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Association & Industry News
You are invited to attend a webinar next Tuesday, August 10, from 1 - 2 p.m. Eastern time, to learn how the rules to earn a CDL will change on February 7, 2022. They could positively affect producers’ mixer driver hiring practices. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) two primary lead specialists will first take a deep dive into the key provisions of the 2016 Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) final rule, including who is subject to it and what must done to comply with the rule. They will follow with an in-depth overview of the ELDT Training Provider Registry (TPR). This new federal information technology system allows driving schools as well as companies (producers) that have their own internal CDL schools to sign up as registered providers. As registered providers, they will be able to submit their students’ proof of training. The webinar will conclude with an overview of various compliance materials already developed to assist in the registration process and your Q&A’s. Click here to register. For more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. The early bird registration deadline for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2021 is Wednesday, August 25. Register by that date and save more than $100 off the regular registration fees. Registration fees, except for a-la-carte registrations, include access to NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks, registration materials, attendance at education sessions and social functions. The CONCRETEPAC and RMC Research & Education Foundation fundraisers and some spouse/guest activities require a separate registration form and fee. Exhibit space is still available for this year’s event. Reserve your space in the expo hall by completing the Exhibitor Application and returning it to NRMCA along with the required payment. Exhibit space is assigned by exhibition management on a first-come, first-served basis. Exhibit space costs and information can be found in the exhibitor prospectus. For more information, please contact Senior Director of Meetings Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org. Click here to access registration, hotel reservation information, the exhibitor prospectus and more. 
SEO
Last Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corp. of Engineers (Corp) made good on their June 9 announcement to redo the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The agencies stated they plan to “revise the definition of “WOTUS to better ensure clean and safe water for all.” The agencies continued, “EPA and Army are committed to developing a reasonable, effective, and durable definition of WOTUS that protects public health, the environment, and downstream communities while supporting economic opportunity, agriculture, and other industries.” Specifically, the agencies announced a series of public listening sessions throughout the month of August to hear from stakeholders “on their perspectives on defining "waters of the United States" and how to implement that definition as the agencies pursue this process.” The five different listening sessions will be held virtually from August 18 through August 31, with the possibility of a sixth being added on September 2. In addition to providing verbal comments on the WOTUS redo, the agencies will also be accepting written comments into September. The agencies have stated that their redo efforts are two-pronged. Their effort will consist of two different rulemakings, including an impending rule that “would restore the regulations defining WOTUS that were in place for decades until 2015, with updates to be consistent with relevant Supreme Court decisions.” And a subsequent rule “would refine this regulatory foundation and establish an updated and durable definition of “waters of the United States.” NRMCA is currently scheduled for multiple listening sessions to advocate for beneficial industry outcomes with any new WOTUS rule. NRMCA will continue to monitor the agencies’ actions on WOTUS and advocate for an outcome similar to the 2020 WOTUS rule. Click here to review the EPA press release and here to review the public listening dates and times, and/or to register to speak. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published the formal withdrawal of its Joint Employer Rule promulgated under the Trump Administration and which was supported by NRMCA. The recission, which becomes effective on September 28, could leave the door open for an imminent replacement rule. Previous rule rewrites have erroneously attempted to more closely tie employers to worker and workplace violations that certain employers may not have direct control over. NRMCA will be working independently and with industry partners to monitor and advocate for beneficial industry outcomes. Click here to review the Joint Employer Recission Federal Register notice and here to review the DOL news release. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
On Monday, August 2, the Senate began consideration of the bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House. Text of the legislation was released on Sunday night. The bill includes a five year, $475 billion surface reauthorization comprised of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee-passed bill funding roads and bridges and the Senate Commerce Committee-passed safety and rail title, as well as a negotiated transit title that did not pass the Senate Banking Committee. On top of the surface reauthorization, the bill adds $576 billion in infrastructure funding, including an additional $110 billion for roads and bridges, $66 billion for rail, $39 billion for transit and $25 billion for airports. The legislation is generally in line with the reauthorization and infrastructure priorities of the NRMCA Government Affairs Committee; it provides robust funding, a five-year reauthorization and is a bipartisan product produced through a bipartisan process. The bill also contains a number of ready mixed concrete priorities, including dedicated funding for bridge repair and replacement, funding for major projects and a provision that will codify many of the Trump Administration’s improvements to federal permitting. More importantly, this legislation does not include many of the possible poison pills included in the House-passed surface bill, such as an increase in mandated minimum truck insurance levels, review of the 2020 Hours of Service rules, restrictions on construction of new capacity and labor policies like the PRO Act. Click here to view an update on the package hosted by NRMCA’s Government Affairs team. Click here to send your Member of Congress a letter urging them to pass the bipartisan infrastructure deal. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. The estimated ready mixed concrete produced in May 2021 is 33.7 million cubic yards, 5.6% higher than that in May 2020. The estimated production in the U.S. through May is 148 million cubic yards, approximately 6.5% higher than that during the same period in 2020. Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. More detail is available here for NRMCA members under “Production Statistics.” The RMC Research & Education Foundation is excited for the return of the Walk for Wellness as part of NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2021. Registration is now open from the Walk’s informational page. The Walk will again take place in conjunction with NRMCA’s National Truck Mixer Driver Championship, scheduled for Saturday, October 2. Registration is $25 and is tax deductible as a donation to the Foundation. Sponsorships are also available for this event and are another terrific way to demonstrate your company’s support for the Foundation and the industry. The sponsorship form may be accessed here. Thank you to Lehigh Hanson, Master Builders Solutions and GCP Applied Technologies for their sponsorship of the event. For more information, please contact Foundation Senior Director Jennifer LeFevre at jlefevre@rmc-foundation.org or at 571-235-6247. 
