NRMCA e-news

World leaders who gathered in Paris earlier this month for the annual multinational gathering to address climate change discussed how best to establish a course of action to stabilize greenhouse gases. Buildings, in their construction and operation, are solely responsible for 30 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, making them one of the greatest contributors to climate change. Considering the industry's impact on the environment and its opportunities to support resilience and reduce worldwide energy demand, the U.N. designated its first ever "Buildings Day," on Thursday, December 3. The day-long event involved presentations, panels and speeches on public policies and financial solutions to reduce carbon emissions within the sector in the hopes of aligning initiatives, organizations, partnerships and programs to achieve greater scale and accelerate actions.

Students graduating from Middle Tennessee State University's Concrete (MTSU) Industry Management department had much to celebrate after finals last week, university officials said in a press release. Fourteen of 19 graduates will have a starting salary averaging nearly $53,500, nearly $8,100 more than an MTSU concrete graduate’s average starting salary of $45,347. The remaining five grads are mulling offers. The first and one of only four such programs nationwide, concrete industry management is one of MTSU’s signature offerings. It is a joint initiative between MTSU and industry leaders, providing opportunities to enter a broad field that has a need for skilled professionals, the release stated.

We've seen concrete houses of all shapes and sizes, but nothing with quite as slim a profile as this design in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, by local design studio Kubota Architect Atelier. Set on a sloped, mountainside site, the house consists of six razor-thin slabs of concrete, arranged to form retaining walls, floor plates and a roof. The multi-story residence, which clocks in at 1,937 square feet (180 square meters) has killer views, too, thanks to broad windows and glazing that frame views of the valley below. Inside, minimally adorned spaces let the rugged textures of the concrete really take center stage.

A new YouTube video gives an excellent overview the before, during and after of a parking lot concrete overlay, reports Jon Hansen, NRMCA senior vice president, local paving. In less than 4 minutes you can see the existing asphalt condition before the overlay, the construction of the overlay with some full depth transition/replacement sections and then a final "after view" of the completed project.

NRMCA member Swederski Concrete Construction, Inc. of Spring Grove, IL, recently completed the project in Lake Zurich, IL. The video was produced and posted by Joe Swederski and includes still photos, GoPro footage and drone video.

NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Phil Kresge recently met with representatives from the Public Works Department at Dahlgren Naval Base in Dahlgren, VA, to provide training on proper maintenance and operations of pervious concrete pavement. The training session was initiated by Robert Minx, of John C. Grimberg Co., a defense contractor working on the base, and by Hessam Nabavi of the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association. Having been involved in a very recently completed 26,000 square foot pervious concrete parking lot on the base, both Minx and Nabavi felt the timing was perfect to educate the appropriate individuals on proper maintenance and winter care of the pavement.

Kresge’s presentation highlighted the NRMCA’s Pervious Concrete Pavement Maintenance and Operations Guide. Additionally, he provided guidance on proper implementation of ASTM C1701: Standard Test Method for Infiltration Rate of In-Place Pervious Concrete. The public works officers were very thankful for the training session and now feel much more comfortable about their ability to maintain the pavement properly.

New recommendations based on National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) research on improved buildings and shelters were approved at a recent International Code Council (ICC) meeting, reports NRMCA Vice President, Sustainability, Codes and Standards Tien Peng. The improved requirements will be published in ICC's 2018 International Building Code (IBC) and 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) and will apply to the nation's most tornado-prone regions, from northern Texas to central Minnesota and from western Oklahoma to western Pennsylvania.

According to NIST's news release, they will require enhanced protection for new school buildings and additions to buildings on existing school campuses, as well as facilities associated with schools where people regularly assemble, such as a gymnasium, theater or community center. Storm shelters must be provided that protect all occupants from storms with wind speeds of 250 mph, representing the maximum-intensity category EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Concrete shelters meet the requirements for occupant life safety and health requirements.

The May 22, 2011, Joplin tornado, rated EF–5 on the Enhanced Fujita tornado intensity scale, caused 161 fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries, making it the deadliest single tornado on record in the U.S. since official records were begun in 1950.

