The Environmental Protection Agency ruled that the use of coal ash produced in power plants can continue to be incorporated into construction materials.
“Today's decision by the EPA to set performance standards for the safe disposal of coal combustion waste preserves what is one of the most successful commercial recycling programs in use today, the use of fly ash in concrete, asphalt, grout, and other construction materials,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. “As a result, the construction industry will be able to continue to recycle an estimated 30% of these combustion byproducts each year.”
“Our association and its members went to great lengths to make sure that EPA officials appreciated that the construction industry has successfully and safely used fly ash in concrete and other materials for over six decades,” Sandherr said. “EPA officials understand that allowing this recycling program to continue will address many of the disposal challenges the energy industry faces with fly ash.”
(http://www.agc.org/cs/news_media/press_room/press_release?pressrelease.id=1680)
Related Stories
| Aug 6, 2014
Loudoun County, Virginia may dump green building requirements
Loudoun County, Va., supervisors may do away with a county policy that requires LEED Silver certification on new county buildings.
| Aug 6, 2014
$300 million mixed-use project in Chicago’s medical district wins key approval
The Illinois Medical District Commission approved a 1.16 million-sf, $300 million mixed-use project in Chicago’s Illinois Medical District.
| Aug 4, 2014
Facebook’s prefab data center concept aims to slash construction time in half
Less than a year after opening its ultra-green, hydropowered data center facility in Luleå, Sweden, Facebook is back at it in Mother Svea with yet another novel approach to data center design.
| Jul 31, 2014
LEED Dynamic Plaque gives owners and tenants ability to monitor building performance
The LEED Dynamic Plaque could aid certified buildings in maintaining performance with up-to-date information about water and energy use, waste reduction efforts, occupant experience, and other green performance categories.
| Jul 31, 2014
Gypsum Association releases updates to wallboard repair standards
The Gypsum Association released updates to both GA-221 Repair of Joint Ridging and GA-222 Repairing Screw or Nail Pops standards publications.
| Jul 31, 2014
Cambridge, Mass., is latest locale to require energy usage disclosure
The City Council of Cambridge, Mass., approved the Building Energy Usage and Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) that requires benchmarking and disclosure of building energy performance for large commercial, institutional, and multifamily buildings.
| Jul 31, 2014
Stalled $1.5 billion Miami mixed-use redevelopment project advances
A long-delayed $1.5 billion mixed-use development in Miami moved ahead after city planners approved the project’s first phase.
| Jul 30, 2014
USGS updates National Seismic Hazard Maps
The U.S. Geological Service recently released an update of U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps that reflect the latest analysis of where future earthquakes will occur, how frequently they may occur, and their strength.
| Jul 23, 2014
Fairfax County, Virginia toughens green standards
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently strengthened its green building policy, requiring higher standards for residential, retail, office and other construction projects seeking approval for rezoning.
| Jul 23, 2014
Berkeley National Lab’s FLEXLAB is a test bed for energy efficient office design
FLEXLAB, short for the Facility for Low Energy Experiments, opened this summer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.