WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) today introduced the Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act of 2025 to accelerate the use of low-emissions concrete and asphalt. The bill would direct federal resources to encourage research, development, demonstration, and commercialization of low-emission concrete and asphalt technologies. It would also require the executive branch to establish a strategic plan for government agency coordination. A House version of this bill is led by U.S. Representatives Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) and Max Miller (R-Ohio). In addition to Senators Coons and Tillis, this legislation is cosponsored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.).
Concrete is the most used building material on earth. Globally, 18 billion tons of concrete are produced each year, accounting for 8% of worldwide emissions. Increasing the use of concrete and asphalt that produces fewer emissions will slow the impact of climate change and enhance America’s economic competitiveness.
“Reducing emissions and the energy used to produce the world’s most plentiful building material will improve the environment and promote American leadership in manufacturing. Now is the time to cement our gains in production technology and to deliver the concrete benefits that will result in cleaner construction,” said Senator Coons. “I’m proud to re-introduce this legislation with Senator Tillis that will create jobs and help us meet our climate goals.”
“The Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act is a smart, bipartisan investment in America’s industrial future, and it will strengthen domestic manufacturing, create jobs, and reduce emissions,” said Senator Tillis. “I’m proud to introduce this commonsense legislation that ensures American-made materials remain at the forefront of innovation.”
“The U.S. is leading the way in innovation of cement, concrete, and asphalt production, and we have a critical opportunity to reinvigorate our nation’s transportation infrastructure while making significant strides to reduce global emissions,” said Congresswoman Foushee. “The IMPACT Act 2.0, alongside the IMPACT Act and the Senate’s Concrete & Asphalt Innovation Act, will bolster efforts to modernize and deploy clean technologies in the industrial sector while enhancing the competitiveness of American-made innovation. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan, first-of-its-kind legislation alongside Congressman Max Miller, and with bicameral support from Senator Coons and Senator Tillis, to take us one step closer to achieving our goals for a more sustainable planet while creating good-paying jobs here at home. As a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, I also invite my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in supporting these bipartisan efforts to innovate our nation’s surface transportation infrastructure during the upcoming reauthorization process.”
“America has become over-reliant on foreign imports of materials like concrete, cement, and asphalt—the building blocks of much of our society,” said Congressman Miller. “I’m proud to support this legislation to reinvigorate and expand American industry and production capacity, and of course, create jobs. America makes things cleaner and better than anywhere else in the word, and this legislation will help us to do more of that.”
The Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act of 2025 would:
"The reintroduction of the bipartisan, bicameral Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act (CAIA) in the Senate, and IMPACT 2.0 in the House highlights a clear consensus on the need to support American manufacturing by unlocking investments and accelerating innovation in the U.S. cement, concrete, and asphalt sectors. CAIA, IMPACT and IMPACT 2.0 will support producers by streamlining regulation and providing clear market signals to bring cutting-edge technologies to market faster. This will enable the U.S. to remain a dominant leader in manufacturing and meet growing global demand for these materials. We commend Senators Coons and Tillis, and Representatives Miller and Foushee for their bipartisan leadership," said Jeremy Harrell, CEO, ClearPath Action.
“The Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act provides critical tools needed to decarbonize concrete, cement, and asphalt while ensuring continued U.S. leadership in the production of materials that are vital to the buildings and infrastructure that supports our economy. Importantly, the legislation recognizes the role that the federal and state governments play in unlocking innovation and addressing regulatory barriers to low-carbon materials as the largest buyers of concrete, cement, and asphalt.” said Brad Townsend, Vice President, Policy and Outreach, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
“Brimstone, a leader in industrial innovation, is thrilled to endorse the Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act, a comprehensive U.S. strategy for leveling up the cement and other materials at the foundation of modern infrastructure. Most significantly, this bipartisan legislation would empower states, for the first time, to use advance market commitments to invest federal funds directly in the next generation of sustainable, high-performance construction materials. We are extraordinarily grateful to Senators Coons and Tillis for their leadership, and look forward to the bill's passage,” said Simon Brandler, VP of Policy & Public Affairs at Brimstone.
As Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, Senator Coons is a leader in bipartisan climate legislation. Last Congress, he previously introduced the bipartisan Hydrogen Infrastructure Initiative alongside Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), a package of four bills to support the adoption of hydrogen in energy-intensive sectors. He also introduced the PROVE IT Act alongside Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) to study global emissions intensity.
The text of the bill is available here.
A one-pager is available here.
A section-by-section is available here.
A list of supportive quotes is here.