(TRENTON) – Throughout the world, cement, a major component in concrete, is responsible for about a quarter of industrial CO2 emission. To lower the lifecycle of greenhouse gas emission, Assembly Democrats Andrew Zwicker (D-Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset), Britnee N. Timberlake (D-Essex, Passaic), and John McKeon (D-Essex, Morris) sponsor legislation passed by the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee that would provide market incentives for New Jersey concrete companies to adopt practices and technologies that are more environmentally safe.
The bill (A-5223) would establish a State purchasing preference for low embodied carbon concrete that incorporates carbon capture, utilization, and storage abilities. Concrete companies would be able to submit Environmental Product Declarations along with their bids for potential projects and include their Global Warming Potential (GWP, total emissions generated during production). State projects that use concrete would be encouraged to use products with lower GWP and would also receive incentives if applicable.
Upon committee approval of the measure, Assembly members Zwicker, Timberlake, and McKeon issued the following joint statement:
“By creating incentives, we can encourage organizations to choose a concrete product that is best for the environment and tackle the challenge to reduce CO2 emissions. The concrete industry emits around double the amount of CO2 than global air travel does. Every effort we make to significantly reduce the State’s carbon emissions will create a healthier and environmentally safer New Jersey for future generations.”