Grants from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will support the renewal of American manufacturing by helping businesses produce low-carbon materials
WASHINGTON – Today, July 16, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced the selection of 38 grant recipients across the country, totaling nearly $160 million, to support efforts to report and reduce climate pollution from the production of materials and construction products. The EPA estimates that the construction materials used in buildings and other built infrastructure account for more than 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.
Our billions of concrete, asphalt, steel, glass and other construction materials and products are required to build, maintain and operate our nation’s buildings and infrastructure. The US leads the world in the production of clean building materials, and these transformative awards from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – the largest climate investment in history – will reduce climate pollution by helping businesses measure the carbon emissions associated with their extraction, transportation and production. products.
The grants will support the Biden-Harris administration’s Federal Clean Procurement Initiative, which leverages the US government’s influence as the largest buyer on Earth to catalyze demand for clean building materials used in federal buildings, highways and infrastructure projects. The grants will be awarded to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations serving all 50 states and will help uncover the environmental impacts associated with the production of concrete, asphalt, glass, steel, wood and other materials..
“As America continues to build more and improve our nation’s infrastructure under the leadership of President Biden, cleaner building materials like concrete and steel are increasingly essential to the nation’s prosperity.” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “These landmark investments will expand market access for a new generation of more climate-friendly building materials and further grow American jobs that are paving the way for the clean energy economy.”
“President Biden and Vice President Harris are leading the most ambitious climate and clean energy agenda in U.S. history and building a sustainable future using materials that are safer for the environment and communities.” said the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda Mallory. “By leveraging the purchasing power of the U.S. government, President Biden is ensuring that American manufacturing is positioned to compete and lead globally, catalyzing markets and accelerating innovation across the country.”
“I fought to include funding for urgently needed clean construction and manufacturing initiatives in the historic Inflation Reduction Act because it’s a win-win that will grow jobs and reduce the deadly carbon pollution it’s fueling climate change.“ said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “With industrial emissions a major culprit in US greenhouse gas emissions this decade, we must do all we can to support innovators and job creators in clean building materials and manufacturing – which is why today’s announcement from the EPA is so exciting and important to us. our children and future generations.”
“Investing in low-carbon building materials is an essential part of our work to address climate change. said Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This funding will create markets for US manufacturers that produce cleaner materials and help companies better understand and communicate the environmental impacts of their products. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, the EPA is making American industry more competitive on the global stage by reducing climate pollution and supporting good-paying jobs.
“We’re building a clean energy future in America, because of the materials we use, and that’s thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.” said Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN). “Enabling our businesses to showcase their clean building materials will open up more job opportunities, lower energy costs and create a cleaner environment. The more America leads in the clean energy transition, the more our economy benefits and the more opportunities come our way.”
“This new federal funding from the Environmental Protection Agency will go a long way toward reducing carbon emissions here in Virginia’s 10th District and making local construction cleaner and more environmentally friendly.” .” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10). I want to thank EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe for coming to VA-10 today to highlight the impact this investment will have on our community. I’m proud that our work in Washington is building a more sustainable future for our children.”
EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe announced the grant selections today at Superior Paving, an asphalt facility in Chantilly, Virginia, along with Richard Willis, PhD, Vice President for Engineering, Research and Technology at the National Asphalt Paving Association, and other federal and industry leaders. .
Ranging from $250,000 to $10 million, the grants will help businesses develop robust, high-quality environmental product statements (EPDs), which show a product’s lifetime environmental impacts and can catalyze decisions more consistent shopping by allowing shoppers to compare products. Investments in data and tools will make available high-quality EPDs for 14 material categories, which include new and salvaged or reused materials. These efforts will help standardize and expand the market for building products with lower greenhouse gas emissions. They will make it easier for federal, state and local governments and other institutional buyers to ensure that the construction projects they finance use more climate-friendly products and materials.
Grant selections include a diverse range of projects to help measure and ultimately reduce greenhouse gases. For example:
- A company in Georgia will receive funding to report emissions savings gained by switching from higher-carbon components in cement and concrete to recycled and innovative materials.
- A project in Maine will help a company that makes insulation made from wood fibers track the amount of energy and raw materials used in each of their processes.
- A project in Illinois will help a nonprofit that sells repurposed architectural materials measure how much salvaged materials reduce carbon emissions.
- A major Indiana-based insulation manufacturer will use grant funds to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions for their entire product portfolio.
- A major university will use grant funds to research and document carbon emissions savings from reusing structural steel.
- Several projects will support workforce development to increase the number of sustainable construction professionals available to support these important efforts.
EPA is also announcing expanded technical assistance opportunities for businesses, the federal government, and other organizations across America. EPA will initially provide support for EPD development and direct businesses to resources to help them measure and reduce the embodied carbon associated with their materials, such as those offered by the Industrial ENERGY STAR program. Federal agencies and their suppliers will be able to compare the climate impact of different materials to drive short-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The strong EPD data will be further strengthened by a new label program in development that will identify low-carbon building materials for the growing Buy Clean market.
Together, the grants and technical assistance programs will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support American jobs. These programs are made possible by the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which creates significant investments aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction, transportation, and production of building materials and products. In support of the federal Clean Purchase Initiative, the Inflation Reduction Act also provides more than $2 billion for General Services Administration to use embodied low-carbon materials in the construction and renovation of federal buildings and $2 billion to Federal Highway Administration to encourage or reimburse the use of low-carbon construction materials in certain transport projects.
Selection is conditional on meeting legal and administrative requirements, and grantees are expected to receive their funds by the end of the summer.
Read on summaries of proposed beneficiary projects.
Organizations selected for funding:
Council of Aluminum Extruders
American Center for Life Cycle Assessment
American Lumber Council
Atlas Roofing Corporation
Belter Tech, Inc.
Building Materials Reuse Association
Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation
Cornell University
EIFS Industry Members Association
Evanston Rebuild Warehouse
Global Bamboo Technologies, Inc.
GO Lab, Inc.
Heidelberg Materials US, Inc.
Hemp Building Institute
Holcim US, Inc.
International Code Council
International Institute for the Future of Living
Knauf Insulation, Inc.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
National Asphalt Pavement Association
National Glass Association
National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association
National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association
Oklahoma State University
Oldcastle Infrastructure, Inc.
Pioneer Millworks
Portland Cement Association
Prestressed Concrete Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology
Scrap Tire Research and Education Foundation
Research Foundation for the State University of New York
University of Texas at Austin
Tile Council of North America
University of Kentucky Research Foundation
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Mississippi
University of Washington
West Virginia University Research Corporation
Learn more about EPA’s Grant Program for Reducing Greenhouse Gases Embodied in Building Materials and Products.
1 Added Congress citations 7.16.24/13:32
2 Additional quote 7.16.24/16:20