Victor Valley Times

U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) spoke to leaders in the cement industry on Wednesday about the importance of unleashing American innovation and empowering industries to take the lead driving the American economy towards higher efficiency and lower emissions.

“Leveraging the power of American innovation to ensure that our technologies are on the cutting edge of cleaner manufacturing is critical towards not only being good stewards of the earth, but also to ensuring industries like yours continue to lead the way in empowering the economy of our country,” said Rep. Obernolte.

Over the past several years, the cement industry has focused their efforts on innovations that will help to decrease emissions, increase efficiency, and propel the industry into the future, with an overall goal of achieving carbon net neutral by 2050. However, burdensome regulations and outdated permitting processes have sought to pick winners and losers in industry innovations and often stood in the way of industry growth and progress. The recently-passed H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, takes significant steps towards reforming the outdated permitting process, providing clear timelines and regulatory certainty and unlocking the power of American innovation across critical industries, including cement.

California is the second-largest cement producer in the United States, producing nearly 10 million metric tons of cement yearly, including at CalPortland, CEMEX, and Mitsubishi plants in California’s 23rd Congressional District. The industry serves as one of the High Desert’s largest employers and a part of the bedrock of the area’s economy. Approximately 120 million metric tons of cement have been used to support America’s infrastructure development in the past year alone, making it one of the country’s most crucial industries.

Issues: Natural Resources

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