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Vulcan Materials Co. raised $200,000 at the company’s annual funshoot to benefit the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC).

The event was held at the National Shooting Complex, a rifle range located off FM 471 outside Loop 1604 in far West San Antonio.

All of the proceeds will go toward helping CTRC's mission of conquering cancer through research, prevention and treatment.

Since the annual event was started in 1994, the event has raised a total of $1 million for CTRC. This year's fund-raiser was dedicated to the memory of Tom Mathews, a former employee of the construction material company and a founding member of the funshoot.

Mathews lost his four-year battle with cancer on May 26, 2007.

For that reason, this year’s event was particularly special for employees of the company, Vulcan Materials President J. Thomas Hill says.

In the past 14 years, the money raised by Vulcan's event helped fund cancer screenings and education as well as outreach programs.

CTRC President and CEO Karen Fields says the center is fortunate to have community partners such as Vulcan contributing to its research efforts.

CTRC is one of the country’s leading academic research and treatment centers. It serves a region made up of 4.4 million people throughout Central and South Texas.

(Source: San Antonio Business Journal, Sept. 10, 2007)

Granite Construction awarded $138 million in California highway reconstruction project

Granite Construction Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Granite Construction Inc., announced that its Bay Area Branch, in a joint venture with FCI Constructors, Inc., has been awarded a $138 million project by the California Department of Transportation for the reconstruction of the Route 92/880 freeway interchange in Hayward, Calif.

Granite’s portion of the contract is 43 percent, or approximately $60 million.

The joint venture team will construct over eight bridges, as well as a modernized interchange, retaining walls, new storm water pump station and all associated roadwork. The project also includes complete demolition of the existing interchange.

Work on the project will begin in October 2007 and is estimated to be completed by December 2010.

Aggregates recycling company secures £4million in contracts

Contracts worth £4million have been secured by CDE Ireland, manufacturers of aggregate recycling and quarrying machinery, in the last month. The company attributes this growth in business to EU Parliamentary proposals in February this year, to recycle or reuse 70 percent of construction, demolition, industry and manufacturing waste by 2020, which has prompted an increase in demand for its products.

It also said that the aggregates industry has been under growing pressure to find ways to ways to conserve and use scarce natural resources more efficiently.

Managing director Brendan McGurgan said: “Given the various legislative changes at both national and EU level, this is an area that we see becoming increasingly important over the next few years.”

As well as supplying new machinery, the company customizes exiting construction and demolition waste plants across the United Kingdom, including the Derwen plant near Swansea finished in January this year.

The majority of material processed at the Derwen plant comes from green-field excavations, which previously would have been sent to landfill.

 (Source: Recycling & Waste Management News & Information, Sept. 7, 2007. By Claire Churchard)

MSHA publishes new mine rescue rules; public hearings in October and November

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) plans to publish two rules on mine rescue — one on mine rescue teams and one on mine rescue team equipment — in the Federal Register as a separate Part IV. 

The Mine Rescue Teams proposal implements Section 4 of the MINER Act and applies to underground coal mines, according to MSHA. The Mine Rescue Team Equipment proposal updates existing standards to reflect current technology.  The Mine Rescue Team Equipment proposal would apply to both underground metal and non-metal mines and underground coal mines. 

MSHA will hold four public hearings on these rules on Oct. 23, 25, 30 and Nov. 1, 2007. The comment period will close on Nov. 9, 2007.

Virginia Tech student chosen for Barry K. Wendt Memorial Scholarship

Andrew Storey, a student in the Mining and Minerals Engineering Department at Virginia Tech, has been selected to receive the ninth annual Barry K. Wendt Memorial Scholarship from NSSGA in conjunction with the Aggregates Foundation for Technology, Research and Education (AFTRE).

Storey hails from Richmond, Va., and is pursuing a degree in mining engineering. He has successfully completed an internship in the mining field with Luck Stone Corp. of Richmond, Va. during which he completed a variety of projects throughout their company operations.

Storey was chosen as the award’s ninth recipient by a panel of judges from the national trade association. He was selected for academic excellence as well as his personal interest in the aggregates industry.

NSSGA, under the auspices of AFTRE, established the Barry K. Wendt Memorial Commitment Award and Memorial Scholarship in 1998 as a lasting memorial to recognize the many contributions of Barry Wendt to the aggregates industry. The $2,500 scholarship is earmarked for students who plan to pursue a career in the crushed stone, sand and gravel production industry.

