Nonmetallic Index Up

December 23, 2013 – The nonmetallic mineral products leading index increased 0.7 percent to 232.0 in November from a revised 230.5 in October. However, its 6-month smoothed growth rate remained at the revised 7.0 percent growth rate of October. The 6-month smoothed growth rate is a compound annual rate that measures the near-term trend.

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Housing Starts Leap Forward

Led by a solid increase in both single-family and multifamily starts, nationwide housing production rose 22.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million in November, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

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November Construction Retreats; Residential Still Up

At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $524.8 billion, new construction starts in November fell 11 percent from the previous month, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. The downturn followed heightened activity in October, which showed the strongest pace for construction starts so far during 2013.

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Fatalities Hit Industry in December

Three fatalities struck the aggregates industry in the month of December. On Dec. 4, a 63-year-old lead man with 16 years of experience was killed at a crushed stone mine. The victim initiated a blast and was struck by flyrock from the blast. He was standing 153 ft. from the nearest blast hole and was struck by rock as large…

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EPA Agenda Includes Clean Water Act Expansion

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Nov. 27 regulatory agenda included items related to the Clean Water Act, lead paint programs, post-construction stormwater and stormwater ELG, among other items.

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Metso To Open New Southwest Facility

As part of its global expansion plan for its industry-leading services center network, Metso announced plans to build a state-of-the-art service and repair facility in Mesa, Ariz. The new facility will be integrated with existing Metso operations in the area and is expected to be operational during the fourth quarter of 2014.

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