by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief

Arizona

The Tucson Airport Authority agreed to lease 160 additional acres to Granite Construction Co. The company will expand sand and gravel mining south of the Los Reales Landfill. According to the Arizona Daily Star, Granite Construction estimates it would pay the authority $260,000 a year based on how many tons are produced. The minimum annual rent would be $180,000. The site is south of the landfill and east of two other parcels that Granite has leased since 2002. As part of the lease, the company must fill and restore the property to safe conditions.

Arizona 

County regulators cited Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for failing to minimize dust near 51^st and Southern avenues in Laveen, the Arizona Republic reports. The Maricopa County Air Quality Department cited the company because inspectors found that it didn’t have what it considers proper track-out equipment. The violations will go to the county’s enforcement division, which will schedule a hearing and determine the fines. A spokeswoman for the department told the newspaper that Fisher could be fined up to $10,000 per violation per day. Phoenix residents have been pressing city leaders to shut down the company’s asphalt plant, and a rash of regulatory agencies have been inspecting and citing Fisher.

California 

Polaris Minerals Corp. announced that it has secured an option to lease an existing marine aggregate importing terminal in the Port of Long Beach, Calif. According to PR Newswire, the company says the lease would set the stage for a more cost-effective and quicker entry into the Los Angeles market. The site is already permitted to receive and distribute up to 3 million tons of construction aggregates per year and is located in a deepwater channel close to Interstate 710. The option period is extendable to June 30, 2010.