Breaking Industry News
Compiled by
, Senior Editor
May 5, 2008
Sandvik Mining and Construction has reached an agreement
with Husqvarna Construction Products Sweden AB to divest its
construction division to the company, according to a report
from ARI.
The construction division was transferred to the new owner
on April 30.
April
30, 2008
Granite Construction Inc. announced that it will release
its first quarter 2008 financial results after the close of
business on April 30, 2008. The company will host a
conference call on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 8:00 a.m.
PT/11:00 a.m. ET.
The live conference call may be accessed by calling
877-864-2735 and 706-634-7039 for international listeners.
The conference ID for the call is 41459028. A live Webcast
will also be available via the Internet at
www.graniteconstruction.com/investor-relations.
The conference call will be recorded and available for
replay from approximately two hours after the live call
through June 1, 2008 by calling 800-642-1687 or
706-645-9291. The conference ID for the recording is
41459028. An audio archive of the call will also be
available on the company’s website.
April
30, 2008
The Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA) said it will issue a new MSHA
Individual Identification Number, or MIIN, to industry
personnel who apply to the agency for specific
qualification, certification, and instructor credentials.
Effective April 21, individuals who apply for or need to
update their MSHA credentials must first register to receive
a new MIIN, a unique, eight-digit number preceded by the
letter “M” that will replace the Social Security number to
identify them in MSHA’s records.
“This new number will help industry personnel keep their
personal information more secure and will provide increased
protection from identity theft,” said Richard Stickler,
acting assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and
health. The agency said it will also require individuals who
hold an MSHA certification for coal mine dust sampling or a
certification for the maintenance and calibration of
respirable dust sampling units to obtain a new MIIN in order
to continue sampling.
In its announcement of the new system, MSHA said it will
void any respirable dust samples submitted on or after July
1, 2008, that do not include the new MIIN on the
accompanying data card. Certified personnel planning to
submit any respirable dust samples to the agency on or after
July 1 should register for the new MIIN as soon as possible
after April 21. To register for it, visit
www.msha.gov/forms/forms.asp
after the effective date or call the agency at
800-579-2647
April
30, 2008
SANTA CLARITA, Calif.—Cemex,
the City of Santa Clarita and Congressman Howard “Buck”
McKeon have announced an agreement that will prevent mining
on Soledad Canyon Road. The end could be very near for a
nine-year battle to prevent Cemex from operating a sand and
gravel mine on the eastern edge of Santa Clarita.
Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon has introduced federal
legislation that would, if passed, cancel the mineral rights
contract from the Bureau of Land Management for the Soledad
Canyon Road location. The bill would also stop any future
mining operations at the site, and Cemex would walk away.
In exchange Cemex would be given 5,000 acres of land in the
city of Victorville.
Victorville had representatives at the conference and they
are listed as an agreeing party.
(Source: ARI, Aggregate Research Industries)
April 29,
2008
Palm Beach County commissioners approved plans for decades
of digging on 11,000 acres of mostly sugar cane that used to
be the Everglades, according to a report in the
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Despite environmental concerns, commissioners in a 4-2 vote
allowed plans for South Bay Quarry 10 miles south of Belle
Glade, on the east side of State Road 827, according to the
newspaper’s report.
Commissioners also approved the Lake Harbor Quarry, 7,351
acres 4 miles south of Lake Okeechobee and 3 miles west of
U.S. 27.
Another mining proposal, the 553-acre Bergeron mine
expansion beside U.S. 27, was postponed until May 22.
(Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel, April 16, 2008.
By Andy Reid)
April 28,
2008
The U.S.
Department of Labor is suing Aggregate Industries of Golden,
Colo., for more than $1 million in back wages due to 302
employees.
Aggregate Industries is a subsidiary of Bardon U.S. Corp. of
Baltimore, Md., and produces aggregate-based construction
materials.
The Department of Labor said an investigation determined
Aggregate Industries failed to pay employees overtime from
June 25, 2005, through June 3, 2006. The company paid
drivers per truckload regardless of the number of hours
worked, the government said.
The
Department of Labor said the company has agreed to come into
compliance for the future, but has refused to pay the back
wages.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Denver.
Enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, the FLSA requires
that employers pay covered workers at least the federal
minimum wage for all hours worked, and time and one-half
their regular rates of pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a
single workweek. Employers also must maintain adequate and
accurate records of employees' wages, hours and other
conditions of employment.
(Source: Department of Labor)
April
22, 2008
The
Senate voted 93-1 on April 14 to bring up H.R. 1195, making
a series of corrections and changes to SAFETEA-LU. NSSGA has
pushed for this legislation because it would restore the 80
percent-20 percent match for highways and provide $2.45
million annually for aggregates research. The lone “no” vote
was from Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) who continues to have
problems related with some of the changes made by SAFETEA-LU
to the federal regulations of household goods movers. The
three Senate candidates for president did not vote.
The
bi-partisan leaders of the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee, Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sen.
Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) urged passage of the motion to proceed
to the bill and urged colleagues with amendments to come
forward to discuss them. They explained that the bipartisan
substitute amendment for H.R. 1195 has been pre-negotiated
with other committees of jurisdiction and with their House
counterparts. Boxer and Inhofe said that they would oppose
any amendments that would cause the House to reject the
bill.
The
White House issued a Statement of Position in opposing the
bill, contending it would “…make substantial and harmful
changes to current law.”
Nowhere, however, does the Administration Statement
of Policy mention a veto, which generally indicates the
president will not veto it. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) may
offer an amendment to delete a magnetic levitation
transportation project in Las Vegas, contending it is a new
earmark.
Sen. Tom
Coburn (R-Okla.) could offer an amendment calling for an
investigation into an earmark for a Florida project that was
changed between final passage of SAFETEA-LU and when the
president signed the bill into law.
NSSGA
joined with other interested parties in a letter to the
Senate urging passage of the SAFETEA-LU Technical
Corrections bill. Debate of the bill is expected to continue
through April 16 and NSSGA will continue efforts to push
passage of this long overdue measure.
(Source:
National Stone, Sand & Gravel Washington Watch & eDigest)
April
21, 2008
Vulcan
Materials Co., Birmingham, Ala., was inducted into the
Alabama Road Builders Association (ARBA) Hall of Fame,
becoming the first company to be recognized by the
association, which previously recognized individuals only.
The Hall
of Fame, established in 2002, honors, preserves and
perpetuates the outstanding accomplishments and
contributions of individuals, companies and institutions
that have brought and continue to bring significant
recognition to the State of Alabama in the field of
transportation construction.
Nominations for induction into the Alabama Road Builders
Hall of Fame are made by open call to the ARBA membership.
The Hall of Fame board of directors then designates those
nominees who are to be inducted in a given year.
