NEW YORK — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency selected six recipients to receive approximately $20.4 million in grants to support efforts to report and reduce climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials. EPA estimates that the construction materials used in buildings and other built infrastructure account for more than 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the six winners included a paneling and flooring company, Pioneer Millworks, that uses reclaimed lumber has its material of chose. The company will receive $302,300 and will be working both in the New York region and in region 10, which includes Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, to develop environmental product declarations (EPDs) for reclaimed and sustainably harvested wood flooring and paneling manufactured in the U.S. and to quantify their environmental advantages over existing EPDs. This initiative seeks to establish the environmental and marketing benefits of using more sustainable content and minimizing unhealthy chemicals in wood products.

According to the EPS, the U.S. leads the world in the production of clean construction materials, and these transformative awards from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history—will reduce climate pollution by helping businesses measure the carbon emissions associated with extracting, transporting, and manufacturing their products.

The grants will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which leverages the U.S. government’s sway as the largest purchaser on Earth to catalyze demand for clean construction materials used in federal buildings, highways, and infrastructure projects. The grants will be awarded to businesses, universities and nonprofit organizations serving all 50 states and will help disclose the environmental impacts associated with manufacturing concrete, asphalt, glass, steel, wood, and other materials.

Other winners, include:

• Cornell University working in CA/NY has been selected to receive $2,499,999 and will be working both regionally and in region 9 to address gaps and challenges in the deconstruction-to-reuse value chain by convening experts across academia, industry and nonprofit organizations.  Along with project partners Urban Machine (UM), Finger Lakes ReUse (FLR) and Build Reuse (BR) – Cornell University will develop a process and template called Salvage EPD (SEPD) that will function as a product catalog for salvaged materials.
• HOLCIM US, Inc. (working in AL/CO/IL/MA/MD/MI/MO/NJ/NV/NY/OH/OK/PA/SC/TX/UT) has been selected to receive $1,371,814 and will be working both regionally and across regions 1,3,4,5,7,8 and 9. HOLCIM seeks to launch the EPD Accelerator Project which will increase the transparency of data on environmental emissions associated with the production of construction materials, generate robust EPDs with a diversity of manufacturers from across the U.S., and drive market demand for lower carbon construction materials.
• Rochester Institute of Technology (working in NY) has been selected to receive $1,298,635. The university’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability aims to enhance the environmental impact data related to the production of construction materials and products, specifically those utilizing post-consumer waste. By providing technical assistance and conducting comprehensive life cycle assessments, the initiative will to promote a more circular economy, reduce landfill waste, conserve natural resources, and lower embodied carbon.
• Heidelberg Materials US, Inc. (working in IN/NY/OR/PA/TX/WA) was selected to receive $5,000,000 and will be working regionally and in regions 3,5, 6 and 10 to create a robust, web-based tool that can help ready-mix concrete, cement and aggregate facilities produce EPDs and enable real-time adjustments and more.  The tool will be made public to assist and improve the industry as a whole. The creation of a rapid and efficient EPD builder holds the potential to revolutionize carbon accounting and decision-making that will drive sustainability across the industry, enhancing the competitiveness of environmentally conscious manufacturers.
• Oklahoma State University  (working in AL/HI/IL/MD/NC/NH/NV/OK/OR/PR/WA) has been selected to receive $9,990,311 and will be working regionally and in regions 1, 3,4, 5, 6 and 9 to create a National Center for Sustainable Construction Materials to promote low carbon construction materials (LCCMs) and generate robust EPDs for materials such as asphalt, concrete, steel and their additives. In collaboration with 11 universities across the U.S., including the University of Illinois and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the project will provide extensive training, create educational programs, and design tools and incentives for adopting LCCMs.