Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. With the first half of 2012 experiencing favorable weather conditions, gains in residential and nonresidential construction activity and robust gains in cement intensities, the new PCA forecast nearly doubles the expected increase in cement consumption for the year. The association’s revised its spring forecast upward, anticipating a 6.9 percent increase in 2012 from 2011…
Read MoreCategory: Latest
EPA to hold NESHAP public meeting in Dallas
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. Acting on a request from the Dallas-area environmental group Downwinders at Risk, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing on its proposed rule, ‘‘National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants’’ (July 18, 2012 Federal Register), commonly known…
Read MoreCemex launches latest ready-mix brand for sustainable building
Source: Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico Mexican construction materials giant Cemex recently launched its latest global ready-mix concrete brand, Insularis, offering a portfolio of construction solutions and products designed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, thus intensifying the company’s commitment to bring about industry-transforming sustainable construction practices. Insularis is already being offered in Mexico and France, and the…
Read MoreCement Totals—May 2012
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico were almost 7.5 million mt in May 2012, according to the USGS. This was 15.9 percent higher compared with shipments for May 2011. Shipments for the year through May were 29.4 million mt, up about 18 percent for the same…
Read MoreFlawed highway bill stabilizes flat funding levels through 2014
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 MorePCA 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 More