Member companies of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) met with Congressional offices and federal agencies in Washington on May 17 to detail vital policy steps for the cement industry to continue cutting long-term CO2 emissions.
The timely visit comes as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) starts to gather on-the-ground momentum and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) finds itself under Congressional scrutiny. It also takes place as the industry enters the second year of implementing PCA’s Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality, which provides a broad suite of actions and options – many of which need policy support – for the entire cement-concrete-construction value chain to reach net zero.
PCA and its members are calling on Congress and federal agencies to:
- Advance vital permitting reform that allows PCA members to meet their carbon neutrality goals and the administration’s climate goals – especially regarding carbon capture technology.
- Increase the use of alternative fuels in cement plants by removing regulatory barriers.
- Ensure industry exemptions for Buy America provisions in the IIJA are maintained per the legislation’s original intent.
- Reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration before September 30, 2023.
- Continue the robust funding of Department of Energy research, design and deployment of carbon capture technologies.
“By passing landmark legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress has placed cement at the heart of its long-term climate and infrastructure ambitions. These goals cannot be reached without carbon neutral cement, but the industry cannot reach carbon neutrality without help from Congress,” said Mike Ireland, president and CEO of PCA. “The industry needs the right policies, from permitting reform to carbon capture funding, that will allow it to become more sustainable. Our success is their success, and we look forward to working together to make that happen.”
The cement, concrete and related industries directly and indirectly employ nearly 600,000 people and contribute more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy every year.
