Sources: Portland Cement Association, Washington Office; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; Staff reports Although it represents no real gain in dollars made available via years of short-term extensions, HR 4348, which morphed into Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21, was signed into law by President Obama two days after the July 4…
Read MoreDay: July 25, 2012
PCA applauds life-cycle analysis provisions of new surface transportation legislation
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. After weeks of negotiations, a new surface transportation legislation, which was passed by Congress on June 29, was signed into law by President Barak Obama on July 6. PCA released a statement saying the organization was especially pleased with key provisions in the final bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act…
Read MoreASTM C595 acknowledges 15% limestone threshold
Sources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; National Concrete Masonry Association, Herndon, Va. The ASTM C595-12 Standard Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements defines requirements for a new powder: Type IL, portland-limestone blended cement, which includes 5–15 percent limestone as an ingredient. Adoption of Type IL product has the potential to reduce environmental impact of cement production by about 10 percent, while…
Read MorePopulation growth drives PCA’s long-term construction outlook report
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. Population growth during the next 25 years will likely account for most of the gains in construction, according to PCA’s Long-Term Cement Outlook. By 2035, the population of the United States will add 78 million people compared to 2010 levels. For construction, population growth means increased demand for homes and apartments, schools, commercial buildings,…
Read MoreAsh Grove Midlothian earns Texas safety honor
Source: Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, Kan. Ash Grove Cement Co.’s cement plant in Midlothian, Texas, received a 2011-12 safety award recently from Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association (TACA) for its third-consecutive year of high safety ratings. In addition, the plant recently received a 2012 Chairman’s Safety Performance Award from the Portland Cement Association (PCA).
Read MoreEdwards to Head Cement Sales at CalPortland
Source: CalPortland Company, Glendora, Calif. CalPortland President/CEO Allen Hamblen recently announced the promotion of Thomas Edwards to the position of Senior Vice President, Cement Sales for the company. Effective July 1, 2012, Edwards assumed responsibility for cement sales for CalPortland’s entire North America division operating in the Western United States and Canada. Edwards has 37 years of experience managing cement…
Read MoreCement Totals—April 2012
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico were almost 6.7 million mt in April 2012, according to the USGS. This was 17.5 percent higher compared with shipments for April 2011. Shipments for the year through April were 21.9 million mt, up about 19 percent for the same…
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