portland cement + 5-15 percent…
Read MoreInstitute revises Federal Acquisition Regulation, Design-Build references
The Design-Build Institute of America has updated its Design-Build Done Right Federal Sector Best Practices, offering a comprehensive guide for teams navigating the intricacies of federal project delivery. Understanding the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and adhering to the right practices can be the key to a successful design-build project, DBIA contends, and the revised Best Practices document provides such guidance.…
Read MoreAfinitas’ Duncan succeeds County Materials-bound CEO Schmidgall
Afinitas CEO Brad Schmidgall will shift from concrete plant equipment and accessories to ready mixed and manufactured concrete production in January, taking the helm of County Materials Corp. As CEO of the Marathon, Wis.-based producer, he will oversee a portfolio spanning concrete pipe and precast operations that Afinitas has equipped under his tenure. “Serving as the CEO of Afinitas and…
Read MoreABC, Texas chapter seek federal court relief from Davis-Bacon rule rewrite
An Associated Builders and Contractors and the ABC Southeast Texas lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division to vacate the Department of Labor’s Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations (DBA) rule, implemented in October and applicable to federal or federally assisted construction projects. Plaintiffs challenge the new rule’s prevailing wage definition, wage…
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