(Source:
National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association Washington
Watch & eDigest e-newsletter)
April
18, 2008
MUMBAI, India—Leading cement manufacturers, including
Holcim, AVB Group and Lafarge, are in the race to buy
engineering major Larsen and Toubro’s ready-mix concrete (RMC)
business, L&T Concrete. The deal could be valued at a little
less than $300 million, according to sources. L&T had, in
December 2007, decided to hive off its ready-mix concrete
business into a separate entity called L&T Concrete.
Although L&T sold its cement business to the AVB Group in
2001, it retained the RMC unit. L&T Concrete is the market
leader in the segment with a share of 25 percent. Revenue
from the RMC business stands at Rs 1,000 crore. “Various
companies have shown interest. We are in talks with them. I
cannot comment anymore on this,” L&T director KV Rangaswami
said.
L&T has been unable to manage this business as it is spread
across the country through small units. “It is difficult to
manage these units. Our construction business is growing and
we are bidding for projects with a turnover of at least Rs
200 crore,” said an executive. L&T may retain a small stake
in the RMC unit. The AVB Group’s cement firms, Grasim and
UltraTech, are active in the RMC business while Holcim group
company ACC also has a strong presence in this segment.
Multinational cement firm Lafarge also has an RMC unit.
UltraTech joint president and deputy CFO Sanjeev Bafna said:
“Both Grasim and UltraTech have a strong presence in the RMC
market. Both are expanding operations. However, I cannot
comment on our acquisition activities.” Grasim and UltraTech
are in the process to commission their RMC units by 2008
end. While Grasim is setting up 14 units, UltraTech is
building 16 in cities close to its existing manufacturing
facilities in the south and west. The companies had
earmarked a capex of Rs 620 crore for the venture, which is
expected to diversify the product mix. An ACC spokesperson
also declined to comment on the deal.
(Source:
The India Times)
April
18, 2008
The Mine
Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released a report on
April 16 that a 36-year-old maintenance man at a lime
surface non-metal mill was killed following serious injuries
on Jan. 25 when the man was hit on the head by a pry bar
that fell from an 80-foot-high elevated work platform.
Jeffrey
S. King, the man who was injured, was wearing a hard hat at
the time of the accident and was bent over shoveling. The
pry bar struck him behind the hard hat. King was
hospitalized and died of his injuries later that day,
according to the MSHA report.
The accident occurred because management policies and work
procedures failed to ensure that the work platform was
maintained in a clean condition, MSHA notes in its report.
Spillage
had accumulated on the work platform making the toe boards
ineffective, which allowed the pry bar to be inadvertently
knocked over the edge of the platform, according to MSHA.
Additionally, a miner was allowed to work in an area where
there was a risk of being struck by a falling object,
according to the report.
The
following is a synopsis issued by MSHA after its
investigation:
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Missouri
Lime, LLC, a surface mill, owned and operated by Missouri
Lime, LLC, was located in Bonne Terre, St. Francois County,
Missouri. The principal operating official was Daven
Anderson, plant manager. The mill operated two shifts, 24
hours a day, 7 days per week. Total employment was 38
people.
Crushed rock was trucked from a local quarry to this
facility, where it was stockpiled and processed in the mill.
Finished products were shipped to commercial industries.
The last regular inspection at this operation was completed
under prior mine ownership on Aug.16, 2007.
DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT
On the
day of the accident, Jeffrey King, reported for work at 7
a.m., his normal starting time. He checked in at the office
and met with Ricky Henderson, maintenance supervisor, who
told him there was a problem with the north lime silo bucket
elevator. King then met with Clifford Jarvis, maintenance
man. King told Jarvis to meet him at the elevator after he
finished another task.
A short time later, Henderson and King went to the bottom of
the elevator and checked it but did not find any problems.
They then went to the top of the bucket elevator, removed
the guards from around the drive unit, and could see that
the elevator chain was off the drive sprocket.
Henderson and King left the elevator to gather tools to
reposition the elevator chain back onto the sprocket. About
9 a.m., Jarvis joined Henderson and King at the bottom of
the elevator. Henderson and King attached their tools to a
rope while Jarvis pulled them up to the work platform
surrounding the top of the elevator. Henderson and King then
met Jarvis at the top of the elevator.
Henderson used an acetylene torch to remove two buckets on
the elevator chain to provide more access to reposition the
chain. The 3-man crew then attached two ¾-ton come-a-longs
to the chain in preparation for pulling it back onto the
drive sprocket. The crew had two pry bars available to help
them properly place the elevator chain.
The crew's initial attempts to pull and replace the elevator
chain were unsuccessful and caused some material to spill
from the elevator buckets. That material fell to the bottom
of the bucket elevator enclosure so King went down to the
bottom of the structure. He shoveled out the material from
the enclosure inspection door. While King was shoveling the
spillage, Henderson and Jarvis discovered that the housing
was cracked between the drive unit and the sprocket.
At 10:35 a.m., Henderson used his cell phone to call King,
who was working directly below and told him about the
cracked housing. As Henderson ended the call, a pry bar was
inadvertently knocked off the work platform. Henderson
shouted a warning to King when the pry bar fell. He and
Jarvis looked over the handrail and saw King slumped over.
Henderson immediately requested a call for emergency medical
personnel.
Josh Green, laborer, was working about 50 feet away from the
north lime silo when he heard Henderson shout. Green, Curt
Nicholson, kiln supervisor, and Shawn Moore, laborer, went
to King and found him non-responsive.
Emergency medical personnel arrived at 10:51 a.m. and
transported King to a local hospital. He was transferred to
another hospital where the attending physician pronounced
him dead at 2:18 p.m. Death was attributed to blunt force
trauma.
INVESTIGATION OF ACCIDENT
On the
day of the accident, the Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA), was notified at 10:50 a.m. by a
telephone call from Janice Marler, secretary, to MSHA’s
emergency hotline. Fred Gatewood, assistant district
manager, was notified and an investigation was started the
same day. An order was issued pursuant to section 103(k) of
the Mine Act to ensure the safety of miners.
MSHA’s accident investigation team traveled to the mine,
made a physical inspection of the accident scene,
interviewed employees, and reviewed documents and work
procedures relevant to the accident. MSHA conducted the
investigation with the assistance of mine management and
employees.
DISCUSSION
Location
of Accident
The accident occurred at the bottom of the north lime silo
bucket elevator enclosure. The weather was cool and dry and
was not considered to be a factor in the accident.
North Lime Silo
The north lime silo was a concrete structure used to store
finished materials. The silo was 80 feet high and 24 feet in
diameter. Finished material was transferred to the silo on a
belt conveyor. The belt conveyor discharged the material
into a vertical bucket elevator located on the outside wall
of the east side of the silo. The elevator then dumped the
material into the silo.
Bucket Elevator
The bucket elevator was located in an 80-foot high enclosure
consisting of eight 2-foot by 6-foot by 10-foot high
sections. The bottom of the elevator was 13 feet above the
base of the silo and the top was 12 feet above the top of
the silo. Work platforms were located at both the top and
bottom of the elevator.
