Cement Americas

WIN 2015

Cement Americas provides comprehensive coverage of the North and South American cement markets from raw material extraction to delivery and tranportation to end user.

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CEMENT AMERICAS • Winter 2015 • www.cementamericas.com 8 CEMENTSCOPE EPA to Regulate Fly Ash as 'Non-Hazardous' Material On Dec. 19, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first national regulations to pro- vide for the safe disposal of coal com- bustion residuals from coal-fired power plants, strengthening manage- ment guidelines for impoundment- or landfill-bound material while support- ing responsible recycling practices best exemplified in ASTM C618-grade fly ash processing and marketing. "EPA is taking action to protect our com- munities from the risk of mismanaged coal ash disposal units, and putting in place safeguards to help prevent the next catastrophic coal ash impoundment failure, which can cost millions for local businesses, communities and states," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. American Road & Transportation Builders Association said in a statement that the decision to not regulate fly ash as a haz- ardous material was a victory for the transportation construction industry. "Since EPA announced in 2007 it was considering regulating fly ash as a 'haz- ardous material,' ARTBA has consistently opposed the designation in both the reg- ulatory and legislative arenas. Specifi- cally, ARTBA filed multiple sets of comments with EPA, supported federal legislation preventing a 'hazardous' label for fly ash, and testified at public hear- ings held by EPA. Further, in 2011 ARTBA's Transportation Development Foundation released a landmark study concluding the cost to build roads, run- ways and bridges would increase by an estimated $104.6 billion over the next 20 years if fly ash was no longer available as a transportation construction building material. ARTBA applauded the EPA de- cision to not unnecessarily increase the cost of sorely needed transportation im- provements by designating fly ash as a 'hazardous substance.'" In response to comments received on the proposal, the final rule makes a number of changes by providing greater clarity on technical require- ments for coal ash landfills and sur- face impoundments under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Re- covery Act (RCRA), the nation's pri- mary law for regulating solid waste. Implementation of these technical re- quirements will be reported through comprehensive and regular disclosure to states and communities to enable them to monitor and oversee these require- ments. The rule requires that power plant owners and operators provide de- tailed information to citizens and states to fully understand how their communi- ties may be impacted. The rule sets out new transparency requirements, includ- ing recordkeeping and reporting re- quirements, as well as the requirement for each facility to post specific informa- tion to a publicly-accessible website. This final rule also supports the re- sponsible recycling of fly ash by distin- guishing safe, beneficial use from disposal. In 2012, almost 40 percent of all fly ash produced was recycled (beneficially used), rather than dis- posed. Beneficial use can produce pos- itive environmental, economic and performance benefits such as reduced use of virgin resources, lower green- house gas emissions, reduced cost of ash disposal, and improved strength and durability of materials. PCA Forecast Sees Continued Growth for U.S. Cement Industry Despite a late start to the construction season and weaker than expected hous- ing start numbers, a recently released re- port from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) shows that cement consumption in the United States will meet 2014 forecast expectations. PCA's cement forecast remains essen- tially unchanged since the September forecast. "The United States' cement market is expected to grow 8.2 percent in 2014, followed by similar rates of growth in 2015 and 2016," said PCA Chief Economist and Group Vice Presi- dent Edward Sullivan. "However, minor adjustments have been made regard- ing the construction sub-sectors. Housing starts, for example, have been trimmed slightly compared to forecasts released earlier in 2014." While single-family housing starts are not reaching projected levels, the report indi- cates a new emphasis on multifamily starts. Demographic trends and strict mortgage standards are pushing more potential homebuyers into rental units. Additionally, the oil price environment has changed significantly since the summer and these new impacts have been inte- grated into the forecast projections for the paving sector. Going forward, Sullivan noted that the underlying economic fundamentals are strengthening and are reflected in the labor market. Sustained gains in monthly job creation, stronger state and local tax receipts, more favorable return on investments for commercial building and stronger household formation can lead to stronger construction spending in 2015.

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