Wow! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did something good for the industry. The EPA will give the Portland Cement Association (PCA) more than $2.4 million to lead a project that will improve both the quantity and quality of industry Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). It’s one of 38 grants that the EPA announced.
EPDs are the most widely used tool by cement producers to measure the potential environmental impact of cement.
The project was developed by PCA in partnership with the American Coal Ash Association, the Natural Pozzolan Association, and the Slag Cement Association. It will significantly boost the number of facility specific EPDs for cementitious materials, which will upgrade the quality of information available for consumers.
The PCA is not the only cementitious materials association to receive funding. The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association was awarded a five-year, $9.65 million grant. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association secured a $9.63 million grant. The National Precast Concrete Association, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute and American Concrete Pipe Association will receive a $9.975 million grant.
Producers also grabbed the cash. Heidelberg Materials North America was selected to receive up to $5 million in funding to create a robust, web-based tool that can help ready-mix concrete, cement and aggregate facilities to quickly produce high-quality EPDs.
“Getting the EPA’s approval to move forward with this project is representative of PCA’s environmental efforts coming full circle,” said Mike Ireland, PCA president and CEO. “Two years ago, our association advocated strongly for the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which included the most provisions ever to combat global warming.
“The IRA did pass, and today, some of that funding is making this project possible. We’ll be communicating more environmental impact data in a more detailed fashion throughout the industry, which should help us to hasten our pace toward carbon neutrality,” Ireland said.
“America’s cement manufacturers have spent millions of dollars for decades on state-of-the-art equipment to reduce emissions and are continuing the research and development of lower-carbon cements, alternative fuels and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) systems,” PCA said.
Let’s let the technology being put in place work for carbon reduction before considering any more big-stick enforcement.
Mark S. Kuhar, editor
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(330) 722‐4081
X: @editormarkkuhar