(Source: National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association)

MSHA proposes new standards for underground coal mine rescue teams; proposed rule continues Miner Act implementation

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) published in the Sept. 6 Federal Register a proposed rule enhancing the availability and effectiveness of mine rescue teams for underground coal mines. MSHA also announced four public hearings to be held on this proposed rule, as well as another proposed rule MSHA published today regarding mine rescue team equipment.

MSHA’s proposed rules on mine rescue teams are as follows:

• Require coal mine operators to make available two certified mine rescue teams.
• Include criteria for certifying the qualifications of mine rescue teams.
• Require mine rescue team members to be available at the mine within one hour from the mine rescue station.
• Increase training for coal mine rescue team members from 40 to 64 hours annually.

• Require coal mine rescue team members to have practical experience as an underground coal miner or member of a mine rescue team.
• Require mine rescue team members to participate in training at each mine serviced by the team and have knowledge of the operations and ventilation at the mine.
• Require mine rescue team members to participate annually in two local mine rescue contests.
• Include criteria for local mine rescue contests to improve rescue skills.
• MSHA also published a proposed rule on mine rescue team equipment that applies to underground coal and metal and nonmetal mines, requiring two additional hours of breathable air from their self-contained breathing apparatuses and gas detectors to measure potentially dangerous gasses they could encounter during rescue operations.

Public hearings on both proposed rules will be held beginning at 9 a.m. local time on Oct. 23 in Salt Lake City; Oct. 25 in Lexington, Ky.; Oct. 30 in Charleston, W.Va.; and Nov. 1 in Birmingham, Ala.

MSHA announces independent review of actions at Utah’s Crandall Canyon Mine

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced that an independent team of mine safety experts would review the actions of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) relative to the Crandall Canyon Mine accident. The review will include actions taken before the August 6 accident and the ensuing rescue operations.

”After discussions with Administrator for Mine Safety and Health Richard Stickler, I am taking the unprecedented step of appointing independent outside experts to evaluate MSHA’s actions regarding the tragedy at the Crandall Canyon Mine on Aug. 6 and the subsequent rescue efforts,” Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao says in a press release. “The Crandall Canyon miners, the rescuers who were injured and perished in trying to save others, and the loved ones who have suffered so much in this tragedy continue to be foremost in our thoughts.”

(Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Aggregate Industries must pay $50 million in fines

Swampscott, Mass.-based Aggregate Industries Northeast Region Inc. has been ordered to pay $50 million after it pleaded guilty to a scheme to deliver what has been called “adulterated concrete” — concrete that did not meet Big Dig specs and had excess water added to it — to the Central Artery/Tunnel Project more commonly known as “The Big Dig,” according to a GateHouse News Service report.

On July 27, Aggregate Industries agreed to pay the fine to resolve the company of its criminal and civil liabilities in connection with the incident, according to the report. The company also must pay up to $75 million in insurance coverage for potential future structural maintenance costs related to the scheme, the report notes. The agreement will keep Aggregate Industries from being debarred by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as long as the company complies with the terms of an administrative agreement between themselves and the FHWA.

Knife River adds Wyoming producer to its portfolio

MDU Resources Group, the Bismarck, N.D.-based oil drilling and gravel mining company, acquired Star Aggregates Inc., a Cheyenne, Wyo.-based aggregates producer, on Sept. 7, according to an Associated Press report .

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, according to the report.

MDU Resources, parent company of Knife River Corp., said the deal would add to its 2007 full-year earnings and that Star Aggregates will become part of its Knife River construction materials and mining subsidiary, according to the report.

The company says it plans to continue acquiring businesses to increase its presence in the construction materials industry.

CRH buys aggregates and concrete business

CRH has bolted on another acquisition in the north-east of the US, buying McMinn's, an aggregates and concrete business based in East Petersburg, Pa., not far from Philadelphia.

The transaction was announced by the American company but the sale price has not been disclosed.

McMinn has annual sales of $80 million and includes five asphalt plants, four concrete plants, two quarries, and two block plants. It employs 375 people.

Goodbody Stockbrokers estimated this deal might have a value of about $60 million (€44 million). Bonsal, a subsidiary of CRH’s Architectural Products division, also has acquired Amerimix Industries, a manufacturer of bagged and bulk mortar and stucco mixes for commercial contractors and distributors, according to local newspapers in North Carolina.

Jeff Sweigart, former president and owner of McMinn's, is remaining on as general manager of the company, as per CRH’s style in bolt-on acquisitions of this type. Sweigart said that he had not been looking to sell.

