U.S. Cement Industry Leaders Head to Capitol Hill to Discuss Future of Infrastructure, Burdensome Permitting Process and More

Cement Producers Address Current Challenges U.S. Companies Face and Ways to Bolster American Manufacturing

/EIN News/ -- Washington, D.C., March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly 100 U.S. cement industry leaders and professionals will be on Capitol Hill April 1-2 to meet with members of Congress and their staffs to discuss promoting American manufacturing, challenges with the permitting process, and the need to bolster America’s energy independence. The meetings are part of the Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Annual Cement Fly-in. PCA represents U.S. cement manufacturers.

The association remains committed to its focus on alternative fuels, lower carbon cement and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), with the goal of ensuring our building materials for homes, hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure are produced in an environmentally responsible way.

“Elected officials in Washington make critical decisions every day that both directly and indirectly impact America’s cement companies,” said PCA President and CEO Mike Ireland.

“It’s vital that policymakers hear directly from cement manufacturers to understand why they are in favor of reauthorizing the federal surface transportation and infrastructure programs and how preserving certain Department of Energy programs is critical to making American companies stronger in the global market.

“We’re also asking Congress to work with us to modernize the current, burdensome permitting process and eliminate regulatory red tape that is preventing U.S. manufacturers from increasing production and becoming less reliant on foreign countries to provide some 20% of the total cement Americans consume each year,” said Ireland.  

PCA provides a broad suite of actions and options – many of which need policy support – that will allow the industry to continue to innovate and provide a material that is literally the foundation of America.

Among the PCA’s recommendations are:

• Accelerating research, funding, and investment in CCUS technologies and associated infrastructure.
• Streamlined regulation, siting, and permitting practices for facility and infrastructure modernization.
• Market acceptance of low-carbon alternative cements such as portland-limestone cement, which has been recently accepted by all 50 state departments of transportation.

Concrete, made with cement, is central to the American built environment, with about 393 million cubic yards of concrete used in the United States last year. The cement, concrete, and related industries directly and indirectly employ nearly 600,000 people and contribute more than $130-billion to the U.S. economy every year. 

For more information about PCA and the industry's sustainability efforts, visit www.cement.org and www.shapedbyconcrete.com. To track the industry’s progress on its sustainability journey, please visit www.cementprogress.com .

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The Portland Cement Association (PCA), founded in 1916, is the premier policy, research, education, and market intelligence organization serving America’s cement manufacturers. PCA supports sustainability, innovation, and safety while fostering continuous improvement in cement manufacturing, distribution, infrastructure, and economic growth. For more information, visit www.cement.org.

Remi Braden
                    Portland Cement Association
                    202.235.4163
                    rbraden@cement.org