| State & Province News |
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April 2007
by , Executive Editor |
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Alabama According to a report in the Birmingham News, Vulcan Materials Co. said that fourth-quarter profits rose 24 percent. Net income from continuing operations was $115 million, or $1.19 a share, from $92 million or 89 cents a share a year earlier. Sales were up 9 percent to $743 million. The company also reported that selling prices for crushed stone were up 16.5 percent. California After 11 years of working through the planning process, the Butte County Planning Commission voted to accept an environmental impact report and to approve the M&T Ranch/Baldwin Contracting project in Oroville. While the decision will likely be appealed to the Board of Supervisors, the move is one in the right direction for the producer. According to the Chico Enterprise-Record, neighbors spoke out against the operation, voicing concerns about inadequate infrastructure, endangered species, and sewer treatment lines, but three of four commissioners voted in favor of the mine. California The Irwindale Chamber of Commerce honored Vulcan Materials Co. with the “Joe DiShanni Business of the Year,” award for business excellence, community service, initiative, and creativity. Chamber President and CEO Lisa Bailey told the Sun Gabriel Valley Tribune that, “They do a lot within the community, not just with the chamber, but other organizations.” For example, Vulcan sponsors the Irwindale Education Foundation scholarships each year. The company’s Azusa quarry serves as an access point to the Fish Canyon trail, so Vulcan now provides free shuttles through the quarry to a bridge that accesses hiking trails. Vulcan also has an outreach program with the local elementary school. Florida At Aggregates Manager press time, the Nassau County Planning and Zoning Board was set to consider a request from William Agricola, owner of Red Shirt Farms, to change the intended future use of his 515-acre site. The Florida Times-Union reports that Florida Rock Industries Inc. will buy the land, but only if it is permitted for sand and gravel mining. An attorney for Agricola said that only a fraction of the land would be mined at any one time. In 2000, Tarmac America Inc. submitted a mining proposal for a nearby piece of land. That proposal sparked the formation of a citizens group that fought the operation. Florida The Walton County Economic Development Council has declared that dredging the channel at Four Mile Creek in Freeport will be a priority to ensure that business at the port can continue. According to the Northwest Florida Daily News, silt and sand have built up during the past several decades, making the channel more narrow and shallow. The channel hasn’t been dredged since the early 1960s. Kentucky According to Business First of Louisville, Louisville-based Cobalt Ventures LLC and its mining subsidiary have alleged fraud in a lawsuit against a former partner and Bank of America. The newspaper reports that the company is seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as reimbursement for legal fees and other costs in its suit against Hollis D. Smith and Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America. The company claims that Smith and the bank conspired to provide Cobalt owner Todd Blue with an inflated appraisal of Smith Mining, then operating as Brooks Crushed Stone LLC. Cobalt Ventures invested $2.7 million in Smith and Brooks. In February 2005, the two companies sought protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Michigan A study by the Ford Motor Co., Michigan State University, and the Alliance for the Great Lakes shows that there are sources of inland sand that could meet the specifications for foundry sand and that industrial sand could be a viable alternative to coastal dune sand. The Associated Press reports that the most promising sites are in the Lower Peninsula and a few areas of the eastern and central Upper Peninsula. Dune mining has decreased since peaking at 3.5 million tons in 1976, with about 1.8 million tons being mined during 2005. The report noted that the state government could promote the transition to inland sand mining with grants, loans, and tax breaks for research and equipment. Minnesota After seven years and three lawsuits, Ryan Contracting of Shakopee has encountered yet another obstacle in its efforts to develop a gravel pit in Prior Lake. The Star Tribune reports that the company first applied for the permit in 1999 but has faced challenges from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, its own failure to meet a deadline to act on a city-owned permit, and other legal maneuvers. In January, the City Council ordered further environmental study of the project to address concerns about water pollution, as well as traffic, dust, and noise. The newspaper also reports that the city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees related to the pit. Those expenditures are causing some city leaders to question whether the efforts are worth the trouble. Missouri A jackknifed tractor-trailer forced authorities to close Interstate 70 in Independence on Jan. 31. The truck was involved in an accident at Lee’s Summit Road and spilled a load of sand and gravel, according to The Kansas City Star. Nebraska Will Locke, a retired Hastings College education professor, has a new topic for his historical tours of the west — mountain resources of the Platte River in Nebraska. