Nationwide housing starts rose 20.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.135 million units in April from an upwardly revised March reading, according to newly released data from the U.S. Commerce Department. This is the highest level of housing production since November 2007.
Read MoreMonth: May 2015
This Week’s Market Buzz
According to madison.com, 30 workers at U.S. Silica’s Sparta, Wis., plant will be laid off July 15, when the plant cuts back production because of the trickle-down effect of the lagging oil market, a company spokesman said. “We will operate the plant with a smaller workforce because we’ve seen a significant decrease in oil drilling, which has reduced demand for…
Read MoreWestmoreland, Athabasca, Conclude Agreement
Westmoreland Coal Co., through its Coal Valley Resources Inc. subsidiary, has entered into an agreement with Athabasca Minerals Inc. that will result in the production of aggregate from Westmoreland’s Obed Mountain Mine site.
Read MoreGiving Freight Rail Tracks A Boost
In Wisconsin, train tracks are having a ballast problem. Temperature and vibration can destabilize ballast over time, keeping it from safely transferring the weight of a loaded train to the soil below, draining water and preventing vegetation from crowding the tracks. Also, fine grains of frac sand are leaking from rail cars, accumulating in rail bed ballast and, during a…
Read MoreEagle Materials Revenues Climb 19 percent
Eagle Materials reported revenues up 19 percent to $1.1 billion in its financial results for fiscal year 2015 and the fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31, 2015.
Read MoreSign the Petition
May 19, 2015 – The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) and its partners in the Transportation Construction Coalition are pushing for a permanent Highway Trust Fund funding solution and passage of a multi-year surface transportation bill. As part of this effort, a new online petition was created calling on key congressional leaders to get the job done as soon as possible.…
Read MoreFrac Sand Sources in the United States
By Mary Ellen Benson and Anna Burack Wilson, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
Read MoreGuest Editorial: Congress Falls Short on ’16 Transportation Budget Resolution
Just about any driver who has hit a pothole or sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic knows that our nation’s roads, bridges and highways are in bad shape. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our nation’s roads a D+ grade. There are 10,000 bridges in the U.S. that are so old that they qualify for Medicare and, yet, are still bearing…
Read MoreScreen Machine Hosts Congressman
Central Ohio Congressman Pat Tiberi toured Screen Machine Industries, Etna, Ohio, to gauge the impact of upcoming international trade legislation on Ohio jobs. Screen Machine Industries has experienced tremendous growth from exports over the past few years. Lifting trade barriers will create new opportunities to establish dealer relationships in markets otherwise unapproachable, according to the company. With 96 percent of the…
Read MorePolydeck Hires Ken Walker
Polydeck Screen Corp. announced the addition of Ken Walker as West Coast Sales/Service Tech, with responsibility for California. Walker has more than 20 years’ experience in the aggregates industry, ranging from maintenance at plant sites to the last 9 years in sales as a manufacturer’s representative with an aggregates equipment dealer. His knowledge of screening operations, coupled with his local presence, will provide…
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