To get more information about the revised opacity rule, go to www.nssga.org.

NSSGA/TCC spring fly-in

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) will hold its annual spring TCC Fly-In May 19-20 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The theme this year is “Transportation Builds Our Economy.” The NSSGA wants to remind everyone that less than eight months remain in which to draft and approve legislation to reauthorize SAFETEA-LU, and determine how it will be paid for in the short and long term.

AEM program receives national honor

The Construction Challenge workforce development program of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) was named to the Associations Advance America 2009 honor roll, a national awards competition presented by the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership, Washington, D.C. The awards program recognizes associations that contribute to the advancement of American society through innovative programs in areas including education, skills training, standards setting, business and social innovation, knowledge creation, citizenship, and community service.

AEM partners with Destination ImagiNation to produce the Construction Challenge, which is a creative problem-solving program designed to engage teens through a hands-on educational experience. The Challenge offers an opportunity for students, teachers, parents, and community leaders to learn more about construction industry careers, which face a severe workforce shortage in coming years. The program also emphasizes the role that off-road equipment plays in our quality of life.

EPA Energy Star partners

Titan America LLC has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy’s (EPA) Energy Star Program. As a condition of the partnership, Titan America agrees to submit to independent monitoring of its energy efficiency, which will include base lining, tracking, and benchmarking the company’s energy performance using tools offered through Energy Star.

Last year, both of Titan America’s cement plants, Roanoke Cement Company LLC in Troutville, Va., and Pennsuco Cement in Medley, Fla., were recipients of the prestigious Energy Star Award recognizing manufacturers’ energy efficient solutions that save money while protecting the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The EPA also named Cemex USA a 2009 Energy Star Partner of the Year for outstanding energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The award recognizes efforts to use energy efficiently in facility operations and to integrate superior energy management into overall organizational strategy. Cemex decreased its total energy use equal to reducing 115,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of providing electricity to at least 1,500 American homes for a decade or avoiding about 21,000 passenger vehicles’ CO2 emissions for a year. Cemex’s accomplishments were recognized in an awards ceremony held March 31 in Washington, D.C.

EPA publishes greenhouse gas inventory report

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall emissions during 2007 increased by 1.4 percent over the previous year and by 17.2 percent from 1990 to 2007. An EPA press release stated that the report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007, was submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.