November 2001
U.S.
Bankcorp Piper Jaffray
(Download PDF)
State by State
Compiled by Therese Dunphy
Alabama
BROOKWOOD—A coal mine here was the site of the nation’s deadliest mining accident since 1984. Three miners were injured and 13 were killed in the incident which is believed to be the result of a spark igniting methane gas in the mine. An MSHA investigation is expected to wrap up in mid-November.
Alaska
ANCHORAGE (AP)—State officials are considering restricting traffic on the Dalton Highway to protect the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and North Slope oil facilities from terrorist attacks. The options range from closing the road to the public to putting up checkpoints along the highway. The 414-mile-long Dalton Highway was built in 1974 to serve the North Slope oil industry.
Arizona
BAGDAD—A miner was killed at Phelps Dodge Bagdad Inc.’s pit in Bagdad on Oct. 3, according to a preliminary accident report from MSHA. Vernon Allen, 53, was operating a tractor trailer low boy, transporting a Cat 945 backhoe. He was traveling down a 10-percent grade haul road to the crusher rule dock in the pit. The victim contacted dispatch via radio to say he had a runaway. Dispatch got no response to its return call. The victim was found in the cab of the truck, against the wall of the road. Allen had 31 years of mining experience.
Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK (AP)—A Morrilton construction company that claims a computer error cost it more than $100,000 is suing the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. Mobley General Contractors Inc. is asking a judge to allow the company to withdraw its bid on a bridge project for the Illinois River in Washington County. Mobley submitted the bid to the highway department last November, according to the suit filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court. The company claims the $2,040,434.61 bid was $419,451 below the intended bid. The lawsuit says a computer program that tallies the budget left the line item for structural steel at $0 when the bid was figured. After the bids became public, the mistake was noticed and Mobley asked to withdraw its bid. The lawsuit says the company was told that to withdraw the bid, Mobley must either pay damages to the highway department or forfeit a bid bond of $104,283.
California
MARIN COUNTY—San Rafael Rock Quarry is being sued by its neighbors, Marin County and the state over dust and debris. The lawsuits contend that the quarry is exceeding its permit restrictions. Aimi Dutra, daughter of the quarry’s owner, told The San Francisco Chronicle that she was “flabbergasted by the lawsuit, especially since studies by the quarry and the county have shown that the operation does not exceed noise, dust, truck traffic or ground vibrations.” Part of the problem, according to the newspaper, is that the quarry’s previous owner sold large plots of land around the mine for development, including one development with dozens of homes valued at more than $1 million each that sit on a hill overlooking the quarry.
Colorado
LAPORTE—Holnam Inc. of Laporte is likely to close by the end of the year, according to a report in the Denver Post. About 100 employees will be laid off or transferred to other Holnam plants after a 60-day notice according to a company spokesperson. The plant closure comes as the company begins production at an expanded plant in nearby Florence.
DENVER (AP)—Senate Democrats killed Gov. Bill Owens’ plan to increase highway funding, and state officials immediately put seven highway projects, worth $224 million, on hold. “Today’s votes show they are intellectually bankrupt when it comes to transportation funding,” said Dick Wadhams, the governor’s spokesman.
Connecticut
ROCKY HILL (AP)—Its members have not all been appointed yet, but a new oversight board charged with developing a long-term plan to ease traffic congestion has begun meeting. The Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board convened in early October with 12 of 15 members in place. The transportation panel is expected to devise a 10-year plan to ease congestion, while promoting economic growth and protecting the environment. The group expects to issue a preliminary report by Jan. 15. A final report is due in December 2002. A report by a transportation consultant warned that Connecticut could become an “economic cul-de-sac” if it does not solve its transportation crisis.
Delaware
WILMINGTON—The Delaware Department of Transportation expects to reopen Bridge 66 located on Main Street by mid-month. The bridge was closed for rehabilitation on Oct. 1. The 45-day rehabilitation of the bridge was designated by Secretary Nathan Hayward III as an accelerated construction project in order to minimize the inconvenience to motorists. The contractor may receive a financial incentive for early completion, or may be imposed a penalty if the project is not completed within 45 days.
Florida
LEE COUNTY—Lee County commissioners are expected to hold smart growth workshops shortly. The county’s budget includes $340,000 to fund the Smart Growth Task Force, according to the Naples Daily News.
