According to the Associated General Contractors of America, total consumption of cement in 2005 was 126Mt, 29Mt more than domestic producers could make. Imports accounted for 24 per cent of consumption. AGC expects the shortages and higher costs to continue throughout 2006 and beyond because few new plants are being built. Locally, the Lehigh Northeast Cement Company plant in Glens Falls, the oldest continuously operated cement manufacturer in New York, is doing a booming business.
"Our plants are at capacity. We can’t make any more," said Karen Toth, the company’s environmental manager, who noted that the Glens Falls plant is helped by the fact that its quarry in Moreau produces a very consistent limestone.