The elevator consisted of 10-inch by 12-inch buckets mounted
on every other link of a drive chain comprised of 2-inch by
10-inch steel links. The drive chain looped around 33-inch
sprockets at the top and bottom of the bucket elevator. A 5
horsepower drive motor was located at the top of the bucket
elevator. The motor powered the bucket elevator indirectly
by way of a speed reducer and chain.
Work Platforms
The work platform at the top of the elevator was situated
around three sides of the structure in a U-shape and was
accessed by a vertical ladder from the top of the silo. The
platform was constructed of expanded metal sections with a
diamond-shaped pattern and was provided with standard
handrails, mid-rails, and toe boards along the outer edge.
The platform measured 34 inches by 19 feet on the side where
the crew was working. Material spillage from the elevator
had accumulated on that section of the platform and made the
toe boards ineffective.
The work platform at the bottom of the bucket elevator
measured 33 inches by 19 feet and provided access to an
inspection door near the bottom of the bucket elevator
enclosure. The platform was provided with handrails and toe
boards and was usually accessed by descending a vertical
ladder from the No. 2 conveyor then walking the north side
of the silo. However on the day of the accident, King
accessed the bottom platform by walking from the ground
across accumulated material spillage then up to the
platform.
Pry Bar
The pry bar that struck the victim was 38 inches long and
weighed 10 pounds 4 ounces. It was 7/8 inches round on the
upper end which increased to 1 1/16 inches square about a
third of the way down. The final five inches were tapered on
one side to form a beveled edge.
Training and Experience
Jeffrey King had one year and 42 weeks of mining
experience, including 12 weeks at this operation. Ricky
Henderson had 9 months and 1 week of mining experience, all
at this operation. Michael Jarvis had 1 week and 3 days of
mining experience, all at this operation. All three persons
had received training in accordance with 30 CFR, Part 46.
ROOT
CAUSE ANALYSIS
A root
cause analysis was conducted and the following causal factor
was identified:
Causal Factor: A risk analysis was not performed to identify
all possible hazards and ensure that controls were in place
to protect persons performing work at the silo bucket
elevator. The top work platform was not cleaned up before
maintenance tasks were begun. The victim was allowed to work
underneath a work platform where other persons were
performing maintenance tasks using hand tools.
Corrective Action: Management should establish policies,
procedures, and controls to ensure tasks are safely
completed. A risk assessment should be performed before
performing work. Any potential hazard associated with the
task should be identified and appropriate measures taken to
ensure the safety of all persons. Persons performing the
task should be trained regarding safe work procedures.
CONCLUSION
The
accident occurred because management policies and work
procedures failed to ensure that the work platform was
maintained in a clean condition. Material spillage had
accumulated on the work platform making the toe boards
ineffective which allowed the pry bar to be inadvertently
knocked over the edge of the platform. A miner was allowed
to work in an area where there was a risk of being struck by
a falling object.
ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
ORDER
No. 7870014 was issued on Jan. 25, 2008, under the
provisions of Section 103(k) of the Mine Act.
A fatal
accident occurred at this operation on January 25, 2008,
when a miner was shoveling at the bottom of a bucket
elevator and was struck by a falling pry bar. This order is
to ensure the safety of all personnel at this operation. It
prohibits all activity at the bucket elevator until MSHA has
determined that it is safe to resume normal operations in
the area. The mine operator shall obtain prior approval from
an authorized representative for all actions to recover
and/or restoring operations in this area.
This
order was terminated on January 26, 2008, after conditions
that contributed to the accident had been corrected.
CITATION No. 6240121 was issued on February 15, 2008, under
the provisions of Section 104(d)(1) of the Mine Act for a
violation of 56.20003(b):
A fatal
accident occurred at this operation on Jan. 25, 2008, when a
38-inch pry bar struck the victim on the head. The 80-foot
high work platform from which the pry bar fell was not
maintained in a clean condition. Material spillage had
accumulated on the platform making the toe boards
ineffective and allowing the pry bar to be accidentally
knocked over the edge. The supervisor engaged in aggravated
conduct constituting more than ordinary negligence in that
he and two miners were working from the platform without
first removing the spilled material. This violation is an
unwarrantable failure to comply with a mandatory standard.
April
18, 2008
Texas
Industries Inc.’s (TXI) board of directors on April 16
declared a cash dividend of $.075 per common share, which is
payable May 30, 2008 to shareholders of record May 2, 2008.
TXI is the largest producer of cement in Texas and a major
cement producer in California. TXI is also a major supplier
of construction aggregates, ready-mix concrete, and concrete
products.
April
17, 2008
The Mine
Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) said it will issue a
new MSHA Individual Identification Number, or MIIN, to
industry personnel who apply to the agency for specific
qualification, certification, and instructor credentials.
Effective April 21, individuals who apply for or need to
update their MSHA credentials must first register to receive
a new MIIN, a unique, eight-digit number preceded by the
letter “M” that will replace the Social Security number to
identify them in MSHA’s records.
“This new number will help industry personnel keep their
personal information more secure and will provide increased
protection from identity theft,” said Richard Stickler,
acting assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and
health. The agency said it will also require individuals who
hold an MSHA certification for coal mine dust sampling or a
certification for the maintenance and calibration of
respirable dust sampling units to obtain a new MIIN in order
to continue sampling.
In its announcement of the new system, MSHA said it will
void any respirable dust samples submitted on or after July
1, 2008, that do not include the new MIIN on the
accompanying data card. Certified personnel planning to
submit any respirable dust samples to the agency on or after
July 1 should register for the new MIIN as soon as possible
after April 21. To register for it, visit www.msha.gov/forms/forms.asp
after the effective date or call the agency at 800-579-2647
April
16, 2008
Venture
Design Services, Inc. and Helicomm, Inc. have announced that
the MineTracer Text-Messaging Location Transponder (TMLT)
has been approved for use in underground mines by the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration
(MSHA). With this approval, the MineTracer system addresses
both the communications and tracking provisions of the MINER
Act of 2006.
“This handheld device provides wireless two-way
communications for every miner,” said Jim Barrett, Venture
Design R&D Manager. “The MineTracer network has the capacity
for all miners underground to communicate to the surface
simultaneously which is important during an emergency
event.”
Mine operators required to comply with the MINER Act of 2006
now have access to two-way wireless communications and
tracking capability integrated into a single system.
Maintenance for operators is simplified in that only one
system needs to be installed and monitored.
“We’ve been using MineTracer for safety monitoring in our
mine since August of 2007,” said Mona Marcum, Safety
Director for Southern West Virginia Resources. “I know where
our miners are at all times. Now, we’ll have wireless
communications with our underground personnel.”
MineTracer provides location information for miners and
assets underground during everyday operations and more
importantly provides continuous communications and tracking
information for days in the event of an accident when power
is shut off to the mine.
