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NEWS AMERICAS American Infrastructure Rates a D+ The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and I Make America's 25,000 grassroots supporters nationwide responded to a grade of D+ assigned to the country's infrastructure conditions by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in its 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. On behalf of U.S. equipment manufacturers, AEM President Dennis Slater urged Congress to work together to immediately improve our infrastructure. "The D+ grade given to America by the ASCE 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure reflects a critical need for long-term infrastructure investment in this country," Slater said. "The state of America's infrastructure has become both an economic and safety issue, with one in nine of the nation's bridges rated as structurally deficient, and highway congestion costing the economy an estimated $101 billion in wasted time and fuel annually. We urge Congress to work together to immediately improve our infrastructure and keep our country competitive with our global counterparts on the infrastructure honor roll." Cemex Commissions 6.2 MW of Distributed Wind Turbines Cemex USA announced the commissioning of four General Electric wind turbines with a combined generating capacity of 6.2 MW at its cement plant located in Victorville in San Bernardino County, Calif. The commissioning is Cemex's second wind turbine project in the U.S. and will result in a total generating capacity of 7.2 MW statewide. In 2012, Cemex commissioned its first 1-MW wind turbine at its Cache Creek quarry located in Madison, Calif. The power generated from the wind turbines at the Victorville cement plant is equivalent to powering over 1,500 average-sized American households annually. The turbines, which have zero emissions, will prevent more than 11,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year. Approximately 6 percent of each facility's energy consumption will be produced by the turbine. "Our progress towards a more sus- tainable, energy-efficient and costeffective future is a top priority," said Karl Watson Jr., president of Cemex USA. "Cemex understands the value of using renewable energy for reducing the carbon footprint of our operations and is a successful model of its application in the industry." Cemex partnered with Foundation Windpower, a California-based distributed wind development company, for the development, construction, financing, and operation of the wind turbine. "This project demonstrates Cemex's commitment to find creative ways to save costs and comply with increasingly stringent air quality regulations in California," said Matt Wilson, CEO of Foundation Windpower. "If more companies could follow Cemex's visionary commitment to find new ways to operate industrial facilities in a sustainable fashion, then the world will be a better place." MIT Research Extends Fuel Efficiency Case A Massachusetts Institute of Technology report, "Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Estimating the Impact of Deflection-Induced Pavement-Vehicle Interaction on Fuel Consumption," cites the potential for $15 billion in annual fuel costs – plus attendant lower greenhouse gas emissions – tied to rigid pavement specifications. MIT researchers credit the potential fuel efficiency to deflection, a property they observed during vehicle and road interplay. Known as pavement-vehicle interaction, it is seen in deflection and two other forms: roughness and texture. Deflection refers to the small dent in the pavement a moving car creates. Equiva- 10 lent to a foot on sand, the dent fosters a slight but constant uphill climb, consuming more fuel. Concrete pavements, inherently stiffer than asphalt, can reduce deflection. By identifying means of reducing pavements' environmental footprint, MIT researchers hope to achieve a more sustainable national infrastructure. "The goal is to better understand the environmental impact of the roads we drive on every day," said Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Franz-Josef Ulm. "How does the interaction between the road and vehicle affect fuel consumption? The answer could lead to a new strategy for significantly improving fuel effi- ciency and reducing transportation emissions." In a previous study, MIT researchers found that using stiffer pavements decreases deflection and reduces fuel consumption by as much as 3 percent – a savings that could add up to 273 million barrels of crude oil per year, or $15.6 billion. Reducing fuel consumption is an important aspect of climate change mitigation, according to their report. The U.S. transportation sector alone burns more than 174 billion gallons of fuel annually, making up 27 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, as well as contributing to human health concerns like smog. CEMENT AMERICAS • Spring 2013 • www.cementamericas.com