NRMCA e-news

The good people in the Illinois community of Westmont are pretty excited and for good reason: part of the South Cumnor Road reconstruction project will include pervious concrete. Pervious concrete has been used for numerous alleys, driveways, parking lanes along roadways and parking lot projects, but never for an actual roadway in the region. "This project demonstrates our community’s commitment to addressing stormwater management concerns while maintaining an environmental-friendly approach," Westmont Mayor Ron Gunter said. "It’s exciting that Westmont is the first municipality in the state of Illinois to construct a pervious concrete street."

Every year, more than 9,000 Nebraskans are diagnosed with cancer, prompting NRMCA Producer member Kearney Concrete Company, which received the 2015 NRMCA Concrete Cares Award at the NRMCA Annual Convention in March, to help families by fundraising and sporting a little bit of color. It helped organize Concrete Cares of Nebraska, a non-profit organization that donates money to families battling all types of cancer, so it painted all their concrete trucks pink. "We did it to just make a stand and say we do care about cancer victims," said Kearney Concrete Company owner Stan Poff. "It's something that will touch everyone in their lives." The idea came from Poff's son, who is now battling leukemia.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and that adage extends to the concrete industry. In England, tours of post-war buildings dismissed by many as concrete monstrosities are being held by the National Trust to enlighten the public about a controversial era in architecture. Brutalism is the name of the movement that saw structures built from slabs of concrete, but many are beginning to think otherwise.

NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Phil Kresge recently spoke at the Washington Area Council of Engineering Laboratories (WACEL) luncheon meeting in Tysons Corner, VA, on Pervious Concrete as a Stormwater Management System with a special focus on specification and field testing. There is great interest in pervious concrete in the greater Washington area, in part due to newly revised stormwater regulations and also because of the impact that the area has on the Chesapeake Bay, Kresge said. The opportunity to present was facilitated by Hessam Nabavi from the Northern Virginia Advisory Council of the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (VRMCA).

Established in 1974, WACEL consists of engineering laboratories and inspection agencies. WACEL’s mission is to develop and implement programs to promote and improve quality among firms, organizations and individuals involved in construction observation, testing and special inspections. WACEL certification is required by several counties in Virginia and Maryland, as well as by the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the Naval Engineering Facilities Command (NAVFAC) Chesapeake Division.

A quality concrete finish is as important as the right concrete mix. Understanding the need to train trades people correctly and quickly are reasons why every concrete contractor, and those who supply those contractors, should have the American Society of Concrete Contractors' (ASCC) Concrete Finishing Training Program DVD as part of his or her education tool box. This 46-minute training video is a must see not only for those who place and finish concrete but also for those who sell concrete and related materials and need to understand the role of the concrete finisher.

The concrete overlay video mentioned in last week’s E-NEWS is now available for download in addition to viewing through YouTube. Thanks to NRMCA Producer member GCC for making these options available to NRMCA members and the concrete industry. NRMCA's Jon Hansen and Amanda Hult along with other concrete industry experts provide the commentary for this video.

Last Friday, the federal Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit by a vote of 2-1, at the request of 18 states, granted a stay of the controversial regulation which aims to clarify and expand the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) jurisdiction over U.S. waterways, a rule commonly known as "Waters of the US" or WOTUS. The court’s ruling, which suspends enforcement of the rule in all 50 states, is in response to disparate court rulings on the same issue in different states and jurisdictions. According to the court, a stay was necessary to maintain consistency with the application of the Clean Water Act while the rule continues to be litigated. This latest court ruling comes on the heels of an August 2015 ruling in which a federal district court in North Dakota granted an injunction requested by 13 states to halt WOTUS. That ruling however only applied to those 13 states.

The majority opinion stated, "A stay allows for a more deliberate determination whether this exercise of Executive power, enabled by Congress and explicated by the Supreme Court, is proper under the dictates of federal law. A stay temporarily silences the whirlwind of confusion that springs from uncertainty about the requirements of the new Rule and whether they will survive legal testing. A stay honors the policy of cooperative federalism that informs the Clean Water Act and must attend the shared responsibility for safeguarding the nation’s waters."

NRMCA submitted comments back in April 2014 on the then proposal stating that NRMCA remains "...concerned that the proposed rulemaking as currently written will further confuse and add additional legal and regulatory uncertainty to the ready mixed concrete industry and other businesses and regulated entities. Simply put, the proposed rule is too broad, imprecise, and leaves too much up to agency and third party interpretation to provide the regulated community with the certainty the agencies are seeking to give them." NRMCA continued to request that "...the agencies withdraw the rule and work with their state and local co-regulators, and stakeholders like NRMCA, to come up with a clearer definition of waters of the United States."