With the certification by MSHA, operators can install
MineTracer systems with no contingencies (pending MSHA
approval) attached. The West Virginia state functionality
requirements and federal safety requirements have been
satisfied for every component of the MineTracer system.
“MSHA’s approval of the TMLT is an affirmation that the
MineTracer development team’s efforts of the last few years
have been successful,” said Ken Hill, Helicomm’s director of
sales. “We will now focus on integrating productivity
features to help accelerate the return of a MineTracer
investment.”
Additional information about MineTracer can be found at
www.MineTracer.com or from Service Pump and
Supply of Huntington, W. Va.
(Source:
Aggregate Research Industries)
April
14, 2008
Birmingham, Ala.—Vulcan Materials Co. on April 14 completed
the divestitures required pursuant to a consent decree that
was a condition of the Department of Justice’s clearance for
Vulcan’s acquisition of Florida Rock Industries, Inc.
The deal
with Florida Rock closed on Nov.16, 2007. The divestitures
were completed in a series of three independent transactions
that involved both cash and the tax-deferred exchange of
strategic assets.
In a
transaction with Martin Marietta Materials, Inc., Vulcan
sold four quarries and a greenfield site in Georgia and a
quarry in Tennessee. In return, Vulcan received cash, a
quarry near Sacramento, Calif., real property with proven
and permitted reserves adjacent to a Vulcan quarry in San
Antonio, Texas, and fee ownership of property at a Vulcan
quarry in North Carolina that Vulcan had leased from Martin
Marietta.
With the
Luck Stone Corp., Vulcan exchanged a former Florida Rock
quarry and a sales yard in Virginia for cash and Luck Stone
quarries in Elkton and Augusta, Va.
In a
third transaction, Vulcan sold its interests in a quarry in
Georgia to The Concrete Co., which had been the joint
venture partner with Florida Rock in this operation.
The cash
portions of these transactions totaled $214 million subject
to certain additional post-closing cash adjustments relating
to inventories and escrows.
Vulcan
owned two of the divested sites prior to its acquisition of
Florida Rock. Accordingly, Vulcan realized an after-tax gain
on the sale of these assets of approximately $0.41 per
diluted share, which will be recorded in the second quarter
of 2008. Vulcan previously anticipated that this gain would
be realized in the first quarter.
April 2, 2008
MONTERREY, Mexico—Mexico’s Cemex, the
world’s No. 3 cement producer, may have to sell up to $2.7
billion in assets to repay its huge debt and avoid losing
its investment grade status amid the U.S. housing crisis,
analysts said on Tuesday.
Cemex, which last year paid $16 billion
for Australian rival Rinker, said on Monday it sold its 9.5
percent stake in local telecoms company Axtel, generating
$257 million in cash.
While that amount is tiny compared to
Cemex’s $18.9 billion debt load, the sale signals the start
of an asset sale over the next two years in businesses
ranging from cement plants to nonstrategic investments.
Chief Financial Officer Rodrigo Trevino
said last month Cemex would sell about $2 billion in assets,
but analysts at Credit Suisse and several Mexican banks and
brokerages say it may need to sell more — as much as $2.7
billion.
“Cemex is likely to need to sell more
than they say. The debt issue is a big challenge,” said a
Mexico-based analyst who declined to be named.
Trevino declined to detail Cemex’s
asset portfolio.
Cemex is anxious to control its debt,
which has surged to 4.1 times earnings before interest,
taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in the first
quarter of this year, according to Credit Suisse.
Monterrey-based Cemex has promised
investors it will cut its debt to 2.7 times EBIDTA by 2009
but faces a difficult climate in the United States, its top
market, where a subprime mortgage crisis has caused
residential construction to slump.
For Cemex, which competes globally with
Switzerland’s Holcim and France’s Lafarge, the fall in
housing construction has been particularly severe in its
high-growth markets such as Florida, and Cemex sees
declining cement demand this year.
“Cemex is on the borderline of losing
its investment grade,” said Vanessa Quiroga, an analyst at
Credit Suisse.
Rating agency Standard & Poor’s could
downgrade Cemex’s credit rating of BBB if the company
allowed its ratio of fully adjusted funds from operations to
rise above 20 percent this year, Quiroga added.
A downgrade would increase Cemex’s
financing costs and could cap its access to investment, as
many institutional investors are limited to investment grade
companies only.
Cemex may get away with a downgrade
that does not affect its investment grade level, said
Gonzalo Fernandez of Santander. “Cemex’s strength is its
capacity to generate cash flow,” he said. Cemex expects 2008
cash flow of over $3 billion, a 15 percent rise over 2007.
Still, Cemex has little room to
maneuver because another key market, Spain, is weakening due
to lower demand for new houses as economic growth there
slows.
Some investors worry that the U.S.
credit crisis could hit Cemex’s non-residential U.S.
construction business, too, and that a slowdown in the U.S.
economy could also hurt Mexico, the country’s No. 2 trade
partner and another major market for Cemex.
Cemex shares were higher in Mexico City
and New York on Tuesday as investors welcomed the Axtel
sale. They were up $1.43, or 5.5 percent, at $27.55 on the
New York Stock Exchange and up 1.10 pesos, or 3.9 percent,
at 29.22 pesos in Mexico.
The shares had fallen more than 35
percent in Mexico since a high of 44.04 pesos in mid-June
last year.
(Source: Reuters, April 1, 2007.Article
by Robin Emmott; Additional reporting by Gabriela Lopez;
Editing by Gary Hill)
April 2, 2008
Jay Marak has been named corporate
safety director for Cherry,
a company specializing in high-quality demolition aggregate supply, stabilized
products, and road removal. In his new role, Marak will be
responsible for overseeing Cherry’s safety department to
help ensure that Cherry continue holding one of the lowest
EMR rates in the industry.
For over 40 years, Marak has held
executive and managerial positions in the construction
industry — particularly in the area of safety. His primary
responsibility in these positions were to manage the safety
program of the company, which he accomplished by conducting
multiple safety training courses, and implementing new
employment and company policies. Most recently, Marak served
as the Principal for Marak Safety Service.
In addition to his management positions
in the construction industry, Marak is affiliated with the
American Society of Safety Engineers and Texas Safety
Association, and has also held leadership roles on numerous
safety committees throughout Texas.
April 1, 2008
Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar Inc.
announced in a regulatory filing that it is adjusting
product and merchandising prices up to 5 percent.
The action “is a result of current general economic
conditions and industry factors,” and is driven by
continuing their long-standing commitment of providing
optimal value to customers and stockholders.
Caterpillar said details by product will be released to
dealers in the coming weeks, and will vary across geographic
regions and products.
