On April 20-April 22, more than 150 leaders from the cement & concrete industry participated in the Fourth Annual Cement & Concrete Fly-In hosted by the North American Concrete Alliance (NACA). Participants heard from top lawmakers and administrative officials on issues impacting the industry, including climate and infrastructure. Keynote speakers included House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) as well as U.S. Bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus Co-chair Senator Braun (R-IN). Following Senator Braun’s speech to the Cement & Concrete Fly-In, he mentioned our industry during an Appropriations Committee Hearing with Secretary Buttigieg. Administrative Speakers included Mr. Tomas Carbonell, who is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Stationary Sources in the Air Office at EPA; Dr. Shuchi Talati, who is the Chief of Staff for Fossil Energy at U.S. Department of Energy; and Andrew Wishnia, who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Climate Policy at the Department of Transportation. Fly-in participants also heard an update from Ed Mortimer on the Chamber of Commerce’s outlook for an infrastructure package and Political Analyst Jim Ellis on the political landscape of Washington, D.C.
Participants engaged with members of Congress from their states in over 200 virtual Congressional meetings via zoom. NACA members advocated for a bipartisan infrastructure package, increased funding for developing carbon capture technologies, workforce development, trucking and other critical issues for the industry during these meetings. Thank you to our NACA members who participated in the event.