Georgia
ATLANTA (AP)—People living in Atlanta’s suburbs long have griped about traffic into the city. But many of them have argued more roads—not mass transit—will fix the problem. That’s changing. Clayton County rolled out its own public bus system, called C-Tran. It’s the first metro Atlanta county to start a bus system since Cobb County created one 12 years ago. Gwinnett County plans to start its bus service Nov. 5. Gov. Roy Barnes has sponsored a five-year, $8.3 billion transportation plan that would pour $359 million of federal and local funds into buses. About $38 million is targeted for short-trip shuttle services.
Hawaii
HONOLULU (AP)—The Legislature will be asked to approve $23 million in the coming special session to improve security at the state’s airports and harbors. State Transportation Director Brian Minaai said $13 million is needed at the harbors and $10 million for the airports, but some lawmakers questioned the source of the funding. Minaai told a House Transportation Committee briefing that the money is needed because of the added security costs resulting from September’s terrorist attacks on the mainland.
Idaho
BLACKFOOT—Officials from the Idaho Transportation Department were in the hotseat at a meeting about its proposed development of an 80-acre gravel pit and asphalt plant. According to The Post Register, the county’s planning and zoning board approved a permit for the department in July, but residents are opposed to the operation. The department said that it is a much-needed project because there are no gravel pits in eastern Idaho near the interstates and highways.
Illinois
CHICAGO—The Illinois Department of Transportation is suing Vulcan Materials Co., saying the producer damaged a city street. According to the Chicago Tribune, the state contends that Vulcan mined too close to Joliet Road, tunneling underneath it and causing it to buckle. IDOT closed the road in May 1998. According to the newspaper, the state wants Vulcan to pay to fix the road, estimated at $28-$45 million, or to pay to improve alternate routes if repair is not possible. Vulcan denies responsibility, saying the cracks that buckled the road are deeper than where the company mined.
Indiana
EVANSVILLE (AP)—Limestone from southern Indiana’s quarries was the material picked for the Pentagon’s exterior when construction started on Sept. 11, 1941. Indiana limestone could be used to help repair the Pentagon, which was damaged in a terrorist attack exactly 60 years later. Jim Owens, the executive director of the Bedford-based Indiana Limestone Institute of America, said he already has communicated by e-mail with a Pentagon official who had a question about repairing some of the limestone damaged by smoke. Lee Evey, manager of the Pentagon’s ongoing billion-dollar renovation program, said during a news briefing that he expects to use a match of the original limestone during repairs he predicted would cost “hundreds of millions” of dollars.
Iowa
DES MOINES (AP)—Street construction is causing problems for Waterloo Mayor John Rooff. A company owned by the mayor has received $861,000 for street construction projects over the last seven years, according to a recently released state audit. The audit showed that the same general contractor has been picked for street construction since 1994 and that the company has, in turn, selected the mayor’s company as a subcontractor for each project. In some cases, bids were very close. The audit urged city officials to review their bidding procedures and to examine whether asphalt or concrete is more economical.
Kansas
Topeka—Gov. Bill Graves said there aren’t good options for dealing with the state’s budget problems and that he would probably be proposing a tax increase at the same time he submits a bare-bones budget in January. According to The Topeka Capital-Journal, Graves said that the best-case scenario shows the state looking at a potential $90 million shortfall in the upcoming budget year.
Kentucky
FRANKFORT (AP)—Gov. Paul Patton has ordered a moratorium on new state permits for mining operations, not including coal mining. Patton said permits may be held up until July 2002 to allow the General Assembly time to consider if new restrictions are needed. The ban on mining permits is sweeping. Natural Resources spokesman Mark York said reclamation rules are not as stringent for other kinds of mining as they are for coal mining. Especially important is the requirement for surface coal mines that the land be returned to “approximate original contour.”' No such requirement exists in the law for other types of mining.
Louisiana
DENHAM SPRINGS—The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LDOTD) recently held a Public Hearing on the proposed Petes Highway (LA 16) Interchange at Interstate 12. LDOTD also made copies of the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) available to interested parties. This EA document examined the potential for social, economic and environmental impacts resulting from a proposed interchange.
Maine
AUGUSTA—Patriotism has found a home on highways in Maine where U. S. Route 302 received an additional moniker—the “10th Mountain Division Highway”. The designation honors America’s first military unit dedicated to fighting in snow-covered terrain. The 10th Mountain Division is recognized for its achievements during various campaigns in Italy during World War II, including the 1,500 ft. nighttime ascent of Riva Ridge, a key part of the German defense system. They were also the first U.S. forces to reach and cross the Po River.