(Source: ARI)
April 1, 2008
Rod Martin of Martin Stone Quarries,
Inc., based in Bechtelsville, Pa., was named the 2008
National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA)
“Grassroots Activist of the Year” at the organization’s
annual convention held in Las Vegas, Nev., on March 12.
Martin was selected for this award by the six national
co-chairs of NSSGA’s “Aggregates in Action” (A2) grassroots
program and association staff.
Throughout 2007, Martin was active in
NSSGA’s grassroots program — attending two Washington, D.C.
fly-ins where he traveled to the nation’s Capitol to meet
with members of Congress and their staffs; participated on
government affairs committee conference calls that discussed
issues of importance to the aggregates industry; responded
to action alerts to make his views known on pending
legislation to his elected officials; and provided feedback
to NSSGA on information that he learned from his many
contacts with those officials and their staffs.
For these and other efforts that he has
taken to advance the aggregates industry through his
grassroots activism, NSSGA bestowed upon Martin this award
along with a check for $1,000. This is the second year that
NSSGA has presented its “Grassroots Activist of the Year”
award. The 2007 winner was Mike Agee of Rogers Group from
Nashville, Tenn.
NSSGA’s A2 grassroots program is
designed to educate and encourage its members to be citizen
activists, engaging in their constitutional right to
petition their elected officials. NSSGA strives to focus its
grassroots system on effective and well-executed activities
that will produce results as well as establish a seasoned
base of grassroots activists.
(Source: National Stone, Sand & Gravel
Association)
March 29,
2008
WATSONVILLE, Calif.–Granite
Construction Incorporated announced today that Granite
Construction Co. was awarded three contracts totaling $29.7
million by Bernards Bros. Inc. for the site work for a new
educational facility at Minarets High School. The project
involves site preparation, underground utilities, building
foundations, and site concrete work.
Construction of the site, which is
located in the foothills of Madera County at Highway 41 and
Road 200, includes 344,000 cubic yards of blasted rock
excavation, the placement of more than 51,000 linear feet of
underground water, sewer, storm drain and gas utilities,
grading, and paving. The site concrete consists of six
building pads and ten retaining walls, all totaling more
than 8,600 cubic yards of concrete.
Work began in January 2008 and is
scheduled for completion by December 2009. The school plans
to open its doors to students in the fall of 2009.
(Source: Granite Construction Inc.)
March 29, 2008
Holcim Ltd., a Switzerland-based cement company,
plans to invest 2 billion reais ($1.1 billion) to increase
production in Brazil,
Valor
Economico reported, citing Carlos Eduardo
Garrocho de Almeida, commercial and external relations
director at Holcim’s Brazilian unit.
Holcim aims to increase production to 7 million tons a
year in 2012 from 4 million tons this year, the Brazilian
newspaper said. Holcim will upgrade existing plants and is
studying building a new factory, according to Valor.
(Source: Bloomberg, March 25, 2008. By Joao Lima)
March 28, 2008
Safety concerns and property damage
caused by urban deer have led city staff members to come up
with a plan that includes lethal and non-lethal ways for
dealing with the problem.
Oshkosh Police Chief Scott Greuel
presented four recommendations for dealing with excessive
deer in the Vulcan Quarry area to the Oshkosh Common Council
Tuesday [March 25] night — banning the feeding of deer,
planting deer-repellent plants, applying for state grant
funds, and possibly hiring sharpshooters to thin the herd.
No formal action was taken on the plan.
“This is not going to be an overnight fix by any means,”
Greuel said. “This is not something that’s going to be
resolved by summer or even the next year.”
The plan is a result of complaints from
neighbors — many of whom spoke at Tuesday’s council meeting
-- and survey results the city gathered about the problem.
It was put together by the city’s deer task force — which
includes acting City Manager John Fitzpatrick, acting City
Attorney Lynn Lorenson, Greuel and Parks Director Tom
Stephany.
“We have car-deer accidents, infectious disease
possibilities and, for lack of a better term, vandalism,”
said Councilor Paul Esslinger. “It’s not the fault of the
city, the city didn’t do anything wrong, but I think it’s
100 percent our responsibility.”
Greuel said the city’s aerial counting of the area showed 11
deer, but neighbors’ estimates suggest there could be as
many as 35 to 40 deer in the area.
He also said of the 43 car-deer
accidents in Oshkosh in the last three years, 10 were in the
Vulcan Quarry area.
“Is there a public safety issue? Yes,” Greuel said. “One
could argue that one crash increases the safety concerns. …
anytime there is a car-deer crash there is a potential for
injury.”
The sharpshooters, which the National Guard Armory has said
it probably would allow on its property, would charge about
$120 per deer, Greuel said. If sharpshooters do kill the
deer, the meat probably would be distributed to residents on
a first-come, first-served basis.
If sharpshooters were hired, they wouldn’t thin the herd
until December, January and February — when the snow makes
it easy to see the deer at night and the deer haven’t
recently had fawns.
Because it would be months until the deer could be killed,
the task force members thought it would be good to at least
explore some of the non-lethal options before then, Greuel
said. However, he added that hiring sharpshooters to thin
the herd seems to be the most effective, and typically the
primary process used by other area Wisconsin communities.
“I think there will be some negative reaction (to
sharpshooters), although most of the communities I’ve worked
with have said it’s very short-lived,” Greuel said. “I think
as it becomes an accepted practice that (negative response)
goes away.”
Fitzpatrick said he likes the idea of mixing lethal and
non-lethal options.
“One of the things that the committee discussed was coming
up with a strategy that would be successful in the long
term,” he said.
(Source: The Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wis.), March 26,
2008. Article by Crystal Lindell)
March 27, 2008
Egypt has
decided to ban cement exports from March 29 until Oct. 1 as
part of measures to “control the markets and meet the needs
of citizens,” the ministry of trade and industry said on
Thursday [March 27].
The ministry said in a
statement that cement and steel factories would not be
allowed to halt production without a special permit from the
ministry, the statement said.
Twenty executives of local cement companies are facing trial
in Egypt on charges of conspiring to fix prices.
Rising local cement
prices had earlier forced the ministry to introduce an
export duty on cement.
(Source: Reuters
via ArabianBusiness.com. Article
by
Alaa
Shahine)
March 27, 2008
TEMECULA, Calif.—Thirty physicians have
joined a growing list of businesses and others opposing the
Liberty Quarry project, saying the gravel mine southwest of
Temecula could worsen air pollution and harm public health.
The doctors formally announced their stance this week. The
list of businesses, nonprofits and other organizations
opposing the quarry has 266 names, according to anti-quarry
activist Jim Mitchell
Mitchell said the doctors' support
gives the anti-quarry movement a big boost.
”It's extremely important because it focuses on a highly
credible group of individuals,” he said.
The physicians’ spokesman, Dr. Daniel Robbins, of Temecula,
said the doctors include pediatricians, specialists. and
internal medicine practitioners. Most of the doctors
practice in Temecula and Murrieta.