The nomination deadline for the NRMCA Promoter of the Year, State Affiliate Promoter of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion awards are being extended to January 15, 2016. These awards will be presented at the association’s annual convention in San Diego, March 13-15,  2016. Nominees for Promoter of the Year must be current employees of NRMCA Producer members; nominees for the Lifetime Achievement Award must be former employees of NRMCA member companies who are retired or deceased and nominees for the State Affiliate Promoter of the Year must be a current employee of the Affiliate and have worked in the industry for at least five years. You can help industry promotion champions get deserved recognition by nominating them for these  prestigious awards.

The most recent award winners are Theron Tobolski, formerly of Prairie Materials (Promoter of the Year), Jereme Montgomery, Nebraska Concrete & Aggregates Association (State Affiliate Promoter of the Year) and Mike Shydlowski (in 2013), retired from BASF (Lifetime Achievement).

NRMCA’s 2016 Safety Course has been scheduled for March 14-16 in Des Moines, IA. This 2.5-day course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance. It begins with why safety is so important and details the reasons why an effective safety program actually saves money through loss prevention and control. Participants learn about electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, personal protective equipment, fire fighting and evacuation, maintenance shop safety, chute handling, fleet safety, pre-trip inspection and more.

FMCSA Finalizes New Driver Coercion Rule – In late November, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) finalized a rule to prohibit the coercing of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers from violating any of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). This new rule, effective January 29, 2016, applies to "motor carriers, shippers, receivers, or transportation intermediaries" and other CMV drivers. Among the rules included in the FMCSRs covered under this rule are hours of service (HOS), drug and alcohol testing.

Click here for more information and how to file a coercion complaint. Click here to view the Federal Register notice.

FMCSA to Require Passenger Seat Belt Use in CMVs – On December 10, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed a new rule to require passengers traveling in commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) on public roads to wear seat belts. Currently, CMVs required to operate under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) are required to have seat belts installed in the CMV with their use required only by the CMV driver as per the FMCSRs. However, absent from the regulations is a requirement for any passenger to also use the mandatory seat belt installation. The proposal would revise the standard to expand to CMV passengers as well. FMCSA is accepting comments on the proposal until January 25, 2016.

Click here to view the proposal.

EPA Unveils New eDisclosure Tool – On December 9, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created a new online disclosure program; an "eDisclosure portal to receive and automatically process self-disclosed civil violations of environmental law." The new automated system can be used by both small and large businesses to "resolve certain routine types of disclosures." EPA estimates the modernization of the system will streamline the process and save time and money for both EPA and businesses. Two caveats to eDisclose include not being able to submit confidential business information and it cannot be used for new owner disclosures.

Government Accountability Office: EPA Violated Anti-Lobbying Laws on WOTUS – On December 14, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report concluding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated multiple laws that prevent EPA from lobbying on behalf of its own actions. In particular, the GAO report stated that EPA’s use of social media and other grassroots lobbying activities EPA engaged in to promote its "Waters of the US" (WOTUS) rule in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 were illegal. EPA, however, maintains that its use of social media is necessary to fulfill EPA’s mission.

FAA Now Requires Drone Registration – On December 14, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a final rule to require recreational unmanned aircraft system users (UAS or "Drones") to register their drones through the newly created UAS registry. While the rule is specific to only "individual recreational or hobby users" the FAA has noted that drones used in connection with a business still need to register using the current paper-based system; however, an online registry for business use is in the works.

NRMCA's Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year Award acknowledges the significant contribution of ready mixed concrete truck drivers to the growth and success of individual companies and the ready mixed concrete industry. As a salute to these key members of the concrete production and delivery team, the award recognizes the driver’s career achievement, safety, professionalism, competence and customer service skills in a manner that will enhance the industry and public image of the career Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional. The 2015 Ready Mixed Concrete Truck Driver of the Year Award winner will be honored at an awards presentation ceremony at NRMCA’s Annual Convention in San Diego in April 2016. All nomination applications are due no later than December 31, 2015.