Maryland
BALTIMORE—Gov. Parris Glendening’s smart growth campaign to slow suburban growth is meeting with resistance even in his own backyard. According to The Baltimore Sun, a pair of studies show that all but one county in the Baltimore region projects significant development outside designated growth areas. Under smart growth codes enacted in 1997, the state will help pay for roads, water and sewer lines, schools and other public works only in growth areas designated by local governments. Despite these restrictions, four out of five suburban counties in the Baltimore area have failed to meet the smart growth standards.
Massachusetts
BOSTON—MassHighway Commissioner Matthew J. Amorello announced 19 construction projects worth more than $58 million. These projects are part of an overall effort by the Swift Administration to dedicate more than $700 million a year over the next five years to road and bridge spending in Massachusetts. This amount is independent of Boston’s Central Artery project.
Michigan
OSCODA (AP)—The Michigan Aeronautics Commission has approved a $5.3 million grant for Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport that will pay for renovation of the former Air Force facility. Since the airport closed as an Air Force installation in 1993, pavement has crumbled and officials have struggled to maintain the airfield for civilian use. Meanwhile, a $6 million project to reconstruct the primary runway at the Houghton County Memorial Airport has been completed a month ahead of schedule.
Minnesota
OTTAWA—A miner was killed in an electrical accident at Unimin Minnesota Corp.’s Ottawa Plant & Pit on Oct. 2, according to a preliminary accident report from MSHA. Larry Velzke, 44, was in a manlift basket pulling wire through a conduit. According to the report, the wire became entangled with the conduit and the victim came into contact with the 8,000-volt overhead electrical cables. The victim had four years of mining experience.
Mississippi
JACKSON (AP)—The Mississippi Department of Transportation is seeking a record high $947.6 million budget, with increases driven by demands for more equipment. MDOT executive director Butch Brown told lawmakers that the department was hurt when equipment funding was cut from $12 million in the budget year that ended June 30 to $4 million in the year that started July 1.
Missouri
St. Louis—The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the Long-Range Transportation Direction, which identifies the state’s transportation needs for the next 20 years. The policy document guides development of Missouri’s plans for highways and other transportation and sets broad goals the state will use to develop mid-range and five-year plans. “This document also makes clear that Missouri must devote more resources to transportation…,” said Director Henry Hungerbeeler. “This document shows what needs to be done during the next 20 years to deliver the system Missourians want.”
Montana
WASHINGTON (AP)—The U.S. Supreme Court said that Montanans do not have to vote again on a mining restriction approved in 1998, even though an unconstitutional limit on corporate spending kept companies from fighting the proposal for most of the campaign season. The high court refused to consider an appellate court ruling that said even though the spending ban was illegal, a new vote is not needed on the initiative that bans the use of cyanide in open-pit gold mines. Montana officials and voting groups have defended the ban on corporate donations in ballot initiatives, as well as the voter-approved prohibition on cyanide use. On the question of whether a new election is needed on the mining ban, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had said it would be expensive for the state to hold another election. Business groups and mining interests appealed, asking that the election results be thrown out.
Nebraska
LINCOLN—The most heavily used road in Nebraska will be getting wider, according to the Daily Nebraskan. The increasing volume of vehicles traversing Interstate 80 between Lincoln and Omaha prompted state officials to approve an extra lane in each direction. Construction on the 44-mile stretch of road could begin as soon as the fall of 2002, and the project is expected to take eight to 10 years to complete. The project is still in the preliminary stages, but the cost is estimated at $300 million. Those costs are expected to increase by the time the project starts.
Nevada
CARSON CITY (AP)—Nevada exploration by 33 mining companies is expected to drop sharply this year compared with last year, according to a new state survey. The state Division of Minerals report says miners spent nearly $80 million on Nevada exploration activity in 2000, but are projected to spend just over $59 million this year. That’s a 26-percent decline. It would mark the fifth consecutive year of declining exploration in Nevada, said Doug Driesner, the division’s director of mining services.
New Hampshire
NASHUA—Area political leaders met in Nashua to address transportation issues as a region rather than several individual towns pitted against one another, according to The Union Leader. Among the topics discussed at the meeting were the circumferential highway, commuter rail, new commuter bus service to towns surrounding Nashua and the future of Route 101A. The DOT narrowed its search for a commuter rail station in Nashua to a site at Hampshire Chemical on Spit Brook Road.
New Jersey
RINGWOOD—A lawyer for Van Orden Sand and Gravel quarry told a state judge that the operation will pay the city 5¢ for each ton of rock removed from the quarry since 1998. According to The Record, the quarry disputed an extraction fee that was part of a 1996 agreement between the quarry and the city. Quarry attorney Jerome Vogel said the company would pay $104,000 in extraction fees for 1998, 1999 and 2000.
