NRMCA’s 2017 Sponsorship Package is Now Available

 

RMC Foundation Releases Year-End Newsletter

 

Tell Your Member of Congress to Oppose the Timber Innovation Act

Earlier this year, the Timber Innovation Act (S 2892/HR 5628) was introduced, authorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to place "mass timber" as the material of choice for all tall building structures exceeding 85 feet. The bill advocates the acceleration of research and development (R&D), education, marketing, technical assistance, training and promotion of engineered, cross-laminated timber (CLT's). The bill will give the wood industry a market share advantage above all other structurally sound materials in tall building structures.

 

NRMCA-Backed Water Bill Advances in Congress

House and Senate negotiators have agreed on a $170 water bill that they hope to send to President Obama for final signature into law before week’s end. The "Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation Act," S. 612, authorizes the needs of America’s harbors, locks, dams, flood protection and other water resources infrastructure, and also helps strengthen the nation’s economic competitiveness. It authorizes $10.6 billion in funding for 30 Army Corps of Engineers' water infrastructure projects in 17 states, including drinking water infrastructure programs as well as waterways and flood control systems.

 

Deadline Approaching for 2017 Kids Art Contest

NRMCA is now accepting entries for its 2017 Kids Art Contest, sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. The theme for the contest is "Build with Strength - Building to Withstand the Test of Time." The contest is open to children up to grade 12 who have a relationship with an NRMCA member.

 

While tragic wildfires in Tennessee rage on this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has spent over $1 billion to help households recover from natural disasters. But it should be noted that there are no limits on the number of times a household can apply, so the program isn't just a safety net; for some people, it's effectively a subsidy to live in areas that are especially vulnerable to hurricanes, floods and storm surges. This begs the question, if FEMA stops or seriously cuts back funding, will people move away from areas prone to disaster? Shouldn’t they just build more resilient homes and buildings?

 

Webinar to Address New System Level EPD Program

NRMCA has verified a system level Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) program to help members meet new product transparency credits in green building standards. Benefiting from advances in software services, the ability to generate EPDs more efficiently is available to concrete producers. The program meets international standards for EPD verification and streamlines the verification process more efficiently, including reviewing life-cycle assessments (LCA) that is generated from the on-demand EPD software. Various software providers can integrate LCA impacts of mix designs to generate EPDs when desired. The software and underlying life cycle data for each mix is reviewed and verified prior to being published in NRMCA’s EPD program. From this point forward, concrete producers have the opportunity to generate EPDs on-demand from plants that integrate EPD software.

 

ICF Construction Receives High Marks at Military School Project

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) is charged with building the next generation of schools for children of military personnel. "DoDEA’s wide-sweeping educational facility reform stems from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ desire to fulfill two major priorities: foster an intelligent, more efficient, lighter, quicker military supported by 21st century soldiers; and attract the best and brightest military personnel by building the best school facilities possible for their children." To accomplish the latter goal, the project team relied on VMDO Architects, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Gregg Lewis. VMDO recently completed a new Arlington, VA, Discovery Elementary School as the state's first Net Zero Energy School. Discovery Elementary was built using Insulated Concrete Forms and was built for less than the Arlington Country School Board had allocated for its construction.

 

Federal Officials Establish Drug/Alcohol Test Clearinghouse for CDL Drivers

Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a final rule establishing a database/clearinghouse containing "information about violations of FMCSA’s drug and alcohol testing program for the holders of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).

 

NRMCA Seeks Nominations for 2017 Driver of the Year

 

New Workshop for Senior RMC Operations Managers Set for February

 

Registration Continues for Effective Supervisor Course in January

 

Latest Edition of National Concrete Consortium Newsletter is Now Available

 

Technical Short Course Awards Number of Certifications

 

A Look Ahead

 

Coastal California City Mandates Net Zero Energy for Residential Construction

Santa Monica, CA, recently became the first city in the world to require zero net energy (ZNE) construction for all new single-family homes, reports NRMCA's Tien Peng. Policies such as this can support the use of concrete products such as Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) as a proven solution for energy efficiency in the residential market. The new rule also calls for new multifamily and commercial buildings to reduce their energy consumption to 10% below the rates set in the 2016 California Energy Code. The CALGreen standard referenced by the Santa Monica ordinance defines ZNE construction as resulting in a building where the value of the energy produced on-site by renewable energy technologies and the value of the energy consumed annually by the building are equal.