(Source: The Independent online edition, Independent.ie)

Oldcastle buys Eugene Sand & Gravel’s Oregon operations

Eugene Sand & Gravel sold all of its Oregon operations to Oldcastle Materials Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

The Register Guard reports that the deal includes Eugene Sand & Gravel as well as Green & White Rock Products in Corvallis, Viking Red-Mix in Florence and Bandon Concrete in Bandon. Mike Alltucker, former CEO of Eugene Sand & Gravel, said that the company was sold because the family’s third generation opted to pursue other business options.

Alltucker will continue to oversee the operations and will take on oversight of Egge Sand & Gravel, another Eugene-based business that was acquired by Oldcastle approximately one year ago. Alltucker noted that the integration of the two companies — longtime business rivals — would be a challenge. “I’m reminding everyone we all need to wave with five fingers now,” he told the newspaper. — by Therese Dunphy, Executive Editor

Bridge collapse sparks legislation for highway system

by Tina Grady Barbaccia, Senior Editor

The fatal collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota has sparked legislative proposals as answers are sought and legislators look to address the more than 6,000 structurally deficient bridges along the National Highway System.

Photo by Brian Peterson/Star-Tribune

Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), who serves as the House Transportation Panel chairman, had announced plans at Aggregates Manager press time to hold a hearing on the nation’s problem of deteriorating bridges when Congress is back in session in September.

Oberstar also plans to introduce legislation to fix these bridges that are no longer structurally sound.

According to a Reuters report, the National Transportation Safety Board investigators looking into the incident noted a potential design problem with gusset plates, which are steel plates that tie together angled steel beams of the bridge’s frame. However, at Aggregates Manager press time, investigators were still trying to verify loads and stresses on these plates at specific locations, as well as the materials used to construct them — and officials noted the findings were preliminary and would not say whether plate failures caused the collapse, according to the report.

Pete Ruane, president and CEO of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), lauded Oberstar’s proposed legislation, saying that he has displayed the “political leadership and ‘can do’ attitude” that is critical to seriously addressing the United States’ national transportation system deficiencies. “The federal surface transportation investment program needs to change to meet the demands and challenges of this century, not the last one,” Ruane says in a written statement. “We believe the Oberstar bridge proposal signals a necessary first step toward legislatively refocusing and reinvigorating it…He is proposing a ‘surgical strike’ approach that could be a model for the future.”

The impact this proposed legislation will be felt on the upcoming renewal of Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act — a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which expires in 2009, and whether it will increase funding for a severely underfunded budget remains uncertain.

Dave Semerad, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota, tells Aggregates Manager that it’s “a little too early to speculate” the impact the Minnesota bridge collapse will have on infrastructure funding and the renewal of the SAFETEA-LU bill. However, he says, “Overall, the debate for transportation funding at all levels has a new landscape.”

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has proposed spending $10 billion throughout 10 years to repair and upgrade roads, bridges, waterways, and seaports. She says these “…endanger the economy as well as putting the public at risk,” according to an Associated Press report.

Interactive training program

Flexible Steel Lacing Co. (Flexco), Downers Grove, Ill., has introduced a comprehensive, interactive training program devoted to worker safety. Called the Flexco Safe Online Training Center, the program is designed to provide individuals and companies information on a variety of topics to establish and enhance safety procedures. Through a special Web site, www.flexcosafe.com, users can access presentations, videos, quizzes and installation instructions to improve workplace safety and maximize performance.

Portable crushing system

Cedarapids says its new MACS portable processing plants are different from other mobile plants because they are complete, highly integrated systems that are designed to optimize production and minimize setup time.

The company says the MACS line uses larger crushers and screens than are typically used in track or wheeled plants. Their unique trailer designs can be permitted for travel throughout most of the continental United States, according to Cedarapids, with heights of less than 13 feet, 6 inches and widths less than 12 feet. Interplant conveyors are designed into the units so separate transfer conveyors are not required. Folding conveyors and walkways are set up using on-board hydraulics, eliminating the need for cranes or lifts. Large, hydraulic support legs level and stabilize the units to speed setup.

The units use industrial electric drives, so they can be powered by generators or by line power when it is available. The operator can view the entire circuit from a central pop-up control module.

Quick-fix magnetic patches

Horizon Conveyor Equipment has developed a new line of quick, secure patch solutions using high-power magnets. Developed by Magna-Skin Technologies, the Magna-Patch is a reusable magnetic patch for repairing holes in steel pipes, flat back elbows, silos, chutes, hoppers, and other steel items susceptible to abrasion. The reusable patch system is simply positioned over the worn out area and held in place magnetically until the next scheduled shutdown.

