March 19, 2006

NACA Members Respond to Gulf Coast Hurricanes

   REBUILDING AND RECOVERY

Corps announces alternatives for Gulf Coast flood protection
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced its intent to prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS) for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Project. The Corps will be addressing four alternatives:

• A structural alternative, which is flood protection consisting of a continuous line of earthen or concrete walls, along southern coastal Louisiana connected at various locations, as needed, by floodgates and other devices to provide protection against a storm surge originating from the Gulf of Mexico produced by a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane.

• A structural alternative with coastal restoration commensurate to the level of structural fortification to provide protection against a storm surge originating from the Gulf of Mexico produced by a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane.

• A non-structural alternative consisting of environmental or coastal restoration measures only to provide protection against a storm surge originating from the Gulf of Mexico produced by a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane.

• No-action alternative.

The Corps will begin holding scoping meetings and requesting comments for the DPEIS. The Corps is required to produce a preliminary technical report for comprehensive Category 5 protection within six months of December 30, 2005. The final technical report is due within 24 months from December 30, 2005. Contact John Sullivan.

Commerce secretary announces Gulf Coast trade mission
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez announced that he and Donald Powell, Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, will lead a delegation of business leaders to Louisiana and Mississippi on a "Gulf Coast Business Investment Mission." Slated for May 4 and 5, the event will highlight investment opportunities in the Gulf Coast, including federal GO-Zone tax incentives as part of an effort to promote economic growth and job creation in the region following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The mission will target a range of industry sectors including: agricultural processing, chemicals, energy, and construction, along with fisheries, petrochemical, shipbuilding, real estate and financing, capital financing, transportation, manufacturing, retail, and travel and tourism. The mission will include stops in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Biloxi, Mississippi. In each city, participants will meet with key federal, state, and local officials and other local decision makers to discuss the business climate and investment opportunities in the Gulf Coast. Participants also will be briefed on incentives made available as a result of President Bush's Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 which creates tax relief for businesses and entrepreneurs in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Businesses interested in participating in this investment mission should call the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Business Liaison 202-482-1360. Contact John Sullivan.

   EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

Registration deadline for three 1-day seminars titled Storm-Resistant Concrete Building Systems in the Gulf Coast region is filling quickly. The three seminars will take place on:

   CODES AND RESEARCH

Impact of Hurricane Katrina on buildings investigated
According to Portland Cement Association, investigators from the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) headquartered at the University of Buffalo conducted post-disaster field reconnaissance to examine the impact of Hurricane Katrina on engineered buildings. The preliminary findings of the investigators showed that the majority of multistory commercial buildings constructed of steel or reinforced concrete framing performed well structurally. However, extensive losses were incurred from nonstructural damage to cladding, windows, and roof-mounted equipment. None of the cast-in-place concrete structures suffered any structural damage because of the storm surge. Partial collapse of two buildings (one five-story reinforced concrete with unreinforced masonry infill and the other a cast-in-place parking garage) was caused by extreme loads as a result of the impact of multi-story casino barges colliding into the buildings. more
 

North Carolina pushes for tougher codes
The Insurance Journal reports that North Carolina's insurance commissioner has recommended measures aimed at creating more stringent building codes in the state to reduce severe storm damage. Jim Long submitted the report to the Joint Study Committee on Energy Preparedness and Disaster Management Recovery Subcommittee on Building Code Issues in Hurricane and Flood Prone Areas. more

Florida Panhandle codes may get tougher
According to the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper, a Florida Senate committee approved a bill that would do away with building code exemptions that allow less sturdy structures to be erected in the state's Panhandle. more

   MEDIA RELATIONS

Chicago TV station wowed by “Fortified” concrete home
On March 6, WMAQ-TV (NBC) of Chicago featured the first Fortified…for Safer Living® home in Illinois during the station’s 10 p.m. news program. The 2,800-square-foot Bolingbrook home features a state-of-the-art precast concrete panel system for the floors and exterior walls, impact-resistant roofing, connectors to securely tie the house together from roof to foundation, and windows with high wind and water pressure ratings. In addition to the home’s added protection against tornadoes, hail, and severe winter weatherľthree of the state’s most destructive natural elements—the segment highlighted the energy-efficiency aspects of concrete homes. Jim Niehoff, PCA residential promotion manager, reported on the growing trend of concrete residential construction. PCA, the Institute of Business & Home Safety, Dukane Precast, Inc., and AAA Chicago Motor Club sponsored the home. The home has also been featured in the Naperville Sun, a suburban Chicago newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal. Contact Patti Flesher.
 

   GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Mississippi legislators continue to push for statewide code

The Mississippi Senate passed a bill on February 10 that would adopt both the International Building Code and the International Residential Code statewide. The Senate Bill would allow local jurisdictions to adopt amendments to the building code provided they are more stringent than the minimum standard. The Mississippi House passed a similar bill which is much weaker than the Senate bill in that it does not establish a statewide minimum code but allows each county to adopt their own building code. The House bill (HB 1406) was returned to the Senate where it was amended to read much like the original Senate bill. The House failed to concur with the amended bill and the bill has been forwarded to conference. Robert Varner, executive director of the Mississippi Concrete Industries Association (MCIA) reports that members of MCIA continue to work with the Coalition to Build a Safer and Stronger Mississippi in support of the stronger Senate version of the bill. Read the amended version of HB 1406.

House appropriators clear emergency funding for Gulf States
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved $19.1 billion in emergency funding to hurricane-ravaged Gulf states, $700 million less than the President requested. The bill appropriates $1.46 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers for levee repairs, flood control projects, and environmental restoration in around New Orleans, $240 less than the President's request. The committee-approved funding is contingent upon implementation of separate authorization legislation outlining specific project criteria. Such legislation could be included in the Water Resources Development Act currently pending in the U.S. Senate. Contact David Hubbard.

Legislative fly-in online registration now open
Registration for the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) Fly-In Conference is now offered online at www.blueskyz.com/tcc2006. Registration for the full event is $175 per attendee. The fee includes a special one-day North American Concrete Alliance (NACA) legislative conference. The Fly-In kicks off May 16 with a one-day legislative conference, cosponsored by the partnering organizations of NACA. Held at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., the event will focus on timely issues in the concrete and cement industries. Topics will include driver training funding, sustainability, rail competition legislation and more. A tentative schedule will be available in the coming weeks.

The TCC Fly-in then continues May 17-18 at the same location. The program includes visits from several key Members of Congress; special guest speaker and political insider Larry Sabato; and a Congressional reception on Capitol Hill. Participants are urged to call the J.W. Marriott Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue at 202-393-2000 to reserve hotel rooms as soon as possible. Please mention the "TCC fly-in" to receive the special discount rate of $279 per night single/double. Contact Kevin Voelte or David Hubbard.