by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief

***Alabama

Vulcan Materials Co. announced that it is organizing its operations into two regional business units. The West Region will include the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The region will continue to be led by Ron McAbee, senior vice president, West. The East Region will include the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, as well as Canada and Mexico. The region will be headed by Danny Sheperd, senior vice president, East. Mac Badgett, senior vice president, construction materials, announced his intention to retire, effective July 1. “There may not be another person at Vulcan today who has contributed as much to the long-term success and culture of Vulcan as has Mac Badgett,” said Vulcan CEO Don James in a press release. “Mac has been a great coach and mentor to a generation of Vulcan leaders and, at various times over the years, has had management responsibility for most of Vulcan’s operations.”

Arizona

In late March, the Maricopa County Mining District Recommendation Committee – comprised of five residents and five aggregate industry members – discussed the feasibility of giving county planners a role in regulating mining operations. The Arizona Republic reports that a citizen member, Richard Wehbe, said he believes that county involvement could create a buffer zone between mining operations and developments. County counsel Wayne Peck explained that the state prohibits counties from regulating land uses for some operations, including mining and agriculture. “Every county must provide places for certain uses, and mining is one of them,” Peck said. “The Legislature made the decision that mining is such an important industry to the state that it was not going to let individual counties (regulate) it.” Wehbe claimed that producers could get permits rubber stamped, but producer-member Frank Mendola noted, “I’ve done several permits… and they are not rubber stamps.”

Colorado

The governor’s office announced that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) opened contractor bids on the first five transportation projects to be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). “It was very positive to see such competitive bidding on our first round of ARRA projects,” said CDOT Executive Director Russ George. “The project bids came in an average of 12 percent lower than expected. If this trend continues, we may be able to accumulate enough funding to add more construction projects to our list.” Winning bids were submitted by Brannan Sand and Gravel Co., New Design Construction, Aggregate Industries, and Asphalt Paving Co. The state will receive more than $400 million for transportation projects and $103 million for transit projects through the ARRA.

***Kansas

House and Senate negotiators appear to have reached an agreement on a bill that will make it easier for sand and gravel companies to obtain operating permits. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, the legislation creates a special mining exemption to a zoning law that currently requires a super majority vote by a city or county commission to overcome a protest petition filed by irate citizens or a local zoning board’s recommendation against approval of an aggregate operation. If signed by the governor, a simple majority will allow a city or county to grant mining permits. Woody Moses, managing director of the Kansas Aggregate Producers Association, told the newspaper that the reform was necessary to counter intense opposition to development of new operations throughout the state. Rep. Rocky Fund said he believed a simple majority is sufficient. “The bottom line is we need sand and gravel,” he told the newspaper. “I support it because it is so hard to get these permits.”

Maine

Shaw Brothers Construction Co. has begun work on a Gorham quarry and asphalt plant that could provide up to 25 jobs, the Portland Press Herald reports. Blasting has begun and access roads are being built at the site, which generated strong opposition from local residents during three years of planning and permit applications. Although greenfield development has proceeded smoothly, progress has been slow due to economic conditions that have reduced the demand for crushed stone. The site is expected to be ready for asphalt plant operations by the fall, depending on market conditions.

Massachusetts

Aggregate Industries has proposed to fill in its quarry near Route 99 in Saugus after reserves are depleted. According to the Saugus Advertiser, Scott Colby, Aggregate Industries environmental and estates manager, recently unveiled its draft quarry-closure plan before the town board of selectmen. Although an agreement has not been finalized, Colby said the company has determined the most beneficial closure option is to fill the quarry with acceptable material. Based on present site conditions, a minimum of 5 million cubic yards of material would be required to restore the quarry to its volume. The company’s draft report indicates it will take 15 years to remove existing reserves if mining proceeds at the site, however the quarry is currently inactive, making it difficult to pinpoint when the reclamation phase will begin. When reclaimed, the site is likely to be used for commercial activities.

Minnesota

More than 60 new construction, paving, bridge, and safety projects will begin in greater Minnesota throughout the next 12 months, and contractor bids have been announced for the first 11 projects, Finance & Commerce reports. Minnesota’s appropriations include approximately $502 million in highway construction, $92 million for transit capital investment, $1.8 million for transit modernization, and $72 million for clean water projects. Minneapolis attorney John Trout told the publication that while contractors expect to get busier, ancillary businesses such as asphalt producers and gravel operations expect to also see growth in their businesses.

***Montana

In mid-April, the Ash Grove Cement Co. was slated to bring employees back to work after test results on hundreds of samples showed little or no sign of tremolite asbestos fibers. According to billingsgazette.com, company officials said they would restart the maintenance operations that were abruptly shut down in mid-March after a company geologist found a rock suspected of being tremolite in the Clark Gulch quarry. Production won’t resume until maintenance is completed. Richard Opper, director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), told the newspaper that, out of more than 200 samples taken by Ash Grove, DEQ, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, only one came back at a level greater than the federal action limit of 1 percent. “That sample triggered a lot more sampling, including one from the same area that came back at non-detectable levels,” he said. “So there’s some speculation that the protocol may have been wrong… The company was very, very responsible. They never tried to deny access to any parts of the quarry or the plant and voluntarily did a lot of testing.”