 

Earlier this month, NRMCA under its rigorous product certification program certified the first-ever Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for cement in North America. San Antonio, TX-based Capitol Aggregates published an EPD for five cement products manufactured at its San Antonio cement plant using NRMCA as the EPD Program Operator. The company, a long-time member of NRMCA, is a strong regional supplier of aggregates and cement since 1957.

Developing and certifying EPDs requires a product manufacturer to go through a detailed process of conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) of plant operations and product inputs followed by an extensive review by independent LCA professionals. NRMCA’s EPD Program follows the Product Category Rule for Portland, Blended Hydraulic, Masonry, Mortar, and Plastic (Stucco) Cements published by ASTM International. As is required by the international standards, the EPDs verified by NRMCA are published on NRMCA’s Web site.

This new achievement follows a September 2015 milestone when NRMCA certified its 2,000th concrete EPD, by far the most of any building product category. Established in 2012, NRMCA’s EPD Program aims to help concrete producers and concrete product suppliers, including cement manufacturers, meet new requirements in green building rating systems such as LEED v4 and other standards, including the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products. EPDs are third-party verified reports published by product manufacturers that provide quality-assured and comparable information regarding environmental performance of their products.

Architects and engineers are requesting EPDs for building products as a way to demonstrate reduction in the environmental impacts of the building projects they design. With EPDs, they can objectively compare the environmental impacts of the products they specify against an industry benchmark, or average. NRMCA was one of the first industry groups to publish an industry wide EPD and industry benchmarks.

For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.

Media articles on Congress, transportation infrastructure, regulation, taxes and other subjects, each of which relate to the ready mixed concrete industry, are updated each week by NRMCA's Government Affairs staff. To access the most recent compilation of articles for December 14 - 18, 2015, please click here.

On December 18, Congress passed a $1.15 trillion omnibus appropriations bill as well as a tax extenders package. The omnibus bill consolidates all 12 appropriations bills for the 2016 fiscal year into one large spending package. Both measures are coupled into one massive bill (HR 2029), the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016. One major victory for Republicans in the bill is repeal of the 40-year old ban on crude oil exports. In exchange for repealing the crude oil export ban, Democrats negotiated to extend expiring renewable energy tax breaks. The bill also contains a provision to extend the suspension of the Federal Motor Carrier Service Administration (FMCSA) hours of service (HOS) regulations on the 34-hour restart rule. The 34-hour restart rule was issued in 2013 and mandates that during the 34-hour restart period a driver must take two breaks between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. and limit those breaks to once per week. Additionally, the provision requires FMCSA to conduct a study on the rule’s safety and health benefits. 

The tax extenders package extends or makes permanent several tax breaks for businesses and individuals. Also included in the bill are two major victories benefiting the ready mixed concrete industry on bonus depreciation and Section 179 expensing limits which bring much needed certainty to the industry. Specifically, the bill extends the 50 percent bonus depreciation for property purchased in 2015 through 2019. For years 2015, 2016 and 2017, the bonus depreciation is 50 percent and phases down to 40 percent for 2018 and 30 percent for 2019. The bill also permanently extends Section 179 expensing limits and phase-out amounts that were in place from 2010 through 2014 at $500,000 and $2 million, respectively. NRMCA worked in a coalition led by the Associated Equipment Distributors to ensure that these provisions would be included in the final package. NRMCA also joined 22 other associations to sign onto a letter urging Congress to include these provisions in the bill.

 

January 13 - 15, Orlando, FL

Dispatcher Training Forum

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

January 20-21, Webinar

Building Green with Concrete

Email: Tien Peng or 206-913-8535

 

January 26 - 29, Omaha, NE

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

January 27, Free Webinar

Performance–Based Specifications

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

February 8 - 12, Des Moines, IA

Regional Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

February 23 - 25, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

February 23 - 26, Honolulu

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

February 24, Atlanta

Handling Concrete Specifications

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

March 22 - 24, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

April 5 - 8, Birmingham, AL

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

April 10 - 12, San Diego

NRMCA's Annual Convention

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

May 15 - 18, Washington, DC

International Concrete Sustainability & Self-Compacting Concrete Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101