As we approach the end of another year, a review of what has transpired and a look ahead of what to expect is called for. In Washington, this past year has been like no other in terms of executive branch actions affecting major changes to the federal government. President Trump’s second administration adopted its “flood the zone” approach to expand executive authority well beyond that of any president in the history of the U.S.
ACPA has been actively monitoring federal and state environmental regulatory action affecting heavy-duty trucks, including concrete pumps. In the past, our industry has been significantly impacted by the implementation of stricter air emission standards applied to heavy-duty trucks.
Infrastructure Week returns as Congress starts to consider reauthorization of the federal surface transportation programs, which expire on September 30, 2026. Federal transportation programs support ACPA members. Federal transportation programs fund construction of roads and bridges, transit infrastructure, rail, and port and highway freight projects. These projects are built all over the country and use a lot of concrete, much of which will be pumped.
Portland Cement Association, the national association representing U.S. cement manu-facturers since 1916, announced it is changing its name to the American Cement Association (ACA). President and CEO Mike Ireland shared the news in Birmingham, Alabama, during the 67th IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference.
Nearly 1,200 cement industry profession-als from around the world attended the event, which is hailed as the cement and concrete industry’s premier annual conference. The association will begin launching the new brand identity in June 2025.
Activity in Washington continues at an unprecedented pace across all three branches of the federal government. The White House continues to drive its aggressive agenda, testing the law and established norms in many sectors. The courts have both slowed and cleared the administration’s actions, in some cases temporarily on procedural grounds; in other cases, on substantive grounds.
In the last edition, I noted that the Trump transition was very active and preparing to come out swinging. I correctly predicted the action, but not the speed nor volume. While we were warned of the possible “flood the zone” approach that the Trump transition team planned, no one anticipated just how intense the storm would be. As of March 24, President Trump has issued 106 executive orders, 24 proclamations, and 27 memoranda since his Inauguration on January 20. That is a record number of actions. And there is no indication that the White House is done.
As the 118th Congress comes to a close at the end of 2024, Washington wraps up remaining “must pass” business and looks forward to the rollout of the new administration. The 2024 election on November 4 signaled a change in direction for the country. The leadership shifted from Democratic in the White House and in the Senate to Republican control. The House of Representatives remains in Republican control, but in tighter margins than in this Congress. The Republican Party now controls both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. This unexpected outcome — pundits did not expect the House to stay in Republican control — will strengthen the efforts of the incoming Trump administration on issues like taxes, trade, energy, immigration and a raft of social issues.
Recently, an ACPA member contacted the National Office after being told about new federal apprenticeship hiring requirements being applied to three of their jobs in three different states. The apprenticeship requirements are triggered when four or more concrete pumpers work on a job where certain federal tax benefits apply. These apprentice hiring requirements present a serious challenge to concrete pumpers because there are no registered concrete pumper apprenticeship programs in place to provide the required apprentices. This is a classic Catch 22. Fortunately, there is an option.
Greetings from Washington D.C., where the politics are as hot as the weather. The upcoming presidential contest between a sitting and incumbent president leads the story. However, federal elections across the country will have a major impact on upcoming political leadership.
ACPA has been navigating the very complicated world of clean air emission standards set by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state environmental departments, most notably the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Significant emission standard reductions are now in place and more are expected over the next three years. Existing and expected reduced emission standards at the state and federal level will impact every concrete pumper in the near future.
