SKOKIE, Ill. – On March 19, 2007, the CEMEX cement plant in Davenport, Calif., received the Land Stewardship Award from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Cement Americas magazine as part of the 2006 Cement Industry Energy and Environment Awards. The award was presented at PCA’s Spring Meeting in La Jolla, Calif.

The Land Stewardship Award recognizes a plant’s efforts to protect and enhance the surrounding land. The Davenport plant reclaimed 16 acres of its quarry with native habitat. The plant also maintains a large forested buffer area around that serves as a screen and buffer for neighboring communities. CEMEX has implemented a sustainable forestry management program that annually plants 20,000 redwood seedlings and harvests less than half of the new growth. In 2006, a portion of the timber harvest was allocated to community and conservation projects. The property also provides special habitat for a variety of wildlife and is home to several endangered and threatened species.

In addition to accepting the highest honor in the Land Stewardship category, PCA recognized the plant as a finalist in the Outreach category and in Overall Environmental Excellence, a special honor presented to plants demonstrating merit in multiple categories.

The Davenport plant maintains several community/plant committees that facilitate two-way communications between plant management and community representatives. It routinely makes the plant available to community and educational tours and partners with schools in Davenport, Bonny Doon, and Santa Cruz. The school partnership, which includes significant financial contributions, extends to community events such as “Kite Day” to celebrate Clean Air Month. In 2006, in celebration of its 100th anniversary, the plant hosted a number of events and projects, beyond its regular community contributions.

CEMEX offers a corporate hotline for employees to report anonymously any non-compliance concerns and institutes a program that continuously monitors local, state, and federal regulations to ensure compliance with new and modified regulations.

The Cement Industry Energy & Environmental Awards honor individual cement facilities that exemplify the spirit of continuous environmental improvement and support this spirit with action. These plants go beyond government regulations and local laws to ensure that their processes contributed to making their communities better places to live and work. Five categories are recognized: Outreach, Environmental Performance, Land Stewardship, Innovation, and Energy Efficiency. Additionally a special honor was presented to plants demonstrating excellence in multiple categories.

“Cement companies take very seriously their responsibilities to towns where their employees and customers live,” said Charlie T. Sunderland, PCA chairman and CEO of Ash Grove Cement Company. “The awards program recognizes these ongoing efforts to continuously challenge manufacturing policies and procedures to minimize our environmental footprint.”

A presentation will take place in Davenport later this spring.

History of the Awards
The awards program was created in 2000 by the Portland Cement Association as part of its renewed environment and energy strategic plan for the U.S. cement industry. PCA and Cement Americas magazine presented the first Cement Industry Environmental Awards in 2002 to the winners for 2001. The awards honor activities conducted during the previous calendar year, and the program is open to any cement manufacturing plant in North America. Judges for the awards represent independent groups such as PCA, Cement Americas magazine, the Cement Association of Canada, World Resources Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the World Wildlife Fund.

About PCA
Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.

# # #