Also new is the Magna-Plate, a wear-plate fastening and replacement system comprised of impact- and abrasion-resistant material imbedded with powerful magnetic elements. Magnetic elements secure a ferrous wear plate or steel-backed ceramic wear surface to the Magna-Plate. Horizon says the magnetic energy is permanent and the fix is maintenance free.

For more new products for the industry, check out the RollOuts section
in each month’s print edition of Aggregates Manager.
 

Screen Machine has received a U.S. patent for the Crusher Blockage Clearance Apparatus feature on its 4043T and 5256T track-mounted impact crushers.

Bridgestone Firestone Off-Road Tire Co. (BFOR), an operating unit of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is sponsoring a high school team for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Construction Challenge.

The Construction Challenge is an event developed by AEM in partnership with Destination ImagiNation, Inc. to attract the best and brightest young people to professions in the construction industry ranging from manufacturing to in-the-field careers. The challenge will focus on three areas: awareness of construction-related jobs, construction equipment and manufacturing, and infrastructure awareness. 

High school teams from across the United States and Canada may participate in the challenge to learn more about construction careers, infrastructure, construction equipment, creative problem solving and teamwork. The Construction Challenge includes six regional events to be held across the United States in January 2008. 

The winning teams qualify to participate in the Construction Challenge finals competition, to be held March 2008 during AEM’s international ConExpo-Con/Agg exposition in Las Vegas.

The students must complete three different components to the challenge. The “Dialogue” portion consists of a research presentation and moderated discussion/debate on the relationships between infrastructure and quality of life. The “Product Development” section requires the students to research, design and develop a new product. The final segment is titled “Road Warrior” and entails exploring infrastructure issues and implementing a solution with team created construction equipment.

Michelin Earthmover Tires is now accepting applications for the third annual Michelin Mining Essay Contest. The program challenges college undergraduates, who are pursuing a mining-related degree, to research and address a topic of importance that relates to the modern mining industry. 

This year’s topic is as follows: “Discuss the requirements and importance of reclamation, as well as establishing and maintaining environmentally-friendly processes throughout the life of a mining operation without diminishing productivity. What steps can be taken in different geographic regions to return land to usefulness?”

Two prizes will be awarded and winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts upon the review of all essays received. First place will receive $5,000 and second place will receive $3,000. The 2007 aggregate prize amount has been increased by $2,000 from the past two years.

The essay contest is open to all full-time students pursuing a degree in a mining-specific field at an accredited university in Canada or the United States. To be eligible, students must have at least 30 credit hours completed and not be scheduled to graduate before December 2007. Essays must be postmarked by Oct. 31, 2007.

The panel of judges from throughout the mining industry will review and evaluate each essay on the following criteria: whether the essay addresses and answers the topic chosen, originality, writing ability, and communications skills.

To apply, students must submit to Michelin North America, Inc. a completed application, a typed and electronic copy of their essay and a form verifying that they are enrolled in a mining specific program. There is no cost to apply. Winners will be announced in January 2008.

The essay contest was held for the first time in 2005. The inaugural winners were Angela Noon, University of Arizona and Joshua Hoffman, University of Missouri-Rolla. The winners of last year’s contest were Michael Ellis of the University of Arizona and Rob Knowlton of Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.

The Michelin Mining Essay Contest is designed to reward mining engineering students throughout the U.S. and Canada. Michelin, a leading provider of mining equipment, is committed to supporting the industry’s future mining engineers and mining professionals.

Louisiana-based Dredging Supply Co. “christened” a new dredge dubbed, “Mr. Tommy” at Texas-based TXI’s Bells/Savoy plant in Kemp, Okla. The plant has been operational for several years but is upgrading much of the operation, including equipment. 

Dredging at the operation takes place on the Kemp, Okla., and everything is pumped to the Bells, Texas, side by going under the Red River, which separates Texas from Oklahoma.

Michael Gauldin has been selected as the public affairs officer for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). He will be responsible for media relations and helping to promote effective and strategic communications to support USGS science.

Gauldin previously served as chief of communications for the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, where he was responsible for congressional, media and public affairs.

Gauldin served as communications director for two federal agencies before joining the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2001. He was director of communications for the Department of the Interior beginning in 1995 and for the Department of Energy beginning in 1993. Earlier he served as press secretary for Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and was assistant director of information and a journalism instructor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Gauldin holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism/news from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and attended the Department of Defense Information School. He also does freelance commercial artwork and cartoons, working with various customers including newspapers, corporations, and the last three secretaries of the Department of the Interior.

Compiled by Tina Grady Barbaccia, Aggregates Manager Senior Editor.
To contact Tina about the newsletter content, send e-mail to e-news@aggman.com or call (630) 364-2306.

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