Inaction on ‘Fiscal Cliff’ could stop construction growth, says PCA economist

Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. With the votes counted and the country’s leadership for the next four years determined, construction interests are challenging Congress and the Obama administration to get to work on addressing the “fiscal cliff.” A recent PCA study reports that given the fragile state of the economy, inaction could prompt a recession and have a negative…

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Construction unions chief: Election results place jobs strategy above gridlock

Source: Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), AFL-CIO, Washington, D.C. In a statement congratulating President Obama and Vice President Biden on their re-election, BCTD’s Sean McGarvey offers this take on second-term activity affecting members and the construction industry: “Over the past four years, America’s Building Trades Unions have lamented the toxic nature of our politics that sought to win the…

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Cement Totals—August 2012

Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico were 8.2 million mt in August 2012, according to the USGS. This was about 3.0 percent higher compared with shipments for August 2011. Shipments for the year through August were 52.6 million mt, up about 12 percent for the same…

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