Clean Air Award

2011 Clean Air Award Winner - CXT, Inc. 

CXT, Inc. is the 2011 recipient of the Clean Air Award, to be presented by Spokane Clean Air at a special ceremony on January 27, 2011.

CXT, Inc, a subsidiary of L.B. Foster Company, is a leading supplier of precast concrete and railroad products in the United States. The company operates two production facilities in the Spokane Valley. One facility produces concrete railroad ties and the other manufactures pre-fabricated concrete outdoor buildings. 

About a year ago, CXT made the decision to “go green” and implemented many changes to reduce their emissions and impacts on the environment. The largest change occurred in the painting department at their concrete outdoor building facility where they replaced most of their solvent-based paints with water-based paints. They also started using a parts washer with an environmentally-friendly washing fluid to clean their paint guns and tips instead of using solvents. These changes have cut emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) nearly in half. Since VOCs contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, these reductions are significant for the Spokane-area, which has elevated ozone levels during summer. The changes also resulted in a reduction of hazardous waste generated.  

What is especially remarkable is that CXT made these changes during the busiest year that the facility has ever experienced. Production at the facility was up 20% in 2010 and CXT now has a concrete outdoor building in every state in the U.S. 

In addition to the changes in the painting department, CXT modified the concrete mix at both of their Spokane facilities, reducing the use of heaters for curing the concrete. By using less energy, the combustion emissions have been reduced by 20%. 

CXT has also recently become a voluntary Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) work-site.  “The CTR program helps us promote the benefits of commute alternatives to our employees, reducing vehicle emissions, traffic congestion and conserving gasoline,” stated David Steiger, Vice President CXT Precast Buildings.  “It allows our company to be holistic in its approach to going green,” added Steiger.

CXT has shown commitment to reduce their environmental impacts.  “Spokane Clean Air is proud to publicly recognize CXT as the 2011 Clean Air Award recipient and to express our appreciation for all of the changes they have made to reduce impacts on our environment,” stated Bill Dameworth, Spokane Clean Air Director.

CXT’s investment of time, money and resources to “go green” are commendable.  Congratulations CXT! 

The Clean Air Award is presented annually by Spokane Clean Air to an organization that has consistently demonstrated a commitment to reduce air emissions. The award is given to publicly express our appreciation for innovation and to encourage others to follow suit. For more information, including a list of past recipients, click here.

Past Clean Air Awards Recipients:
2010 - Fiber-Tech Industries
2009 - Ross Printing Company
2008 - Inland Empire Paper
2007 - Huntwood Industries
2006 - TransCanada
2005 - Avista
2004 - Fairchild Air Force Base