Legislation In Favor of Construction and Cement Industy

Legislation has been hard at work passing Acts and Bills in favor for the construction  and cement industry. The Clean Construction Act of 2011 will reduce the amount of emissions from diesel construction equipment at major highway projects in most populated areas. The AGC of America and the non-profit Clean Air Task Force signaled strong support for this act.

"This proposal will help safeguard construction jobs and rebuild our aging network of highways and bridges while protecting the environment," said Stephen E. Sandherr, chief executive officer of the AGC of America. "It reflects an appreciation of the fact that how we build infrastructure is often as important as where we build it."

Emissions from older equipment can be reduced by up to 85 percent with the installation of cost-effective technology, and newly manufactured diesel-powered vehicles and equipment are becoming cleaner every day.

Additionally, to the Clean Construction Act of 2011 the House approves to block Environmental Protection Agency. This forces the EPA to rewrite three new rules targeting cement makers. The three new rules targeting cement makers enforce strict emission requirements and modify regulations of solid waste. These rules could have resulted in the loss of 3,000-4,000 jobs in the cement industry. The bill will provide additional time and guidance to EPA to issue achievable standards for cement manufacturing facilities. The AGC of America sent a letter to the Hill October 4^th in support of the legislation.