Ceco Construction veteran heads ACI Center for Advancing Productivity

The American Concrete Institute has chartered PRO: An ACI Center of Excellence for Advancing Concrete Industry Productivity as a catalyst for solving constructability barriers. PRO will collaborate with design and engineering professionals, material suppliers, plus contractors to resolve issues that negatively impact output in concrete site operations. “The concrete contractor’s input on design details, specifications, and material criteria that embraces…

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Steelmakers stress performance basis for climate metrics standard

Major concrete rebar producers Commercial Metals Co., Nucor Corp. and Steel Dynamics Inc. lead U.S. members of the Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC), recently chartered to support a standard that “accelerates the transition to low-emission steel and recognizes the potential of the recycled, circular steel model to reduce carbon emissions.” GSCC urges the United States and European Union, representatives of…

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Commerce office assists ASTM Center’s construction digitalization work

The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology is assisting ASTM Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) development of a “Roadmap for Advanced Technologies for the Digitalization of the Construction Industry.”  The agenda for a workshop late last month at ASTM headquarters outside Philadelphia called for brainstorming sessions on the current state and desired future state for…

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EPA sets 2027 target for halving heavy duty truck NOx emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing a program to further reduce air pollution, including ozone and particulate matter (PM), from heavy-duty engines and vehicles. Compared to current standards, its new emissions thresholds are significantly more stringent and cover a wider range of heavy-duty engine operating conditions. The final rulemaking promulgates new numeric standards and changes key provisions of the existing…

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EPA accelerates low carbon material, product procurement timetable

The Environmental Protection Agency will host three webinars to gather public and private construction stakeholder perspectives on federal procurement policy tied to carbon dioxide emissions accounting and reporting methods for specified materials or products: Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Construction Materials Prioritization and Environmental Data Improvement, March 2, 2-3:30 p.m. EST  Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Grants and Technical Assistance…

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EPA measures marked rise in Clean Water Act permit compliance rates

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cites major performance improvement in among Clean Water Act (CWA) permit holders over the past five-year period. In FY 2018, the agency and 47 states agreed to collaborate on a goal to reduce “significant non-compliance” among facilities permitted under CWA by 50 percent over five years. The effort has met the goal, as the national…

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U.S. DOT announces $7 million in grants to promote LCA, EPD adoption

The Federal Highway Administration has awarded $204,000-$312,000 grants to support sustainable pavement, materials emissions tracking and related initiatives at more than 20 state departments of transportation. Many of the initiatives are centered on developing, adopting or advancing the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) methods and environmental product declarations (EPD). The latter encompass LCA data and are the most widely…

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Wall system contours Inflation Reduction Act energy rating incentives

Sustainable practice is increasingly weighing on housing project developers as the incentives to respond to market and government signals have never been stronger, according to Arizona-based concrete building system specialist HercuTech.  The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, passed in August, promotes energy efficient construction. HercuTech has worked with energy modeling partners to show how its HercuWall system can help developers…

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Apples-to-apples carbon metrics anchor steel interests’ Buy Clean position

The American Institute of Steel Construction’s new “Buy Clean Guidance for Structural Steel Products” informs federal, state and local policymakers of the load-bearing solutions that mills, fabricators and contractors bring to sustainable design. By navigating steel industry intricacies, it helps users take full advantage of the structural product supply chain, accurately determine embodied carbon factors, and make informed decisions based…

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DOE funds cement pre-calcining heat demonstration

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Pasadena, Calif.-based Heliogen $4.1 million to demonstrate a concentrated solar power (CSP) process for heating limestone to 950°C, applicable to the calcining phase in portland cement production. CSP technologies deploy mirrors to beam sunlight onto a receiver, and can be used to deliver heat for energy-intensive industrial processes or generate electricity using…

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