... ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

EPA Releases Energy Performance
Indicator for Cement Manufacturing

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week released an energy performance indicator (EPI) for cement manufacturing.

The EPI was developed as part of the EPA Energy Star Program, focused on industrial processes. The tool is designed to be used by U.S. cement manufacturers to compare the energy efficiency of individual plants to that of the cement industry as a whole.

PCA has worked closely with EPA over the past two years to develop the tool in conjunction with Argonne National Laboratory. The EPI is a component of the cement industry's voluntary climate change program, and will enable cement manufacturers to further enhance the energy efficiency of cement manufacturing process.

The improvements have a direct impact on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per ton of cement or clinker produced by the industry.

Click here to read the EPA press release on the topic.

Click here to download a copy of the Energy Performance Indicator.

Contact: Andy O'Hare.

Highway Administration Reinstitutes Report on Bridge Construction, Rehabilitation

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) officially announced this week the availability of the Annual Materials Report on New Bridge Construction and Bridge Rehabilitation on its website. .

Last published in July 1999, the report provides bridge construction and rehabilitation information by bridge type, such as concrete, prestressed concrete, steel (both all steel and steel/concrete), timber, and masonry. The data is listed by state for FY 2003 and 2004. FHWA will issue this data annually.

Per the request of the National Concrete Bridge Council, PCA's Washington, D.C., office was able to have the requirement for this annual report made a part of the SAFETEA-LU highway legislation.

For more information, contact: John Sullivan or David Hubbard.

Comment Period Closed For Exemption Request

The public comment period closed yesterday for interested parties to submit information on the exemption request that NRMCA made on behalf of ready mixed concrete producers working to rebuild the Gulf States affected in last year's hurricanes.

NRMCA sought an alternative record-of-duty status for mixer drivers to submit while traveling interstate to deliver ready mixed concrete. Several parties, including state associations representing ready mixed concrete producers, supported the request by submitting comments.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will continue to receive comments if they are deemed appropriate for consideration by the agency. FMCSA will then make a decision about whether to grant the exemption request.

For more information, contact: Tom Harman or Robert Sullivan.

Senate, House Recess Until September

Reminder: The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are observing their annual August recess, which continues through the Labor Day weekend. Both chambers reconvene on Tuesday, September 6.

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