I 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6492 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 21, 2012 Mr. Clarke of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To provide for the establishment, in the Office of Pavement Technology of the Federal Highway Administration, of the position of Recovered Mineral Component Ombudsman.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Sustainable, Livable And Green (S.L.A.G.) Highway Construction Act of 2012.

2.

Recovered Mineral Component Ombudsman; procurement guidelines

(a)

Recovered Mineral Component Ombudsman position

The Secretary of Transportation shall establish in the Office of Pavement Technology of the Federal Highway Administration the position of Recovered Mineral Component Ombudsman. (b)

Duties of Ombudsman

The duties of the Recovered Mineral Component Ombudsman shall include— (1)acting as a liaison between the States and the Department of Transportation on federally funded highway projects; (2)encouraging States to use recovered mineral component (referred to in this Act as RMCs) to drive down costs and be more environmentally sensitive; and (3)providing information on— (A)the safety of using RMCs; (B)data on projects that use RMCs; and (C)training and educational seminars on the environmental benefits, and on the cost saving benefits, of using RMCs through partnerships with the RMC industry groups supported by the Administration. (c)

Definition

For purposes of this section, the term recovered mineral components and RMCs means— (1)ground granulated blast furnace slag; (2)blast furnace slag aggregate; (3)steel furnace slag aggregate; and (4)any other industry co-product or recovered by-product the Federal Highway Administrator in consultation with an agency head, determines should be treated as recovered mineral component under this section for uses in asphalt or concrete projects paid for, in whole or by part, by such agency. (d)

Comprehensive procurement guidelines

The Secretary of Transportation is encouraged to amend the comprehensive procurement guidelines applicable to federally related asphalt and concrete projects to include specifications that encourage the use of ground granulated blast furnace slag, blast furnace slag aggregate, and steel furnace slag aggregate. (e)

Environmental standards

Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency shall establish standards to ensure that the use of RMCs does not violate the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) or any other environmental law.