Aggregates Manager

April 2014

Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine

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State & Province NEWS by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief AGGREGATES MANAGER April 2014 4 Connecticut Hundreds of residents near Branford's Stony Creek Quarry were evacuated in early February a er rubber mats caught fi re not far from an explosives storage area. eShorelineTimes.com reports that personnel from the state bomb squad; the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; state emergency management offi cials; and fi refi ghters from two towns assisted in pu ing out the fi re. e report indicates the fi re was caused by quarry workers burning cardboard previously used to store explosives. e fi re was ruled accidental. State & Province NEWS by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com Alabama M&N Materials fi led a 15-page lawsuit against the town of Gurley, WAFF.com reports, noting the lawsuit outlines steps the town has taken for more than a decade to prevent quarry operations at its property. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as legal fees. It also seeks an injunction to prevent the town from using its authority over the proposed quarry site. At Aggregates Manager's press time, no hearing date had been scheduled. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback presented Mid-State Materials LLC, of Lecompton, with the 2013 Governor's Mined Land Reclamation Award for work at its Big Springs quarry in Douglas County. LJWorld.com reports that the operation covers 50 acres, and the project included wildlife food plots, reintroduction of quail, and the construction of several ponds. The award was presented at a meet- ing of the Kansas Aggregate Producers Association. Maine Hughes Bros. are trying for a second time to have a proposed quarry in Ed- dington approved by town planners. Bangor Daily News reports the compa- ny's fi rst attempt was rejected in October. With its second application for an aggregates operation, the company moved the access point to the quarry, increased the buffer zone between the site and residences, and coordinated additional studies on the site's potential impact on noise and water. The quarry would initially be 5 to 10 acres with potential growth up to 20 acres. In addition to considering the proposal, town offi cials are also working on a proposal for a 180-day moratorium on quarry applications. Alaska A group of ranchers who fought a mountaintop quarry and asphalt plant near Ione won the latest round in court. e Record reports Amador Superior Court Judge J.S. Hermanson ruled that county offi cials "failed to accurately reveal the likely traffi c impacts of the Newman Ridge quarry before environmental documents were ap- proved for the project two years ago." e judge ordered local offi - cials to address traffi c impacts before the project can be approved. To keep up to date with this breakdown of news in the United States and Canada, visit www.AggMan.com for daily updates. Kansas A break-in at the Neosho County quarry may cost local taxpayers approximately $30,000; the value of electrical cables taken from the site. According to e Chanute Tribune, the electrical supply cables from the rock crusher were removed, as well as cables from an assortment of other equipment. Road and Bridge Director Charles Morse told the newspaper that he anticipated approximately $30,000 in losses when all the replacements are acquired. New security measures will be implemented at the quarry. A similar break-in took place at Midwest Minerals, near Parsons. California Vulcan Materials Co. is once again mining at its Azusa Rock Quarry, and work is well underway to convert the site's benches into 1- to 2-foot microbenches, The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports. As that work is com- pleted, the hillside is being replanted with native vegetation, and about 20 percent of the reclamation has already been accomplished. A trail to the Fish Canyon Trailhead is also expected to be completely open by Aug. 20. Vulcan will eventually shift its operations from 80 acres on the eastern end of the 270-acre property to 80 acres on its western end. Vulcan offi cials told the newspaper that the company has paid the city of Azusa more than $2.5 million in tax revenues as part of its agreement. Maryland Chaney Enterprises is seeking permission to move a sand and gravel plant and ready-mix concrete plant from one portion of its 211-acre property in Charles County to another part of the property. According to Southern Maryland Newspapers Online, the new location is currently zoned rural conservation and would need to be reclassifi ed as heavy industrial. e operator received a special exception from the Board of Appeals in 2010 that would allow the plant's opening and operation, but the terms of that agreement would be in eff ect for 25 years. e company is seeking a more permanent decision.

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