Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/141834
by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com July 2013 Vol. 18, No. 7 aggman.com /AggregatesManager @AggMan_editor Editorial Editor-in-Chief: Therese Dunphy Editorial Director: Marcia Gruver Doyle Online Editor: Wayne Grayson Online Managing Editor: Amanda Bayhi editorial@aggman.com Design & Production Art Director: Sandy Turner, Jr. Graphic Designer: Kristen Chapman Advertising Production Manager: Linda Hapner production@aggman.com Construction Media Senior VP, Construction Media: Dan Tidwell VP of Sales, Construction Media: Joe Donald sales@randallreillyconstruction.com 3200 Rice Mine Rd NE Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 800-633-5953 randallreilly.com Corporate Chairman/CEO: Mike Reilly President: Brent Reilly Chief Process Officer: Shane Elmore Chief Administration Officer: David Wright Senior Vice President, Sales: Scott Miller Senior Vice President, Editorial and Research: Linda Longton Vice President of Events: Alan Sims Vice President, Audience Development: Stacy McCants Vice President, Digital Services: Nick Reid Director of Marketing: Julie Arsenault For change of address and other subscription inquiries, please contact: aggregatesmanager@halldata.com. Aggregates Manager TM magazine (ISSN 1552-3071) is published monthly by Randall-Reilly Publishing Company copyright 2013. Executive and Administrative offices, 3200 Rice Mine Rd. N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. Subscription rates: $24 annually, Non-domestic $125 annually. Single copies: $7. We assume no responsibility for the validity of claims of manufacturers in any advertisement or editorial product information or literature offered by them. Publisher reserves the right to refuse non-qualified subscriptions. Periodical circulation postage paid at Tuscaloosa, Alabama and additional entries. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage retrieval system, without written permission of the copyright owner. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to Aggregates Manager, 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. Editorial_AGRM0713.indd 5 SHORT ON RESERVES T he availability of aggregate resources is a frequent challenge across the United States, and it is becoming particularly evident in California. Last year, the California Geological Survey identified permitted reserves, calculated projected demand, and updated the state's data for the first time since 2006. The picture is not a pretty one. Within the 31 study areas identified in the report, only one area — Placer County — has enough reserves to meet projected demand through 2060. Three study areas — Southern San Francisco Bay, Temescal Valley-Orange County, and Western San Diego County — are projected to need more than 1 billion tons of reserves to meet the 50-year demand projections. In Southern San Francisco County, only 29 percent of the anticipated 1.38 billion tons of demand currently permitted. Temescal Valley-Orange County is also short on supply, with 28 percent of the 1.07 billion tons of forecasted demand permitted. Most disturbingly, Western San Diego County has only 16 percent of its projected 1.01 billion tons of demand permitted. Those reserves are expected to last less than a decade. Three other areas, Fresno, Sacramento County, and the San Fernando Valley/SaugusNewhall study areas, have 10 or fewer years of permitted reserves identified. In fact, Sacramento County has only 42 million of the 670 million tons needed to meet 50-year demand currently permitted. The state agency also compared current reserves against those reported in 2006 to determine trends. In six of the 31 study areas, reserves had increased. The remaining study areas had fewer permitted reserves available than during the last study, with the greatest declines being identified in Sacramento County (a 37-percent decrease) and Fresno (a 35-percent decrease). California is notoriously one of the most difficult states in the union in which to obtain a mining permit, and, as this report shows, the situation is not improving. Fortunately, the state's Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 (SMARA) requires the state geologist to classify land based on its mineral resource potential so that its value is recognized and considered during land-use planning. The intent is to protect these valuable reserves for the benefit of all. The challenge is persuading local community leaders to consider the impact of potential resources on the good of the region rather than just their constituency. The California Geological Survey seems to be trying to point officials in the right direction. It notes, "From 1981 to 2010, California consumed an average of about 180 million tons of construction aggregate (all grades) per year. Moving in 25-ton truckloads, that is over 7.2 million truck trips per year. With an average 25-mile haul (50-mile round trip), that amounts to more than 360 million truck miles traveled, almost 47 million gallons of diesel fuel used, and more than 520,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions produced annually. If the haul distance is doubled to 50 miles (100-mile round trip), the numbers double…" In a state that prides itself on environmental leadership, perhaps Californians will take note. It's time for local communities to recognize that the needs of the many can and should outweigh the needs of the few. It's time to permit some reserves and lay the groundwork for the state's future. After all, it's not only the right option; it's the environmentally friendly option. AGGREGATES MANAGER July 2013 5 6/17/13 12:29 PM