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the camping tour will take 16 people on an adventure to learn about the Great Plains, ranching, and sand and gravel along the river beds. New Jersey Shoreline Sand and Gravel LLC encountered some community opposition as it seeks to be included on the Ocean County solid waste management plan and to obtain a permanent Class B recycling permit. The Ash Park Press reported that homeowners want the county to reject Shoreline’s bid and to support Barnegat Township officials in trying to close the operation. Shoreline has a temporary permit that allows it to use recycling equipment and has been trying to secure a permanent permit, but a deal with the township fell through. Township officials told the newspaper that they proposed a five-year recycling permit. In return, they wanted the site to close after those five years and to provide $300,000 worth of landscaping materials. New Jersey John E. Westlake, business partner of former State Sen. John A. Lynch Jr., was sentenced to three months in federal prison for tax evasion, the scheme that sent the former political power broker to prison. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Westlake must pay a fine of $30,000 and spend seven months under house arrest after completing his prison term. New York A plan to shore up the beach at Smith Point County Park with sand dredged from waters off Fire Island National Seashore is moving forward despite earlier resistance from the National Park Service. Newsday reports that Suffolk County officials say that 225,000 cubic yards of sand is needed to stave off erosion at the Shirley park, which lies within the boundaries of New York’s only federally designated wilderness park. National Seashore Superintendent Michael Reynolds objected to the plan, saying it could disrupt the natural east-to-west flow of sand along the barrier beach shoreline, but federal lawmakers intervened at the request of county officials. New York The Port of Buffalo, owned by New Enterprise Stone & Lime, has increased its tonnage significantly during recent years, according to the Buffalo News. During the last year, coal unloadings alone increased from 180,000 tons to 440,000 tons. The Port won an award from the U.S. Department of Transportation for its efforts and continues to increase loads for various products including coal, limestone, windmill blades, and automobile plant stamping machines. North Carolina Topsail Beach officials are pushing an emergency nourishment project to reinforce the town’s battered beach, according to Star News. The Army Corps of Engineers held a meeting to scope out potential concerns about the town’s plan to pump an estimated 1 million cubic yards of sand onto nearly 22,000 feet of beach, basically covering the town’s developed beachfront. The proposed $10 million project would be funded through up to $3 million in state funds and a special assessment on town property owners, with oceanfront homeowners paying the most. North Dakota MDU Resources Group, Inc., parent company of Knife River Corp., announced record financial results, according to Business Wire. “Our overall results in 2006 were absolutely outstanding,” said Terry Hildestad, president and CEO of MDU Resources. Among the company’s results: 2006 earnings for its construction materials and mining business line were $85.7 million, a 56-percent increase over 2005 earnings. The parent company was named to Forbes magazine’s Platinum 400 list of the best big companies in America for the seventh consecutive year. Ohio Six months ago, a quiet grand opening ceremony was held at the Grand Valley Park in Indian Hill and work began on transforming the former 300-acre gravel pit into a wildlife habitat and park. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the lake is being primed for bass fishing while other work continues to transform the former Martin Marietta site. The village expects to spend 10 years and $5 million to turn Grand Valley into a sanctuary and recreation oasis. As part of that investment, a $1.3 million conference and education center will be built by the lake, natural walking trails, and fishing areas. Rhode Island A beach replenishment project in South Kingstown has stirred the ire of some residents who are complaining about trash that has turned up during the process. According to The Providence Journal, a group called “Save the Bay” has asked that work be suspended until its environmental concerns are addressed. The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) is the state sponsor of the dredging operation, which is being overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A spokesperson for the CRMC said that there were no plans to stop dredging, noting that the group had to weigh having non-hazardous material wash up on the shore versus the channel not being safe for navigation. In December 2006, work began to remove 90,000 cubic yards of sand and sediment from approximately 20 acres encompassing the harbor channels and anchorage areas. Utah Pettro Sand & Gravel has asked the Utah County