WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, hosted a caucus event today to explore opportunities for innovation and decarbonization in the concrete and asphalt sectors. Participants included David Crane, Undersecretary for Infrastructure at the U.S. Department of Energy; Jeremy Harrell, Chief Strategy Officer at ClearPath; Leah Ellis, CEO and Founder of Sublime Systems, Inc.; David Perkins, Vice President of Governmental Affairs at Heidelberg Materials; and Heather Dylla, Vice President of Sustainability at Construction Partners, Inc. 

Senator Coons has introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to accelerate the use of low-emissions concrete and asphalt. 

“Reducing the emissions it takes to produce the world’s most plentiful building material is a unique opportunity to position American leadership in clean manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and help us meet our climate goals,” said Senator Coons. “I’m glad that the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus could examine opportunities and challenges for innovation in this important space with this esteemed group of panelists today.” 

“This event was a good opportunity to hear from materials industry leaders about their plans to innovate in the concrete and asphalt manufacturing process,” said Senator Braun.

The bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus was founded in 2019 by Senators Coons and Braun as a forum for senators across party lines to find common ground on solutions to address a changing climate. The caucus has convened business leaders, topic experts, local leaders, international figures, and more on a variety of topics ranging from emerging technologies to climate resilience to critical minerals. This is the caucus’ second event this year.