Concrete Products

JAN 2015

Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.

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16 • January 2015 www.concreteproducts.com A Libra Systems Company www.ace-co.com 800.676.4111 P h i l a d e l p h i a ▪ S a n A n t o n i o ▪ C h i c a g o ▪ S a n F r a n c i s c o concrete batch controls central/local dispatch truck tracking moisture compensaton material handling enterprise informaton management expert support 24/7 & y o u r p a r t n e r i n c o n c r e t e p l a n t a u t o m a t i o n b u s i n e s s i n t e g r a t i o n f o r o v e r 5 0 y e a r s . Visit Us At: World of Concrete • Las Vegas Booth N757 • February 3-6, 2015 As the public comment period closed late last year for the Environmental Protection Agency's "Carbon Pollution Emission Guide- lines for Existing Stationary Sources: Elec- tric Utility Generating Units" rule, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and the Associated Builders & Contractors joined a host of business interests raising concerns of the proposal's increased costs and limit- ed benefits, especially on greenhouse gas reduction claims. EPA proposed "Carbon Pollution Emis- sion Guidelines" or the Clean Power Plan (CPP) in June 2014, aiming for a final ver- sion in mid-2015. The agency estimates that the rule will reduce power sector car- GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS REGULATIONS NRMCA, ABC challenge EPA Clean Power Plan claims, costs, feasibility bon dioxide emissions by about 30 percent over the next 16 years, using 2005 emissions levels as a base. "This goal is achievable because inno- vations in the production, distribution and use of electricity are already making the pow- er sector more efficient and sustainable while maintaining an affordable, reliable and diverse energy mix," the agency contends. In its comments, NRMCA projects "signif- icant downstream costs … for electricity cus- tomers. When taking into consideration the energy cost increases stemming from the pro- posal, the cost of purchasing and mixing key ingredients for ready mixed concrete will be inevitably higher and result in unnecessary overall price increases. For the ready mixed con- crete industry alone, this would be devastating and equally burdensome for residential, com- mercial or government [market] customers." NRMCA concludes its comments with rhe- torical questions: "If EPA does not know how the rule will truly impact electric utility compa- nies or their customers, or others downstream, how can [the agency] truly know what, if any, benefits the rule holds, and if that relates to a reasonable justification for the rule's finaliza- tion? The clear language in EPA's proposal stat- ing doubts about the rule's impact on electric utility companies and their customers, contrary third party analysis, EPA's reliance on 'illustra- tive estimates,' and the lack of consideration for small entities begs the question of how and why EPA can in good faith and conscience proceed with finalizing such a proposal without all the requisite and proper information?" As a part of the Partnership for a Better Energy Future, ABC and other business orga- nizations whose members represent more than 80 percent of the U.S. economy argued in their comments that CPP is not compatible with numerous practical and technical aspects of America's electricity system. In order to foster continued growth and take full advantage of the nation's energy potential, the Partnership urges EPA to withdraw the rule and instead use a comprehensive energy approach to support the continued provision of reliable and afford- able electricity. Additional Partnership arguments oppos- ing the rule or concerns surrounding the White House's approach to greenhouse gas emissions reduction include: the country's need of an "all- of-the-above" energy strategy; increased ener- gy prices and lower power supply reliability; the potential to drive manufacturing to less effi- cient countries, resulting in a net global GHG emissions; troubling precedent for future regu- lation of other industry sectors; and, absence of poll data showing Americans' support for EPA's GHG reduction strategy.

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