Earlier this week, NRMCA submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) congressionally mandated study analyzing how trucks impact our nation’s roadways. FHWA is collecting comments on the finalized study which will be incorporated into a report to be submitted to Congress later this year.

NRMCA’s comments highlighted the glaring lack of truck configurations considered in the study. FHWA made the determination to only consider trucks with five or more axles. NRMCA noted that such a shortsighted determination excludes a large segment of trucks on our nation’s roadways from the study, including 3- and 4-axle trucks which comprise roughly 70% of concrete mixer trucks operating in U.S. ready mixed concrete markets. NRMCA continued to argue that by deciding to not include such a large segment of trucks, FHWA’s study is incomplete and not representative of the true relationship trucks have to our nation’s roadways. 

NRMCA's free Green-Star Auditor Webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, from 2 – 3 p.m. Eastern time. This is a required Webinar to be an Accredited Green-Star Auditor. This Webinar explains the educational and work experience needed to be an Accredited Green-Star Auditor and along with the continuing educational requirements to keep the certification. The Accredited Green-Star Auditor certification is valid for three years at which time the auditor must reapply. A few handy templates are covered to assist the company in starting Green-Star. At the conclusion of the Webinar, the attendee will understand the requirements to be an accredited Green-Star Auditor and the expectations that accompany certification. This course earns 1 credit hour toward a CCPf certification.

 

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 October 5 - 9, 2015, please click here.

Earlier this week, the House passed HR 702, a bill aimed at adapting to changing crude oil market conditions. The bill passed the House by a vote of (261-159); it will lift the 40-year-old ban on exporting domestic crude oil. When the oil export ban was enacted in 1975 there was an eminent threat of an embargo from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC. However, according to House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), the threat of an embargo no longer exits and the U.S. economy would greatly benefit from lifting the decades old ban. There is opposition from several Democrats and the White House due to fear of an increase in fuel prices and job losses at U.S. refineries if the ban is lifted. The White House has issued a veto threat of the bill, stating the legislation "is not needed at this time" and will oppose any measure to lift the current export ban.

A similar bill to lift the export ban was passed on October 1 in the Senate Banking Committee by a vote of (13-9). Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) was the lone Democrat supporting passage of the bill. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee also passed a bill out of committee to lift the export ban in September by a vote of (12-10). Floor time for both measures has yet to be determined in the Senate partially due to the White House’s veto threat and the time needed to reach at least 60 votes needed for final passage. NRMCA supports lifting the export ban and recently signed onto a letter with the Energy Equipment and Infrastructure Alliance (EEIA) in support of the House bill, HR 702.

Click here to view the EEIA letter of support. For more information, contact NRMCA’s Jill Landry at jlandry@nrmca.org.

On Wednesday, November 4, from noon to 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, NRMCA will host a free Webinar,  STEPS™  A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry. Because STEPS® (Seminars, Training, & Education, Programs) continues to play an important role in the ready mixed concrete industry as its premier certification program, this short, FREE Webinar will discuss what the program is and how to enroll. Learn how STEPS®  encourages industry employees to participate in a broad range of technical, operations, sales and sustainability classes through NRMCA, state associations and through their respective companies. The program also builds industry-wide standards for consistent performance that not only enhances business outcomes but also illustrates to employees that they have a device to plan long-term ready mixed concrete careers.

NRMCA’s most popular Webinar for sales managers will take place on Tuesday, December 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. Learn how to ascertain if your sales reps is performing at the top of his/her game... and if not, how you can help them. Learn how to identify the specific barriers that could be holding them back and how to create a personal coaching and motivation strategy to improve performance.

October 20, Free Webinar

How to Become a Green-Star Auditor

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

 

November 2 - 6, Silver Spring, MD *Sold Out

Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

November 4, Free Webinar

STEPS A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

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

 

November 10, Free (Member) Webinar

Increase Your Profits with Roller Compacted Concrete

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

 

November 17 - 19, Silver Spring, MD

Effective RMC Supervisor Course

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

 

November 17 - 19, Charlotte, NC *Sold Out

NRMCA Safety Course

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

 

December 1 - 3, Orlando, FL

Environmental Course

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

 

December 1 - 3, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge

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

 

December 8 - 11, Orlando, FL *Sold Out

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

December 15, Milwaukee, WI

Improving Concrete Quality

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

 

December 15, Webinar

Sales Management: Sales Performance Assessments and Reviews

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

 

 

January 13 - 15, Orlando, FL

Dispatcher Training Forum

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

 

January 26 - 29, Omaha, NE

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

March 13 - 15, San Diego

NRMCA's Annual Convention

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

 

May 15 - 18, Washington, DC

International Concrete Sustainability & Self-Compacting Concrete Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101