Instead of a bolt of high-octane lightning, we were just told to leave the room.
The Texas oil gods were kind to us that Oct. 23 morning in Austin. I mean, there we were, in what was once the juiciest source of black liquid magic in North America, talking about dialing up Canada Catering for all our heavy crude needs over the next 20 years. By the second day of the HMA Energy and Recycling Symposium, the great drillers of ancient oil Babylon must have needed a break to compose themselves.
So nature’s death grip was replaced by an announcement over the Austin Radisson’s loudspeaker: “There is an emergency in the building. Please exit immediately.” Just as soon as we stepped out into the parking lot we were told to make our way back in. An emergency, huh? Sure. I’m surprised they didn’t trash our room.
The big belt buckle days of American oil are long behind us. It is all about tightening the strap, and in some cases, needing that extra hole that never was punched out. That’s when you realize it is time for a new way of life.
I have always wondered why paving contractors do not use a higher percentage of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in the mix. All the news coming out of Europe and Australia is how they are pouring down mats with 40% and sometimes 50% reused material, and here we are, puttering along like my dad’s 1979 ugly-green Ford Pinto at 15-20%.
It’s universally known that Americans hog the buffet line of natural resources. We pile it high with lumps of coal and a heavy topping of crude oil, while Europeans munch on more green, leafy alternatives.
But we have felt this crunch before during the post-oil embargo of the 1970s and responded with serving virgin material in a teaspoon rather than a ladle. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) pulled off its first successful RAP project in 1979, with the contractor incorporating 45% worth in a surface mix through a batch plant. A year later, VDOT pushed the recycled envelope to 50%. According to the agency, both pavements lasted longer than conventional mixes.
The idea of green construction was now being fertilized daily. VDOT adopted a permissive specification in 1983 allowing up to 25% RAP in all mixes, and recycled material in excess of that magic number was permitted with DOT approval. Many producers went for the nod and ran in excess of 30% for the next 15 years or so. The Federal Highway Administration followed with its blessing in the late 1990s, releasing tiered guidelines on permissible RAP percentages for higher RAP-content mixes. Many states adopted those guidelines, then took a step backward by reducing permissible percentages. Perhaps many took a big belt buckle to the head from those brassy oil gods.
Yes, today there are still lingering issues with RAP, particularly at the asphalt plant. Some contractors aren’t willing to take the additional steps needed, and in some areas there simply is not enough RAP.
But seriously, what are we waiting for? I think it is safe to say that bolt of approval from the high heavens isn’t going to happen, but what is imminent is the dwindling supply of oil, which will reach critical levels in a couple of decades.
The time is now to wire these energy-hungry jaws shut. The need is there, the results are there, but the harmony is coming straight out of my shower—and it’s pretty gross. Agencies, suppliers, producers and contractors need to roll together on this one. Those who resist should just be asked to leave.
