Cement, 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…

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EPA campaign targets commercial building energy efficiency

New U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiatives will provide policymakers and commercial building owners resources to reduce emissions from more than 6 million commercial and multifamily buildings. Through decades of partnership with EPA’s Energy Star program, private and public building owners have significantly reduced their emissions and energy costs by improving their properties’ energy efficiency and performance. Many cities and states…

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Cement, concrete producers outpace SEC rule requirements

Sources: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; CP staff Environmental Protection Agency reporting measures and market mechanisms like the U.S. Green Building Council LEED rating system could position publicly traded portland cement and concrete producers for seamless compliance with a proposed Securities and Exchange Commission rule on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming risk disclosures. Dubbed “Enhancement and Standardization of…

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EPA campaign targets commercial building energy efficiency

New U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiatives will provide policymakers and commercial building owners resources to reduce emissions from more than 6 million commercial and multifamily buildings. Through decades of partnership with EPA’s Energy Star program, private and public building owners have significantly reduced their emissions and energy costs by improving their properties’ energy efficiency and performance. Many cities and states…

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General Services Administration invites input on low-carbon concrete

Sources: General Services Administration; CP staff The agency overseeing much federal building development and construction has formally issued “Request for Information Regarding Concrete: Environmental Product Declarations and Low Embodied Carbon Products,” inviting EPD data and responses to a nine-point questionnaire at a dedicated portal. Over a two-week survey concluding March 1, the General Services Administration aims to gather information on concrete…

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EPA clips NOx, embraces zero emissions models in ‘Clean Trucks Plan’

The Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled 2022-24 release of rulemakings to extend the sharp reduction of heavy-duty truck emissions realized from the 2010 measure that standardized diesel particulate filter, selective catalytic reduction, and related exhaust treatment system components in on- and on/off-highway fleets.  Initial “Clean Trucks Plan” action, applicable to 2027 and later model year Class 8 vehicles, will set…

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EPA honors nine cement companies and PCA in 2021 Energy Star Awards

Thirteen of the 95 plants earning certification in the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star manufacturing category produce portland cement: Argos USA LLC, Calera, Ala. and Harleyville, S.C.; Ash Grove Cement, Seattle; Buzzi Unicem USA, Festus, Mo. and Chattanooga, Tenn.; CalPortland Co., Rillito, Ariz.; Cemex USA, Miami; Drake Cement, Paulden, Ariz.; GCC of America, Pueblo, Colo. and Rapid City, S.D.;…

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Holcim spotlights $96 million Maryland plant capacity, environmental upgrades

Holcim (US) staged a ribbon-cutting ceremony late last month to cap a two-year Hagerstown, Md., cement plant modernization. The company underscored a clinker capacity increase upward of 200,000 tons annually, plus emissions controls abiding new Environmental Protection Agency National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) thresholds.

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EPA mandate report: States shoulder brunt of environmental regulatory costs

Chamber

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Growing Burden of EPA Unfunded Mandates on the States” report examines the current challenge state governments face as they work to comply with and implement myriad new federal environmental regulations. States administer 96.5 percent of all Washington, D.C.-delegated environmental programs, while federal grants to states only fund 28 percent of the amount needed to run them, the report finds.

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EPA pegs five-year wastewater infrastructure investment tab

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A survey of current or target projects that the Environmental Protection Agency conducted with states and territories finds that $271 billion is needed over the next five years to maintain and improve the nation’s wastewater infrastructure. Investment areas or subjects include the pipes that carry wastewater to treatment plants, technology that treats the water, and methods for managing stormwater runoff.

 
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