PCA takes Timber Innovation Act to the wood shed

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

PCA urges Congress to reject the so-called Timber Innovation Act, which has returned to the 115th Congress after a 2016 debut. Through companion U.S. Senate and House of Representatives bills, it incentivizes state and local governments, universities and private companies with federal funds to conduct research & development, outreach and education advancing the use of mass timber products in construction.

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Sustainability watchdog sets concrete production water accounting standards

The Cement Sustainability Initiative has capped a two-year effort to formalize accounting of water consumption and recycling in cement, concrete and aggregate production. The new 34-page Guidance on Good Practices for Water Accounting builds on Protocol for Water Reporting for the Cement Industry (2014) and Water Key Performance Indicators (2015).

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Environmentalists falter in challenge of EPA cement plant emissions rule

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

In a ruling on National Resources Defense Council v. EPA, the U.S. District Court for District of Columbia upholds major parts of an agreement the cement industry and Environmental Protection Agency reached on the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), under which producers will invest heavily in  emissions treatment and controls equipment toward a 2016 compliance target.

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