New Mexico
TAOS—A Taos environmental group has sued the Bureau of Land Management and two federal employees claiming that the agency fouled the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic area by allowing gravel mining near the gorge. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Amigos Bravos wants the BLM to stop Taos Gravel Products Inc. from mining the site and wants the agency to clean up the quarry. A lawyer for the BLM told the newspaper that the mine is on private land and that he doesn’t believe the mine violates the law at all.
New York
ALBANY—The New York State Department of Transportation announced the establishment of a new 24 hour/seven days per week one-stop shopping permit service center to expedite the issuance of permits following the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. The Governor’s Executive Order 113.9 authorizes the commissioner of transportation to permit the movement of oversized and/or overweight vehicles as he deems necessary on any publicly maintained highway. Commercial vehicle operators should contact the DOT. According to the DOT, it expects to be able to issue permits within minutes of being contacted.
North Carolina
RALEIGH (AP)—The state House gave final approval to a bill to create a new toll road authority a day after the measure was defeated but then revived. With no debate, the House voted 65-44 to create a North Carolina Turnpike Authority with the power to build pay-to-drive highways. At presstime, the bill was heading to the Senate, but debate may be delayed until next spring because the chamber moves to an abbreviated schedule as the session winds down. The turnpike authority would have the power to issue revenue bonds to pay for projects and condemn private land for their highways. Toll revenue would pay off the bonds. State transportation officials had pushed the authority as a way to reduce traffic in urban areas by building roads faster than through the Department of Transportation. A legislative report estimates the state needs at least $550 million extra each year to pay for unfunded road projects, improve road maintenance and expand public transportation. North Carolina has no toll roads now.
North Dakota
Bismarck—Not content to sit by and let the federally driven roadless issue play out in western North Dakota, Gov. John Hoeven’s administration has chosen to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service to protect state interests, according to The Bismarck Tribune. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem cited several reasons for the lawsuit, including the fact that a roadless ban could interfere with mineral rights owned by non-federal parties. The two have said that filing the lawsuit puts North Dakota in the position of being able to help craft an alternative to the proposed federal roadless ban.
Ohio
WASHINGTON—Ohio Gov. Bob Taft asked the White House and Congress to make transportation projects and business tax breaks a priority of its stimulus package to help the nation’s economy recover from terrorist acts. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Taft said he supports $5 billion in new federal transportation money with an estimated $200 million devoted to Ohio. Taft said the aid would add money to local economies and improve crucial infrastructure. The suggestions come as Congress considers a $75 billion economic-stimulus package.
Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—A $1.7 million project to widen part of Interstate 44 in Tulsa has won approval from the Oklahoma Transportation Commission. The commission approved a contract for the work after commissioners had earlier voted to table the issue until they had more information. At issue was how to fund the project, which will widen a portion of the Interstate to six lanes. The state Department of Transportation plans to ask the state Contingency Review Board to approve $125 million for the project. The board had already approved $799 million in Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle bonds for various projects. Under the program, the state sells bonds to build roads and the bonds are sold based on anticipated federal funds.
Oregon
Portland—Dragon Products Inc. faces its first official vote after years of planning and controversy. According to the Portland Press Herald, the company is asking permission to start blasting after a 10-year hiatus at its quarry. The planning board will meet and vote on whether or not to recommend the project to the city council. There has been no mining at the quarry since it operated under its previous owners, Boston Sand & Gravel. Dragon bought the quarry in 1991.
Pennsylvania
LAWRENCE COUNTY—Quality Aggregate’s permit request for a 197-acre site in southeast Lawrence County is meeting with opposition from groups ranging from the Sierra Club to the League of Women Voters. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the site sits next to a 300-ft. buffer surrounding McConnell’s Mill, a scenic landmark. Last year, Quality Aggregates asked the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for permission to use land within the buffer for mining. The request was rejected. The operator then retooled its request to work next to the buffer and is awaiting the group’s decision.
Rhode Island
PROVIDENCE—Bike paths are stirring up the editorial page of The Providence Journal. According to one letter to the editor, the new bike paths are slowing commuter traffic and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s campaign to educate the public about proper use of bike lanes is a waste of money. “Why do we need an aggressive media campaign to tell people to ‘please don’t run over bicyclists,’” wrote area resident Frank Justin.
South Carolina
Columbia—Long after North Carolina and Georgia, South Carolina has now came up with its share of $200,000 in tri-state matching funds, to secure the same amount in federal dollars for a feasibility study of a high-speed rail line through the region, according to The Smart Growth Network.
