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
| Feb 19, 2014
Obama’s climate resilience panel says PVs, cool roofs should be part of solution
Among the suggestions were rooftop solar energy systems and cool roofs, which could be encouraged by policies from local governments.
| Feb 19, 2014
OSHA proposes three-year postponement of crane operator certification requirement
OSHA’s proposal to postpone the compliance date for crane operator certification by three years was made official on Feb. 7 when it was published in the Federal Register.
| Feb 19, 2014
USGBC introduces new online educational platform
The U.S. Green Building Council has introduced “Education @USGBC” a new educational platform.
| Feb 17, 2014
Channeling weather forecasts to building systems can yield significant energy savings
Using weather forecasts to predict outdoor temperature changes can lead to significant energy savings, exceeding 10%, researchers say.
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 17, 2014
Business, labor at odds over toughening of OSHA silica dust rule
OSHA says the rules will protect workers and prevent 700 fatalities annually. Others say the rules would hurt businesses and jobs.
| Feb 17, 2014
Tulsa, Okla., mulls code change to require storm shelters in new schools
State and city officials are pushing for increased bonding capacity to pay for the storm shelters.
| Feb 13, 2014
Appraisal Institute issues guidelines on evaluating green property
The Appraisal Institute and the Institute for Market Transformation have issued guidelines for training property appraisers to evaluate green buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
New LEED Dynamic Plaque system will measure building performance
The U.S. Green Building Council recently unveiled the LEED Dynamic Plaque, which is a new system designed for benchmarking and comparing post-occupancy building performance on a global scale.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.