Concrete is one of the most common materials on earth. Its production, which involves cement, accounts for almost 8% of carbon emissions globally according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Delegate Kenneth Kerr (D) of Frederick County sponsored the bill, which passed the General Assembly. It would reduce the pollutants that go into the concrete manufacturing process.

“What this bill does is it requires by 2026, that the Department of General Services consider the carbon footprint of the concrete that's being used in state projects, or any project that's over 50% state funded,” said Kerr.

That would include schools, roads and bridges.

The bill passed over the objections of the Maryland Asphalt Association, which didn’t want the government setting what’s known as a global warming potential. That’s a measure of the global warming impacts of different gasses compared to carbon dioxide.

Marshall Klinefelter, president of the Maryland Asphalt Association, says the General Assembly should have commissioned a study before enacting the law.

“They're setting these limits before they understand what the limits are,” said Klinefelter. “And that's very, very risky. We're in the infancy of this. We're getting our feet wet, and we shouldn't jump in, we should go in, an inch at a time.”

So far, Colorado and Texas have similar laws on the books. The Buy Clean Maryland Act goes into effect on July 1.

Click here to find out how some in the construction industry have begun mixing “clean” concrete.