Buildings
The team of Dominic DiCenzo, executive director of the Connecticut Concrete Promotion Council, and Build With Strength’s own Doug O’Neill partnered on several architect presentations last week as well as dropping in on the continued construction of the first ICF elementary school in the state of Connecticut. DiCenzo and O’Neill (seen here during a presentation with architects) generated at least one Design Assistance Project opportunity while also providing AIA-accredited presentations on the Top 10 Ways to Reduce Concrete’s Carbon Footprint and ICF’s for Multifamily Construction to three architectural firms in the state. The construction at the Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield (also seen here) is ongoing and DiCenzo is working closely with the district's Municipal Building Commission to schedule a site tour event to showcase the construction process. In addition to the school project, DiCenzo will be continuing his “Coffee and Concrete” tours with a couple of residential projects in the upcoming months. For more information, contact Doug O'Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.
News Links
An August 3 article by Randolph Kirchain, codirector of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, and Hessam Azarijafari, a postdoctoral associate at the Hub, published by The Boston Globe outlines how cool pavements can play a role in fighting climate change, particularly in Boston. Citing CSHub research, it discussed how the implementation of cool pavements across the city would lower peak summer air temperatures by 3°F while reducing the city’s emissions by 1-3%. Moreover, it mentioned how use phase impacts, including those from better road quality due to cool paving surfaces like concrete, contribute to these overall emissions reductions. Ultimately, it argued that to fight extreme heat, Boston should look beyond conventional cooling strategies and also consider paving with ‘cooler’ materials. 
Don’t miss out on the few remaining sponsorship opportunities for the 15th National Mixer Driver Championship. Still left to claim are opportunities for the Driver Briefing, Driver Position Reception and Awards Banquet. Click here to review what’s still available and lock in your spot today; sponsorship opportunities close this Friday, August 6. For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org. NRMCA’s Think First monthly safety initiatives feature different industry-specific safety items relevant to seasons, current topics and/or industry concerns. The initiatives are meant to be shared, used as a training tool, printed, posted and/or distributed; all of which are encouraged. This month’s issue seen here is titled Forklift Safety…It’s Uplifting. Click here to view this month’s selection and previous Think First topics. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.  Government Affairs
On Wednesday, July 28, the Senate confirmed President Biden’s two nominees to the National Labor Relations Board - Gwynne Wilcox and David Prouty. The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), of which NRMCA is an active member, opposed both nominees. Wilcox, a union attorney, was approved with a vote of 52-47. All Senate Democrats along with Republicans Collins (ME) and Murkowski (AK) voted to confirm her. She will immediately join the Board, filling the currently vacant Democrat seat and bringing the Board to a 3-2 Republican majority. Prouty, general counsel for a large SEIU local, was approved 53-46. All Democrats and Republicans Collins, Murkowski, and Sullivan (AK) voted to confirm him. Prouty will join the Board at the end of August, when Republican member William Emanuel’s term expires. Once Prouty takes his seat, the Board will have a 3-2 Democrat majority. We will likely see a dramatic change in policy from the Board at that time. As Democratic Chair Lauren McFerran stated, she believed the Trump NLRB appointees took too narrow an approach to labor law and that the law "as it is written now should correctly be read far more broadly in a variety of ways.” CDW will continue to monitor the Board for any new decisions issued before Prouty takes his seat and the policy changes that are expected to follow. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. 
Calendar
Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. August 10, Online Webinar August 10, Online Course August 18, Free Virtual Conference September 10-17, Online Course September 15, Free Virtual Conference September 29 - October 3, Kissimmee, FL October 13, Free Virtual Conference October 18 - 20, Orlando, FL October 19 - 22, Dallas November 9 - 11, Dallas November 17, Free Virtual Conference November 30 - December 2, Orlando, FL December 7 - 10, Orlando, FL December 7 - 9, Dallas 
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