Planned for a 414-acre site just outside the Temecula city
limits, the quarry proposed by Granite Construction would
mine tiny rocks, called aggregate, for use in roads,
building foundations and other projects. The company expects
to mine 5 million tons of aggregate during a 75-year time
span.
Rocks would be blasted from the mine using explosives, and
while the company insists that dust from the site would be
controlled, critics are skeptical.
Robbins said quarry operations could add to local air
pollution. More pollution could cause an increase in asthma
and respiratory illness, Robbins said, adding that sensitive
populations such as premature babies and elderly adults are
especially at risk.
The doctor said he is particularly concerned about the
possibility of crystalline silica — microscopic airborne
particles that come from granite rock — rising from the
quarry. The particles could lodge themselves in lungs and
cause long-term damage, Robbins said.
Other critics say the quarry will lead to more diesel truck
traffic, cause noise and light pollution, lower property
values, and harm research at the adjacent Santa Margarita
Ecological Reserve.
The company denies those assertions and has said the quarry
will be an economic boon while providing Southern California
with desperately needed aggregate.
Granite Construction has paid for private consultants to
study potential air pollution from the quarry.
The studies conclude the quarry would not be a major source
of crystalline silica or other pollutants.
Robbins took issue with those studies, saying they fail to
take into account hourly changes in Temecula Valley wind
speeds and assume the dust will be contained.
Granite Construction spokeswoman Karie Reuther said the
studies are site-specific and were conducted by experienced
professionals.
She added that no Granite Construction worker has even
become ill from crystalline silica.
Temecula is trying to annex the quarry site and establish
zoning that would block the quarry. The county, which
currently has the final say on the quarry, is putting
together an environmental impact report on the project.
Meanwhile, quarry foes plan to unveil a “No Gravel Quarry”
sign this week on the back of a truck that will travel the
region.
In May, activists plan to repeat an event last year at which
an estimated 1,500 people lined up to form the words “No
Quarry” on a sports field.
(Source: The Press-Enterprise,
www.pe.com, via ARI. Article by Jeff Horseman)
March 25, 2008
The U.S. mining industry’s main trade
group spent about $4.1 million in 2007 to lobby the
government on mine safety and coal technology, among other
issues.
The National Mining Association spent
$2.4 million in the second half of the year lobbying the
federal government on its own behalf, according to a
disclosure form posted online Feb. 13 by the Senate’s public
records office.
It lobbied on legislation related to
converting domestic coal into cleaner-burning synthetic fuel
and cleaning up of polluted sites and abandoned mines.The
trade group also lobbied on mine safety legislation although
it was unclear to what extent.
Congress passed several new safety laws
in 2006 following three deadly disasters. The new rules call
for the government to develop communications equipment by
2009 that could withstand a massive cave-in and help
rescuers locate survivors. Last August, a cave-in at the
Crandall Canyon mine in central Utah trapped six miners, who
are presumed dead because their bodies have not been
recovered. Several rescue workers were also killed in a
second collapse.
The trade group — whose more than 325
member companies include Arch Coal Inc., Foundation Coal
Holdings Inc. and Terex Corp. — spent $1.7 million in the
first six months of 2007 to lobby on largely similar
matters.
Besides Congress, the group lobbied the
Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Defense
and Interior departments, Environmental Protection Agency,
and several other agencies.
Lobbyists are required to disclose
activities that could influence members of the executive and
legislative branches, under a federal law enacted in 1995.
(Source: Associated Press)
March 25, 2008
Due to unanticipated hotel issues in
Playa del Carmen, NSSGA will now hold the 2008 Young Leaders
Annual Meeting at the
Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa
Resort in
Cancun, Mexico.
The meeting will still be held April 24-27, as scheduled.
All attendee hotel rooms have been
switched over to the Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort. The
Hilton Cancun is also offering an all-inclusive package, so
attendees who were already registered will not be charged
additional fees for food and beverage.
A high point for this year’s conference
will be a visit to Vulcan Material's CALICA facility.
Attendees will tour the Sac Tun quarry, shipping terminal,
CEMEX cement terminal and packaging facility, and the Mayan
ruins that have been preserved on the CALICA property.
Speakers this year include NSSGA
Chairman of the Board Stephen W. Sloan,
president, Midwest Minerals, Inc.; Donald M. James,
chairman and CEO, Vulcan Materials Co.; Charlie
Luck, IV, president and CEO, Luck Stone Corp.;
Gilberto Perez, president, CEMEX U.S.;
Rod Martin, vice president, Martin Stone
Quarries Inc.; John T. Clark, vice
president, Operations, Southern and Gulf Coast Division,
Vulcan Materials Co.; Fred C. Perkinson, Jr.,
vice president, Tennessee Aggregate Co.; Michael
Hinrichsen, corporate account services, Caterpillar
Inc.; Phil Rixstine, customer safety
services, Caterpillar Inc.; and Joy Wilson,
president and CEO, NSSGA.
Professional and personal development
speakers include Rita Murray, M.Ed., CEO,
Performance Consulting, and Henry Landes,
president, Landes Learning International, LLC.
For more information, go to the Young
Leaders Council meeting page (www.nssga.org/calendar/YLC_0408) or
contact Andrew Dougherty at 800-342-1415, ext. 1076 or
adougherty@nssga.org.
Note: Valid passports are now required
to enter Mexico, and the U.S. Passport Service is
experiencing long delays in processing new and renewed
passports.
(Source: National Stone, Sand & Gravel
Association eDigest & Washington Watch e-newsletter)
March 24, 2008
Eagle Materials President & CEO, Steve
Rowley explained March 20, at the BB&T Manufacturing and
Materials Conference in New York, the financial and
strategic position of Eagle Materials in the US Wallboard,
Cement and Aggregate markets. The current growth initiatives
for Eagle Materials are to modernize and expand 2 cement
plants, develop a new greenfield wallboard plant in South
Carolina, totaling $470 million, plus acquire entitlement
for a new aggregate operation in Northern California.
With the current decline in the housing market of which 33%
of Eagle’s demand is in residential construction, the
company is prepared, if necessary, to reduce production
lines in certain areas.
Aggregates
The Western Aggregate Division of Eagle Materials is
awaiting approval to mine the largest aggregate deposit in
California. The deposit is located 50 miles north of
Sacramento and will have a direct rail link to feed the
starved aggregate market within the state of California.
Cement
A total spend of $320 mil for the modernization and
expansion of 2 cements plants in Reno, Nevada and Laramie,
Wyoming will increase Eagle’s cement production by 2.0 mil
tons.
(Source: ARI)
March 21, 2008
DUBLIN—Irish building materials
group CRH said on Thursday [March 13] it had agreed to buy
U.S. Pavestone Group for $540 million in cash.
CRH said the deal, which is subject to
regulatory approval, included a “deferred consideration”
based on future increases in profitability.
