HOUSTON, Jan. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Cemex is proud to announce its participation in multiple government-sponsored sustainability initiatives, securing funding from state and federal programs to deploy several lower-emission vehicles across its U.S. footprint. This remarkable investment is a crucial step in the company’s ongoing efforts to decarbonize its operations.
Through the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP), Cemex was awarded approximately $13 million to obtain four lower-emission locomotives and two haul trucks for its cement and aggregate sites in New Braunfels and Katy, Texas. The TERP program provides financial incentives to eligible individuals, businesses, or local governments to reduce emissions from polluting vehicles and equipment. Three of the four new locomotives and both haul trucks entered service in late 2023 and mid-2024 in New Braunfels, respectively.
Looking ahead, Cemex will continue its commitment to protecting air quality by deploying additional equipment in 2025. A $2 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program will allow for two lower-emission locomotives to enter Cemex’s service in Jacksonville and Miami in summer 2025.
“Through these state and federal programs, significant strides toward advancing responsible business practices are more attainable,” said Cemex U.S. President Jaime Muguiro. “Our new lower-emission vehicles play a key role in the development of building materials for roads, schools, hospitals, and more, while also pivotal to our CO2 reduction roadmap.”
Upon placing these emissions-reducing vehicles into service, Cemex decommissions the conventional vehicles they replaced, meeting a core requirement of the programs and reinforcing Cemex’s commitment to a more sustainable future.
This initiative continues Cemex’s efforts at other locations, particularly in Victorville, California, where multiple lower-emission locomotives were added to the fleet. In 2022, nearly 40 low-emission natural gas trucks were introduced to the Southern California fleet, replacing an equal number of older, diesel-powered vehicles. Additionally, in 2023, another lower-emission locomotive was put into service, supported by a $2.5 million grant from the EPA’s Targeted Airshed Grants (TAG) Program.
Decarbonizing its operations is a fundamental aspect of Cemex’s Future in Action program, which focuses on achieving sustainable excellence through climate action, circularity, and natural resource management with the primary objective of becoming a net-zero CO2 company by 2050.
About Cemex U.S.
Cemex is a global building materials company that provides high-quality products and reliable services with a rich history of improving the wellbeing of those it serves through innovative building solutions, efficiency advancements and sustainability efforts. Its U.S. network includes 8 cement plants, close to 50 strategically located cement terminals, nearly 50 aggregate quarries and more than 280 ready-mix concrete plants. Cemex U.S. has been repeatedly recognized for its efforts in sustainability and energy management, including earning U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year consecutively since 2019.
SOURCE Cemex USA