By Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief

Arizona

Vulcan Materials Co.’s Western Division reports that it was awarded the 2009 Blue Sky Award for Innovative Research given by the Maricopa County Air Quality Department. The company received the honor for its leadership and research involved in the development of a sustainable alternative to traditional hot-mix asphalt that lowers greenhouse gases and other emissions and uses 25 percent recycled materials. The mix, WarmPave, is also being produced at Vulcan’s Reliance Plant in Southern California where testing confirmed 30 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions per ton of material produced compared to conventional hot-mix asphalt and reductions of 55 percent for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions.

California

The California Construction & Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA) announced the winners of its 2009 Safety Awards program. “This year, the recipients’ accomplishments included engineering changes to improve safety, teaching innovations, team-building techniques, safety culture establishment, effectiveness of their safety programs, and leadership within their companies,” said Mike Herges, chair of CalCIMA’s safety & health subcommittee and safety and health services manager for Graniterock Co. The winners include: Small Aggregate Plant — Dean Browning, general manager, Holliday Rock Co., Inc., Upland; Large Aggregate Plant (tie) — Greg Wilkerson, plant manager, Corona Quarry, Vulcan Materials Co., Corona, and Michael Cunningham, plant manager, Perkins Plant, Teichert Aggregates, Sacramento; Ready Mix Concrete — Lenny Price, operations manager, Thousand Palms, CalPortland, Thousand Palms; and Industrial Minerals — Mike McGath, plant manager, Newberry Plant & Hector Mine, Elementis Specialties, Inc., Newberry Springs.

California

With its environmental report complete, Cemex’s proposal to mine a 400-acre parcel of Jesse Morrow Mountain is likely to head to the county planning commission, the Fresno Bee reports. The 100-year plan calls for excavation of benches along the mountain’s south side to allow for the extraction of granite. As each bench is mined, the one above it is to be graded and reclaimed. A Cemex spokesperson, Jennifer Borgen, told the newspaper that it would take 3,000 acres along the Kings River to produce the same amount of aggregate as the company’s current proposal. The company is donating $10,000 and 40 acres of the unmined portion of the mountain to the Kings River Choinumni Farm Tribe, which supports the proposal.

Iowa

West Des Moines City Council members are wrestling with issues surrounding two quarries near the Raccoon River. According to the Des Moines Register, both are on land the city wants to eventually turn into a 400-acre recreation park and are operated by two competing companies — Hallett Materials and Martin Marietta Materials. City officials want to allow crushing on both sites, but have discussed severe restrictions on crushing at Hallett Materials, which has neighboring homeowners, while Martin Marietta’s site is more remote. Some council members discussed that such restrictions would create an unfair market advantage for Martin Marietta. They plan to investigate noise concerns before making a decision.

Massachusetts

Although some Berkley and Freetown residents continue to voice concerns about Cape Cod Aggregates’ fledgling blasting program, the company’s proactive stance seems to have minimized ill will. The Taunton Daily Gazette reports that David Peterson, the plant manager, has invited residents to attend a blast, but has had no takers. Selectmen from the two bordering communities attended the operation’s first blast after it shifted from a sand and gravel operation to a crushed stone site. “I felt a little vibration in my feet, but no shaking window panes or any physical disruption,” Berkley Selectman Julie Taylor told the newspaper. One of the publication’s reporters also attended the blast, standing about 500 feet from the blast zone. The reporter noted a one-second slight vibration under foot and blast material that moved 25 feet into the air, with very little residual dust.

Michigan

The Jackson County Road Commission stands to make an estimated $15,000 in royalties as it leases its inactive gravel pit to Lester Brothers Inc., a local excavating company. The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports that the company hopes to mine 50,000 tons per year from the site and will pay a 30-cent-per-ton royalty to the county road commission during its five-year lease. Road Commissioner Clerk and Finance Director Charles Walker told the newspaper that the money could go toward road maintenance, including painting and resurfacing. The Road Commission has about 10 other gravel pits located throughout the county.

Minnesota

Renville County’s Board of Adjustment and Appeals rejected an appeal by Duininck Companies and ordered it to meet its permit conditions for the gravel pit it operates in Beaver Township Falls. According to the West Central Tribune, the board ordered the company to correct five violations, including moving two gravel stockpiles that are within 500 feet of a neighboring residence; seeding a pigweed-infested berm with a grass and wildflower mix and improving the berm’s slope; developing a separate berm to prevent runoff; and reclaiming an area on the pit’s south side where mining occurred within the 50-foot setback from another property. The county’s zoning staff gave the company until June 15 to correct the violations.