Dallas-based Pavestone operates a
network of concrete paver plants at locations across the
United States.
CRH, one of the world's biggest
suppliers to builders, said Pavestone's operations
complemented the existing retail business of its U.S.
architectural products group (APG).
“The proposed acquisition of Pavestone
represents an opportunity to build on our success in
developing APG into the leading North American supplier of
multiple landscaping products, enabling profitable growth,”
CRH Chief Executive Liam O’Mahony said in a statement.
Earlier this month, CRH predicted
earnings growth in 2008 despite slowing construction in the
United States and Europe.
Having spent 2.2 billion euros on 78
acquisitions in 2007, O’Mahony reiterated in March he hoped
the group could at least maintain the same rate in 2008, and
said it had a “pipeline of potential deals.”
(Source: Reuters, March 13,
2008. Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Louise Ireland)
March 18, 2008
Devcon International Corp. plans to
release its financial results for the fourth quarter ended
Dec. 31, 2007 on March 17, after market close. The company
will host a
conference call on March 19 at 10 a.m. ET.
The call will be available via dial-in,
with a replay available for thirty days on the company's
website.
Boca Raton, Fla.-based Devcon operates
a Security Division, which provides electronic
security services to more than 140,000 commercial
and residential customers in various markets, including
Florida.
The company's Materials Division
produces and distributes crushed stone, ready-mix concrete
and concrete block on St. Maarten in the Netherlands
Antilles and on St. Martin in the French West Indies.
(Source:
www.financialwire.net via TradingMarkets.com)
March 18, 2008
The president and chief executive of
Granite Construction Inc., William Glenwood Dorey, bought
30,000 shares of common stock, according to a filing with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In a Form 4 filed with the SEC on March 11, William Glenwood
Dorey reported buying the shares on March 10 for $28.43 to
$28.45 a piece.
Insiders file Form 4s with the SEC to report transactions in
their companies' shares. Open market purchases and sales
must be reported within two business days of the
transaction.
Granite Construction is based in Watsonville, California.
(Source: ARI,
www.aggregateresearch.com )
March 17, 2008
MEXICO CITY, March 14—Shares of
Mexico’s Cemex, the world’s No. 3 cement maker, fell hard on
March 14 after its quarterly earnings guidance disappointed
investors worried about the impact of the U.S. economic
slowdown.
Cemex’s New York-traded stock lost 9.75
percent to $25.47 and its local shares dropped 8.36 percent
to 27.75 pesos.
Cemex said on March 13 it expects
earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization, or EBITDA, of $920 million in the first
quarter, 6 percent higher than the year-ago period.
That was lower than expected by
analysts, who are worried about the impact of a downturn in
the U.S. housing market at and possible recession in the
United States.
Credit Suisse cut its rating on shares
of Cemex, which generates about a fifth of its sales in the
United States, to “neutral” from “overweight” following the
guidance.
“We see a significant deterioration
across Cemex markets, namely the United States and Spain,”
Credit Suisse said.
Investors have been concerned that the
July acquisition of Australia’s Rinker Group might broaden
the Mexican company’s exposure to the anemic U.S. market,
hit by a mortgage credit crisis.
BBVA Bancomer said despite the
lackluster guidance, Cemex remains attractive. It
recommended buying the company at current prices.
Cemex shares have lost close to 40
percent of their value since mid-2007, when they were at an
all-time high.
(Source: Reuters via
www.aggregateresearch.com )
March 14, 2008
LONDON—Cemex SAB de CV said it
it expects EBITDA for the first quarter ending March 31 2008
of around $920 million, an increase of 6 pct from the
previous first quarter.
Operating profit is expected to fall 25
percent to $420 million, on sales of $5.3 billion, a 24
percent year-on-year rise.
Adjusting for the fewer business days
versus the same period last year as a result of the earlier
occurrence of religious holidays, which last year took place
during the second quarter, sales and EBITDA would be
expected to increase by about 27 percent and 10 percent,
respectively, versus first quarter 2007, Cemex added.
Rodrigo Trevino, Cemex’s CFO, said:
“Despite continued weakness in some of our markets, our
fundamentals remain unchanged. Given our expectations for
the quarter —together with the unfavorable comparison with
first quarter 2007, which was characterized by benign
weather conditions in the United States and most of Europe —
we are in line with our yearly expectations.”
(Source: Thomson Financial)
March 13, 2008
The National
Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) annual convention
and the largest ConExpo-Con/Agg show ever got underway this
week with hundreds of aggregates industry leaders from
around the U.S. registered for both events. NSSGA’s presence
was strong while ConExpo-Con/Agg drew the most visitors in
the show’s history, an estimated 140,000, and occupied more
than 2.3 million square feet of exhibit space. In addition
to recognizing the aggregates industry’s “best and
brightest” operations as Stars of Excellence for community
involvement, NSSGA’s chairmanship passed from Louis
Griesemer of Springfield Underground, Springfield, Mo., to
Steve Sloan of Midwest Materials, Inc., Pittsburg, Kan.
A highlight
of the convention was the rollout of plans for the
first-ever all aggregates industry event, “AGG 1,” to be
held in Orlando, Fla., beginning on March 9, 2009. The AGG 1
Forum and Expo will combine 13 of NSSGA’s annual meetings
into one event, with education sessions, equipment
exhibitors, the Annual Convention and other worthwhile
presentations. NSSGA will hold the new event on the two
off-years between ConExpo-Con/Agg.
Scheduled
speakers at this year’s NSSGA convention included
Chad Hymas, president of Chad Hymas Communications, Inc., a
motivational expert whose aim is to encourage businesses and
corporations to “use their wings and reach seemingly
impossible heights.”
Also set to speak were Jack L.
Schenendorf, vice chairman of the National Surface
Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission; Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Labor for the U.S. Mine Safety and
Health Administration Robert L. Friend, who is substituting
for MSHA Assistant Secretary Richard Stickler, who was
called to a congressional hearing; and The Road Information
Program’s (TRIP) Executive Director William M. Wilkins.
The Barry K. Wendt Memorial Commitment
Award was presented to Ronald W. Kruse of National Lime &
Stone, Findlay, Ohio, and the NSSGA State Association
Executive of the Year Award went to Bruce T. Chattin of the
Washington Aggregates & Concrete Association. NSSGA’s
President and CEO Joy Wilson was honored with the “AggMan of
the Year Award” presented by Aggregates Manager
magazine.
(Source:
National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association eDigest &
Washington Watch e-newsletter, March 12, 2008 edition)
March 11, 2008
Caterpillar Inc. will unveil an AC
electric drive track-type tractor in the industry, which the
company says is the first of its kind in the industry.
The electric drive system developed for
track-type tractors gives the D7E balance of power,
efficiency, control, and maneuverability. The machine will
be showcased at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2008 March 11-15 in Las
Vegas, Nev.
