Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the University of Mississippi as the recipient of approximately $749,476 in grant funding aimed at reducing climate pollution from manufacturing construction materials. This initiative is part of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which supports the renewal of American manufacturing through low-carbon material production.
According to EPA estimates, construction materials used in buildings and infrastructure contribute over 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. The grants are intended to support businesses in measuring carbon emissions associated with extracting, transporting, and manufacturing their products.
These grants will further the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative by leveraging the U.S. government’s purchasing power to increase demand for clean construction materials in federal projects. The funds will be distributed to businesses, universities, and nonprofit organizations across all 50 states to disclose environmental impacts related to producing concrete, asphalt, glass, steel, wood, and other materials.
The University of Mississippi's project will focus on using warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies that integrate reclaimed asphalt pavement to reduce embodied greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers will assess WMA technologies' effects on greenhouse gas emissions through life cycle assessments and evaluate asphalt mixtures' mechanical properties and durability through experimental programs. This approach aims to develop balanced mix design criteria using three-dimensional performance interaction diagrams.
The research will also employ multi-objective optimization techniques and machine learning methods to optimize asphalt mixture designs considering cost, carbon dioxide emissions, and energy consumption.
Collaborating with state transportation agencies, technical assistance providers, private businesses, local communities, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations ensures widespread adoption of findings and innovations from this project. By integrating environmental evaluations with advanced optimization techniques, the research aims to identify sustainable asphalt mixtures that are both durable and cost-effective.
EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe stated: “As America continues to build more and upgrade our nation’s infrastructure under President Biden’s leadership; cleaner construction materials like concrete and steel are increasingly essential for the nation’s prosperity.”
Additionally, these grants aim to help businesses develop high-quality environmental product declarations (EPDs), which outline a product's environmental impacts throughout its lifecycle. EPDs can drive more sustainable purchasing decisions by allowing buyers to compare products based on their environmental impact.
The EPA is expanding technical assistance opportunities for businesses and other organizations across America by offering EPD development support through resources like the ENERGY STAR Industrial program. These efforts aim to standardize markets for low-emission construction products while making it easier for institutional buyers to use climate-friendly materials in their projects.
Funded by the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022—which includes over $2 billion allocated for low embodied carbon materials—the initiatives underscore significant investments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from constructing federal buildings and transportation projects.
Selections remain contingent upon completing legal requirements with funding expected in late summer.
