A wide variety of construction materials may soon be subject to federal laws governing their use on infrastructure building projects.
The Office of Management and Budget has just released new proposed standards, in the form of a guidance, laying out a new federal requirement stating that “all manufacturing processes for construction material must occur in the United States.”
The projects not only include those funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but also housing developments receiving support through such initiatives as the Community Development Block Grant and Homes Investment Partnerships programs.
The guidance is specific as to when a given building material may be subject to the new federal rules, with most materials impacted at the time of their manufacture.
OMB’s announcement comes as President Biden in his State of the Union address remarked of upcoming federal infrastructure projects: “We’re going to buy American.”
As reported in the Federal Register, public input on the proposed guidance will be accepted until March 13.
By Garry Boulard