Caterpillar plans to commercially
introduce the D7E in select markets during 2009.
The D7E is in the 60,000-pound (27
000-kilogram) weight range and is powered by a Cat C9 engine
producing 235 horsepower (175 kilowatts). A traditional
mechanical transmission is not needed, because the variable
speed electric motors serve the function of a continuously
variable transmission. The electric drive train has 60
percent fewer moving parts compared to previous D7s.
The electric system also provides power
to auxiliary components so that no engine belts are needed.
The C9 engine, complete with the company’s proprietary ACERT
Technology, meets U.S. Tier 3 emissions standards, and the
tractor has been designed with Tier 4 in mind.
The new D7E has other innovative new
features including an exclusive center-post cab, beltless
engine, and SystemOne undercarriage.
March 10, 2008
Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar Inc. has
announced its plans to meet Tier 4 emissions requirements,
plans which will build on the company’s proprietary ACERT
engine technology.
Caterpillar's Tier 4 engine technology
will include state of the art integrated systems designed,
produced, and supported by the company. System design will
be tailored to meet customer needs in each application and
horsepower range.
Caterpillar construction and industrial
mobile equipment engines, including those sold to industrial
OEM customers, will not use selective catalytic reduction (SCR)
to meet upcoming US EPA Tier 4 Interim, European Stage IIIB,
and Japan MLIT Step 4 mobile off-highway emissions
regulations that take effect in the year 2011.
Caterpillar Tier 4 engine systems will
be equipped with particulate matter (PM) aftertreatment
technology, including oxidation catalysts and diesel
particulate filters with advanced regeneration systems that
will optimize uptime, fuel efficiency and operator
convenience.
Cat has been engaged in the design and
production of PM aftertreatment technology during the past
14 years. The company plans to utilize its extensive design
and application experience to match the appropriate
technology with the specific customer requirements.
March 8, 2008
Oldcastle Materials Inc. has bought a 1,800-acre
site near Interstate 20 in Warren County and plans to build
a facility to extract stone for use in road construction.
The Washington, D.C.-based paving
materials company will spend $50 million on the new
facility, which will create 30 jobs.
Oldcastle Materials is a unit of
CRH plc that makes and provides
aggregates, asphalt, ready mix concrete, and construction
and paving services. It has more than 25,000 employees in 41
states.
“We appreciate the support and close
cooperation we are receiving from the local community in
these early stages and we are encouraged that we will have
mutually-beneficial, long term growth in the region,” said
Sean O'Sullivan, regional president of Oldcastle Materials.
“Our plans represent a long-term, significant investment
that will also contribute to a well-trained workforce, an
enhanced quality of life and environmental stewardship.”
(Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle)
Mar. 6,
2008
The Mine
Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued a report on
March 5 that a 62-year-old manager with 28 years of
experience was killed at a surface sand and gravel operation
on Feb. 25, 2008.
At Park
View Sand & Gravel LLC’s wash plant in Wisconsin, the victim
— who MSHA did not name in its report — was using an
excavator to free a dragline from an ice-covered pit floor,
according to the report.
The
excavator broke through the ice as it traveled over an
ice-covered, 10-feet deepditch towards the dragline. The
victim was ejected and was recovered from the water about
six hours after the accident, MSHA report.
The government agency has issued the
following best practices to protect against similar
accidents in the future:
• When
conditions change, examine travel ways to evaluate hazards.
If the safety of travel ways can’t be positively determined,
do not travel on them.
• In
locations where travel ways are not clearly distinguishable,
install barriers, markers, or other warning devices to aid
equipment operators, limit travel of mobile equipment, and
inform mobile equipment operators of potential hazards.
• Stop,
Look, Analyze, and Manage (SLAM) each task to identify all
potential hazards. Initiate action to protect yourself when
performing every task.
• Wear
seat belts when operating self-propelled mobile equipment.
This is
the fifth fatality reported in calendar year 2008 in the
metal and non-metal mining industries. As of this date in
2007, there were 4 fatalities reported in these industries.
This is
the first machinery fatality in 2008. There were no
Machinery fatalities in the same period in 2007.
Mar. 5, 2008
ELKHART LAKE, Wis.—A spillover
crowd of about 125 people packed Village Hall Tuesday [March
4] night, many of them Crystal Lake area residents with the
same message for the Sheboygan County Land & Water
Conservation Department.
They think the proposed reclamation
plan for the neighboring Crystal Lake Crushed Stone Co. is
too vague and doesn’t go far enough to protect the lake and
the surrounding area from low water levels. Some called for
the sand and gravel company, which has been in business
since 1914, to be closed down.
“Without an appropriate plan for
restoring the (mine) site that protects the lake, I would
call for it to be shut down,” said Mary Roberts, 42, a
summer resident of Crystal Lake.
The residents turned out for a public
hearing on the Crystal Lake Crushed Stone reclamation plan,
which outlines what the company would do to restore the mine
property once it stops operating. The company’s plan is
being reviewed by the Land & Water Conservation Department,
which is expected to decide by April 1 whether to approve
the plan, required by state law so the mine can get a permit
to continue operating.
Crystal Lake Crushed Stone, at N7330
Highview Road, near Road America, is now operating without a
valid permit.
The reclamation plan presented by Kevin
Werner, general manager of the mine, includes three phases
and closing the mine by 2024. The plan calls for a variety
of recreational uses, and includes a 31-acre lake in the
center of the property. The plan could also feature some
buildings, Werner said.
“It would be premature at this phase to
say this is what we’re going to do,” said Werner, 50.
“You’ve got to leave the door open to opportunities.”
Diane Schulz, 56, who has been living
next to Crystal Lake Crushed Stone the past 13 years, called
the company a “good neighbor” and was among the few
supporters of the reclamation plan at the meeting.
“I would love to see it (the mine)
returned to a wildlife area,” Schulz said. “I like the plan
a lot.”
The Sanitary District No. 1 of the
towns of Rhine and Plymouth hired RSV Engineering Inc. of
Jefferson last year to do a Crystal Lake groundwater study,
which concluded the mine’s sand and gravel operations is
likely causing a “large impact” on the lake. The sanitary
district is opposing the reclamation plan.
Eric Weidig, an attorney representing
the sanitary district, called for the county to issue a stop
work order against the mine, pending final approval of the
reclamation plan. “He can’t be mining there, and he is,”
Weidig said.
Pat Miles, Land & Water Conservation
Department manager, said the comments would be taken into
consideration by the department, which makes the call on
whether Crystal Lake Crushed Stone will get a permit to
operate.
Though not in compliance, Miles said no
action will be taken against the mine until after the
decision is made on the company’s permit.
“We are putting in an effort to work
with them in good faith to come into compliance,” Miles
said.
(Source: Sheboygan (Wisconsin)
Press. Article by Bob Petrie. He may be reached at
bpetrie@sheyboygan-press.com.)
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