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.
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed “Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of 2015,” (H.R. 1734) in a bipartisan 258-166 vote. Sponsored by Rep. David McKinley, (R-WV), it codifies the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent decision to regulate fly ash and other coal combustion residuals (CCR) under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) ‘solid’ versus ‘hazardous’ waste provisions.
Read MoreSources: Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff
EPA has teamed with companion agencies, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Landscape Architects, plus downstream stakeholder organizations to form a network advancing green stormwater management, water conservation and pollution control measures.
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The National Institute of Building Sciences 2013 report, Moving Forward: Findings and Recommendations from the Consultive Council, spans five key areas: The Building Workforce; Guidance on the Use of Non-Potable Water; Understanding the Energy/Water Nexus; Supporting the Existing State and Local Building Regulatory Infrastructure; and, Developing the Business Case for Private Sector Investment in Hazard Mitigation.
Read MoreResponding last month to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to curb existing power plant carbon dioxide emissions (2005 levels) nearly one-third over the next 15 years, AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department Sean McGarvey reviewed implications:
Read MoreIn a ruling on National Resources Defense Council v. EPA, the U.S. District Court for the 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.
Read MoreSources: Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff
Under agreement with the EPA, Rochester, N.Y., builder Atlantic Funding & Real Estate will pay a $50,000 penalty for stormwater control rule violations at its Gateway Landing development, and invest nearly $70,000 in a bioswale to filter silt and pollution from the site’s contaminated runoff into the Erie Canal.
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Major truck and component manufacturers arrived at this year’s ConExpo-Con/Agg, Las Vegas, and Mid-America Trucking Show, Louisville, with new models or existing equipment upgrades—all bearing steel, aluminum, rubber or technology touches ready to lower ready mixed and concrete product delivery costs.
Read MoreSources: 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.
Read MoreSource: Environmental Protection Agency
Billed as a blueprint for a mission supporting public health and the environment across the country, EPA’s 2014–2018 Strategic Plan cites as chief goals: addressing climate change and improving air quality; protecting America’s waters; cleaning up communities and advancing sustainable development; ensuring the safety of chemicals; and, protecting human health and the environment by enforcing laws and assuring compliance.
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