Importing cement

There is much talk about the amount of cement imported by the U.S. So how much cement do we import? This year, the United States is expected to import 27 percent of its cement, or 33 million tons, according to the Portland Cement Association. Last year, the United States imported 23 percent of its cement, up from 20 percent in 2003. Given the number of pending construction projects versus cement capacity, we're going to have to import even more to meet future needs. Maybe we could import some from Iraq. Your comment?