South Dakota
RAPID CITY (AP)—The South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment planned to meet to discuss an air-quality permit for a mineral plant in Custer. Neighbors of the Pacer Minerals plant complain that the gray colored material mined by Pacer and used to manufacture ceramics is dangerous and messy, spewing annoying, hazardous dust. But Pacer says it meets state and federal regulations. The company mines feldspar and mica at other locations and processes the materials at the plant in Custer.
Tennessee
MEMPHIS (AP)—The proposed route for a new interstate highway through West Tennessee should be decided by next summer, state officials say. They outlined possible routes for I-69 during meetings with the public in Millington, Covington, Ripley and Dyersburg. At those meetings, highway planners noted suggestions from the public on areas the route should avoid.
Texas
AUSTIN—Discord among area politicians, their allies and residents over proposed State Highway 45 is hindering the project, with the Austin City Council and Mayor Kirk Watson concerned about the road’s incompatibility with their Smart Growth program, and Buda Mayor Billy Gray, real estate owner Gary Bradley and one homeowners association convinced it would help alleviate traffic. According to The Smart Growth Network, Watson wants to pursue road improvements and construction in line with the Smart Growth program instead of spending money on highways. Bradley believes “there is complete community consensus that the No. 1 problem is traffic congestion” and challenges anyone to explain to him “how not building a road is addressing our No. 1 problem.” He is backed by officials and residents of Buda, just south of Austin, who point out that they need an alternative route to its airport and employment centers.
Utah
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—U.S. District Judge Bruce Jenkins agreed to certify his August order allowing construction of the controversial Legacy Parkway to proceed. That clears the way for opponents of the highway project to appeal to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The judge refused to stop construction on the first 14 miles of the expressway while the appeal is pending. State transportation officials have said the Legacy Parkway is critical to solving northern Utah’s growing traffic congestion problems. Opponents protest the destruction of wetlands to build the road.
Vermont
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION (AP)—A new planning commission decision limiting truck traffic at Twin State Sand and Gravel Co. Inc. doesn’t go far enough to satisfy neighbors. In 1996, the company received a state land-use permit limiting the number of trucks, their size and the number of trips they could make in a season. It also allowed the company to use a nearby rail line, but stipulated that if the company used the rail transport option, it would have to reduce its truck traffic on the residential roads. This year, Twin state asked for a permit amendment that would allow use of the rail line without having to reduce truck traffic. The planning commission permit included a condition that truck trips would have to be reduced by 30 trips per day when the company was using rail.
HARTFORD (AP)—Town officials are seeking to revoke the Act 250 permit of a New Hampshire sand and gravel company for allegedly violating the permit’s conditions. The Hartford select board voted 3-1 to authorize Town Manager Hunter Rieseberg to seek the revocation of Twin State Sand & Gravel’s permit. The board action cited “information reported to us by town counsel” that Twin State was violating the terms of its permit. Board members declined to reveal what that evidence is.
Virginia
Richmond—Chesterfield County and the Virginia Department of Transportation are taking extreme measures to unclog one of the most congested intersections in the Richmond region. According to The Richmond Times-Dispatch, they are planning to widen two miles of Hull Street near state Route 288 from six lanes to eight lanes. That section of road carries an estimated 57,000 vehicles per day. A construction schedule has not yet been set.
Washington
SEATTLE—Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland has “put on hold” a plan to auction off a 600-acre Snohomish County sand and gravel site opposed by residents and city officials. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Sutherland said the delay would give the county time to complete its land-use plan.
West Virginia
HUNTINGTON (AP)—A state senator was named as the director of a new Marshall University-based center charged with studying transportation and economic development issues in Appalachia. Sen. Bob Plymale (D-Wayne) started Oct. 1. The Nick J. Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute was established in July with $12 million in federal transportation funding.
Wisconsin
West Bend—A judge ruled that Germantown can get a permanent injunction preventing a quarry from blasting at its site. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Judge Andrew Gonring said there had been a substantial change in the use of James Cape & Sons site. What is now a hard rock mining operation began as a sand and gravel pit that did not blast. Mineral extraction is not allowed under current zoning requirements and Gonring concluded that the mine did not qualify as a previously permitted use. Cape has argued that it was entitled to conduct activities associated with the site’s non-conforming status as a mineral extraction operation and that blasting is an integral part of that operation.
Wyoming
ORIN JUNCTION (AP)—A highway worker was killed when he apparently got caught in asphalt-mixing equipment along Interstate 25, according to the state Department of Transportation. The victim was identified as Emilio Zuniga, 63, of Scottsbluff, Neb. Department spokesman Dave Kingham said the accident happened at a plant off the interstate.