The Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies (IMPACT) 2.0 Act strengthens American manufacturing's competitiveness by streamlining regulation and providing clear market signals to bring innovative clean technologies to market faster.

Summary:

The industrial sector is slated to be the largest emitting sector of the U.S. economy by 2033, surpassing the energy and transportation sectors. The key to reducing industrial emissions is to modernize the cement, concrete, and asphalt sectors, which are a necessity in people's daily lives worldwide for roads, highways, buildings, and more. Continuing to innovate how we produce these essential materials is no easy task and will require policy support to discover, demonstrate, and scale innovative production methods and materials.

The IMPACT 2.0 Act builds upon the IMPACT Act’s support for dedicated research, development and demonstration (RD&D) for low-emissions cement, concrete and asphalt production. IMPACT 2.0 is the second important step forward as companion legislation to the bipartisan Concrete & Asphalt Innovation Act led by Senators Coons and Tillis. This legislation establishes a voluntary grant program to provide state Departments of Transportation (DOT) with incentives and technical assistance to increase their adoption of performance-based standards. IMPACT 2.0 also provides flexibility for state DOTs to use innovative materials in transportation projects, through advanced multi-year procurement (if they so choose), to aid the commercialization and deployment of American innovation.

IMPACT 2.0 will strengthen American manufacturing, increase supply chain resilience, lower dependence on foreign countries, and position America to export low-emissions technologies to capitalize on the rising global demand for cleaner industrial materials. These efforts include streamlining market access for innovative low-carbon materials and providing clear demand signals to enable scale-up of low-carbon cement, concrete, and asphalt materials.

The U.S. needs continued innovation to keep pace and ensure we are researching and deploying cutting-edge, innovative technologies to maintain a competitive advantage. Furthermore, multiple private companies are committing to modernizing their production, and buyers are interested in purchasing lower-emissions cement, concrete and asphalt. Targeted public and private sector support for emerging technologies will be necessary to help these companies achieve these ambitious goals.

History:

The reintroduction of this legislation builds on bipartisan bicameral introduction in the 118th Congress – CAIA, IMPACT and IMPACT 2.0. In September 2024, the House passed IMPACT on suspension after a unanimous vote in the House Science, Space & Technology Committee.

In the 117th Congress, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 and the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 provided resources to the Department of Energy (DOE) for industrial demonstration programs within the Office of Clean Energy Demonstration and direction for steel innovation (RD&D).. However, direction for cement, concrete, and asphalt was not included, regulatory barriers blocking the deployment of low-carbon materials remain, and low-carbon production processes needed further policy support to reach commercial-scale. Supporting industry by removing regulatory blockers and providing clean deployment incentives will allow America to continue to lead in the cement, concrete and asphalt industrial subsector.

Specifics:

The IMPACT 2.0 Act establishes new programs at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and establishes an interagency task force to coordinate low-carbon cement, concrete, and asphalt innovation:

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Grant Program: Authorizes FHWA to establish a voluntary grant program for any state DOT that increases its adoption of performance-based specifications to facilitate the purchase of low-emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt. The grant program provides reimbursement for states to purchase low-carbon materials and funds technical assistance needed to modernize specifications to be performance-based.
• Advanced Purchase Commitment (APC): Increases state DOT flexibility in using Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funds by expanding the eligible project list to include projects that use innovative materials and advanced multi-year procurement, with commercial guardrails to ensure taxpayer dollars are protected from contract non-performance.

ORIGINAL SPONSOR

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), Rep. Valerie Foushee(D-NC)

SUPPORT

Biomason, CarbonCure, Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), Brimstone, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), Clean Air Task Force (CATF), ClearPath Action, Sublime Systems, U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), World Resources Institute (WRI).

CONGRESS.GOV LINK:

H.R. 2122

PRINTABLE SUMMARY:

Printable summary of H.R. 2122