PCA praises action by Congressional leaders on nation's waterways

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has said it applauds the US House of Representatives for passing legislation which protects states’ primary authority in protecting the nation’s waterways.

The Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act (H.R. 5078) will provide appropriate safeguards against regulatory overreach while allowing industry the certainty it needs to continue moving our nation’s economy forward.

“PCA fully supports this bipartisan effort to establish necessary safeguards that preserve the important role of federal-state partnerships,” said Cary Cohrs, PCA Board of Directors chairman. “We thank the leaders in the House for moving this vital legislation forward, and urge the Senate to vote on it as soon as possible.”

In late April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed a regulation that would dramatically expand federal jurisdiction over “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), and therefore increase the number of operating and pre-construction permits for the cement sector and broader construction economy, among other regulatory burdens.