Scalise withdraws from speaker’s race while Jordan muscles for votes
On Oct. 12, Majority Leader Scalise withdrew from the race for Speaker of the House, stating although he won the majority of votes in his Republican conference vote, it was clear he would not be able to garner the required 217 votes on the House floor. Congress hopes again to elect a new speaker this week as Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) continues to serve in the role temporarily. Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) fell short of the required 217 votes in the first and second rounds of voting held Oct. 17 and Oct. 18. A third round was expected Oct. 19, but it appears Jordan’s chances of 217 are trending in the wrong direction. Members of Congress that did not vote for Jordan on the House floor have said they are receiving extreme pressure from outside groups and conservative media outlets to support the current candidate, with some citing threats of violence. Bipartisan talks are heating up to support a vote to allow acting Speaker Patrick McHenry to serve in a more robust temporary role so Congress can address immediate concerns such as funding for Israel and keeping the government open past Nov. 17. Reporting has indicated Jordan will support McHenry to hold the role until January as he tries to flip votes in his favor to become a permanent speaker.
Biden administration announces $100 million in grants to support manufacturers of cleaner construction materials
On Sept. 28, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of $100 million in grants to report and reduce climate pollution linked to the manufacturing of construction materials and products. This new grant program—Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products—will help businesses develop robust Environmental Product Declarations, which disclose environmental effects across the life of a product. Embodied greenhouse gas emissions—also called embodied carbon—refers to the amount of GHG emissions associated with the extraction, production, transport and manufacturing stages of a product’s life. Eligible entities include businesses that manufacture, remanufacture and refurbish construction materials and products, as well as states, tribes and nonprofit organizations that will support such businesses.
The deadline to apply is Jan. 8, 2024. The EPA requests the submittal of an optional Notice of Intent to apply by Oct. 27 by sending an email to embodiedcarbon@epa.gov. The grant program will host two webinars to provide information about this grant competition and the application process Nov. 2 from 2-3 p.m. EDT and Nov. 14 from 2-3 p.m. EST.
Support ROOFPAC at NRCA’s Fall Committee Meetings in Nashville, Tenn.!
Join your friends and colleagues for a cocktail reception featuring live music in support of ROOFPAC on Wednesday, Nov. 8, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Dogwood Nashville ($175 per person/$225 per couple). Members of NRCA’s Political Insiders Council and Capitol Hill Club are invited to attend complimentary as a benefit of their membership. We also would like to thank our sponsoring partner, Holcim, whose portfolio includes Elevate, Duro-Last, Gaco and Malarkey, for making this event possible. To RSVP or for more information, please visit nrca.net/roofpac-fall-event or contact NRCA Director of Political Affairs Teri Dorn at tdorn@ncra.net or (202) 510-0920.
Biden administration announces $400 million to improve building energy efficiency
Recently, the Department of Energy released program guidance and opened applications for $400 million in formula funding to states and territories for adopting and implementing building energy codes aimed to increase efficiency, lower greenhouse gas emissions and make buildings more resilient to natural disasters. Specifically, DOE released $240 million to adopt and implement the latest building energy codes—the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code for residential buildings and the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1–2019 for commercial buildings—or other codes that achieve equivalent or greater energy savings; $160 million will be available to adopt and implement the zero energy provisions in the 2021 IECC or other codes with equivalent or greater energy savings. Interested states will need to opt in to reserve their funding for these awards, with letters of intent due to DOE by Nov. 21.