Commission to rezone its land between Provo and Springville as “industrial” rather than “critical environment” so that it can excavate up to $12 million in gravel. The Utah County Board of Adjustment denied the operator special permission to mine the land under its current designation, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Owner Scott Pettro told commissioners that any further work would stay within the footprint of excavation already started. Jeff Mendenhall, the community development director, recommended that the commission reject the zoning change. Washington The Whatcom County Council rejected Burlington-based Concrete Nor’West’s request to rezone 25 acres near its Nooksack operation, according to The Bellingham Herald. The company requested the zoning change to allow for future expansion of its gravel mine, but the proximity of the land to a nearby elementary school generated community controversy. Approximately 20 people testified against the expansion. County planners recommended that the council approve the project as long as the company improved roads, installed a buffering berm, and refrained from mining on two acres near the road. Council members split the vote, with one member absent and another abstaining. Dan Cox, environmental and land use planner for the company, told the newspaper that he was surprised and disappointed by the decision because it earlier appeared to have council support. He stated that opponents’ concerns should have been addressed when the company applied to mine the land rather than during the early rezoning stage. Wisconsin Wisconsin Industrial Sand Co. is working with the Wildlife Habitat Council to create a bat habitat at its Maiden Rock mine, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. As one of very few underground sand mines, the site is a suitable option for bats during their hibernation. The mining company has installed bat-friendly doors as well as osprey and bald eagle platforms. The mine is now one of three main bat hibernaculums in the state, and wildlife biologists from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are studying their habits at the site. STATE SPOTLIGHT Illinois Coalition Pushes Transportation Investment In early February, a coalition of Illinois business and labor groups outlined a package of transportation investments it says is necessary to keep the state competitive in the global race for economic growth and jobs. The Transportation for Illinois Coalition (TFIC) called on lawmakers to invest an additional $25 billion over the next five years to reverse the decline of Illinois’ transportation network and to finance substantial improvements targeted at sustaining employment levels and sparking new economic growth and job creation. “If we don’t act this spring, the past few years of declining investment in our transportation infrastructure will put out of reach the possibility of adequately maintaining and enhancing our highway, transit, rail, and air network,” said Illinois State Chamber of Commerce President Doug Whitley and Illinois AFL-CIO President Margaret Blackshere in a joint letter sent to the General Assembly. The two serve as co-chairs of the TFIC. A 2001 study by the Regional Economics Application Laboratory (a joint project of the University of Chicago and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago) notes that failure to invest in fixing Chicago’s rail freight congestion will cost the state 17,000 jobs and $2 billion in production by 2020. “Education and healthcare funding have grabbed the headlines, and they are issues that have a significant impact on all of us. But for many in the business, organized labor, not-for-profit, and local government communities, the need for investment in the state’s transportation network is equally compelling,” Blackshere and Whitley said. The TFIC recommends a $10.8 billion annual transportation program that would include investment in both capital and operating expenses. The coalition’s recommended new capital outlays include $1.8 billion for state highways and $340 million for local roads. “The member organizations of the Transportation for Illinois Coalition understand that to deliver a transportation funding package that will address the real need for investment in Illinois’ highways and bridges, transit systems, freight and passenger rail systems, and small airports, new revenue is necessary,” the coalition said in a fact sheet supplied to state legislators. “TFIC will support a proper transportation funding package that includes new revenues.” — Source: Transportation for Illinois Coalition Province News At Aggregates Manager’s press time, the first shipload of aggregate mined from Polaris Minerals Corp.’s Orca Sand and Gravel project was expected to leave Vancouver Island on its way to California by the end of March. According to the Times Colonist, each load will carry approximately 70,000 tons of aggregates. On March 5, Polaris is scheduled to receive its second award for the project. The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada recognized the company for its “excellent community relations and environmental practices” during the exploration and construction of the quarry. |
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Reprinted from Aggregates Manager Magazine |
