Ginny Cleaveland, Deputy Press Secretary, Federal Communications, ginny.cleaveland@sierraclub.org, 415-508-8498 (Pacific Time)
WASHINGTON, DC — The Sierra Club has endorsed a bill by U.S. Representatives Max Miller (R-OH) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC) called the Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act, or IMPACT Act. The bill was introduced on Friday, March 15, and passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology today, Wednesday, March 20.
The IMPACT Act complements previous efforts led by the Science Committee that aim to strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of American manufacturing through the research and development of advanced technologies to improve the efficiency of cement, concrete, and asphalt production. Building upon programs created, funded, and authorized in several bipartisan laws including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Energy Act of 2020, the IMPACT Act directs the Department of Energy to cultivate low-emissions and low-pollution cement, concrete, and asphalt manufacturing using both next-generation and commercially available processes.
The Science Committee has taken a major first step in the House. Now, the Sierra Club calls on other House committees to introduce complementary legislation that creates robust domestic markets for clean cement, concrete, and asphalt. The cement industry alone accounts for trillions of dollars of economic impact in the U.S., and failing to ensure a domestic market for these breakthrough technologies would be a missed opportunity for climate leadership, pollution abatement, U.S. economic competitiveness, and job creation.
The IMPACT Act follows the Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act of 2023, which was introduced by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) in December 2023 and endorsed by the Sierra Club. That bill would direct federal resources to accelerate research, development, demonstration, and commercialization of low-emissions concrete and asphalt technologies, including by creating a domestic market for the products.
In response, Harry Manin, Deputy Legislative Director for Industrial Policy and Trade at the Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“The IMPACT Act is a major step forward in the decarbonization of heavy industry. On a bipartisan basis, Reps. Miller and Foushee have identified that low-emissions and low-pollution breakthroughs in the production, use, and end-use of cement, concrete, and asphalt constitute climate, economic, and foreign policy victories. Moving forward, other House committees such as the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, should support a robust domestic market for the technologies fostered by this legislation.”
RELATED BILLS
Several other bills recently introduced in the House and Senate also aim to address issues with U.S. industrial competitiveness.
In June 2023, Sen. Coons and Sen. Cramer (R-ND) introduced the PROVE IT Act, which could set the stage for U.S. industry to be rewarded for its environmental performance beyond that of foreign competitors. In November 2023, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, and in December 2023, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) introduced the Clean Competition Act. Both bills would benefit domestic producers and combat climate change by placing fees on imports of goods across the energy and industrial sectors based on their pollution intensity relative to the U.S. average.
BACKGROUND
In January 2024, 30 Sierra Club volunteers and regional staff from key industrial states traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby Members of Congress to pass bills that would bring clean and competitive production of critical materials like cement, steel, and aluminum to the U.S.
In September 2023, a report, database, and interactive map commissioned by the Sierra Club revealed for the first time the greenhouse gas emissions intensity at every domestic facility in the US for four heavy industries: steel, cement, aluminum, and metallurgical coke, underscoring the importance of federal investments in these critical sectors to the US economy that will both grow employment and reduce pollution.
The report, “Coming Clean on Industrial Emissions”, also profiled the fenceline communities living near these facilities, examines the public health impact of these sectors, and details employment figures at each facility. Learn more at sierraclub.org/trade/climate-jobs-american-industries.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.