Aggregates Manager

January 2014

Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine

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State & Province NEWS by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com Arkansas Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass said the county could save $95,000 a year in lease-purchase payments if it can find a buyer for five pieces of idle processing equipment. The Baxter Bulletin reports that two crushers, a screen, a diesel power plant, and an electrical generator are being offered for sale as the county has proposed cutting $400,000 from the roads department budget. Declining revenues were blamed for the cuts. Since the new equipment was first used in June 2012, it has produced only 20,000 tons of road base material, rather than the estimated 100,000 tons. California Police and arson investigators described a series of fires reported near the Vulcan Materials Co. operation on Fish Canyon Road in Azusa to be "very suspicious." According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, a series of three fires were spotted in a matter of minutes. "They're suspected to be deliberately set," Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Gerald Gonzales told the newspaper. The fires began at what looked like measured intervals. Investigators stopped short of labeling it arson, but determined the fire to be "human caused." California While Santa Clarita representatives and federal legislators testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee in support of a bill that would prevent development of a Cemex sand and gravel mine in Soledad Canyon, federal officials say they don't support the legislation which would cost the federal government millions of dollars in royalties. The Santa Clarita Valley Signal reports that the Bureau of Land Management opposes the bill because it uses public resources to buy out valid contracts and could set a precedent of the sale of public lands to compensate a private entity. Another roadblock is the bill's overall cost to the federal government. Cemex spokesman Sara Engdahl told the newspaper the estimated value of the company's contract is $28 million. City officials have said that, if the sale of the land near Victorville is insufficient to cover the cost of the contract, it is willing to "pitch in" to make up the difference and reduce or eliminate the federal financial impact of the bill. To keep up to date with this breakdown of news in the United States and Canada, visit www.AggMan.com for daily updates. Colorado In November, two workers were injured when a diesel tank exploded at a Loveland sand and gravel company. According to ABC7 News, workers at Jake Kauffman & Son Inc. were either cutting or welding a large diesel fuel tank that contained residual fuel when it exploded. One worker was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, while the other worker drove himself there. Workers at the site put out a fire ignited by the explosion. Illinois An earthquake, not a quarry blast, was responsible for tremors felt in Chicago suburbs on Nov. 4. The Barrington Patch reports a 3.2-magnitude earthquake occurred within seconds of a blast at Hanson Material Service's McCook quarry. A quarry blast was initially reported as the cause of the blast, but after consultation with experts, quarry operators, and technical consultants, the USGS National Earthquake Information Center determined the quarry blast was "too small to account for the signals recorded by the regional seismographic network." The Illinois Department of Natural Resources also conducted an inspection following the event and reported that the operator's blasts were within statutory limit. Minnesota The Buffalo County Board of Zoning Supervisors unanimously approved the first quarry permit sought since the county passed new mining regulations in early 2013. Winona Daily News reports that Hildegard Bragger Trust and Gerke Excavating LLC requested a permit for a limestone operation that is expected to last 20 years. Annual production of approximately 300,000 tons is anticipated, with an average of about 50 truckloads per day to be moved from the site. The state Department of Natural Resources has approved its reclamation plan to restore the property to pastures and woodlands. North Carolina The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced that its Division of Water Resources has issued Martin Marietta Materials Inc. a water withdrawal permit for its proposed Vanceboro quarry, clearing the way for Martin Marietta to begin construction of the operation. The Beaufort Observer reports that a lawsuit has been filed seeking to derail the permit, but noted "experts with whom we have talked give the lawsuit very little chance of stopping the quarry." AGGREGATES MANAGER January 2014 StateNews_AGRM0114.indd 5 5 12/13/13 9:15 AM

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