National cement shortage worsens

“Construction activity is outpacing even last year’s record pace, but U.S. cement suppliers cannot keep up with demand,” said AGC CEO Stephen E. Sandherr, in a news release. “If the STCC companies agreed to suspend the anti-dumping duty, Mexican cement could reach Gulf Coast and border states in days, keeping construction projects on track, avoiding unnecessary delays and possible layoffs.”

AGC and the Portland Cement Association already have received reports from 28 states and the District of Columbia, documenting shortages, allocations and delivery delays, up from 23 states at the end of May. As this year’s construction season progresses, AGC fears that shortages are likely to be even more widespread than in the 35 states where the PCA noted shortages or “tight” supplies as of November 2004.

AGC also continues to urge the Secretary of Commerce to conclude agreements with these domestic cement producers and welcomed the involvement of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who wrote in a recent letter to the Secretary of Commerce, “Domestic cement producers are operating at nearly full capacity and cannot keep up with the continually rising cement demand. … A ready supply of cement from a reliable source will have enormous economic impact, especially for a state facing the daunting challenge of rebuilding after costly natural disasters.”

AGC noted that the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute also has called for Commerce Department action.

AGC has members in every state, including general contractors, specialty and subcontractors, and suppliers of construction goods and services. They perform all types of nonresidential and multifamily construction projects, nearly all of which use cement at some stage and are therefore vulnerable to shortages. The organization represents more than 33,000 firms.

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