Top News
KPI-JCI/Astec Mobile Screens Hold Conference
KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens hosted its annual National Dealer Conference Sept. 21-23, at the Kolberg-Pioneer Inc. manufacturing facility in Yankton, S.D.
Illinois Legislator Tries to Stop Indiana Quarry
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) requested a stay of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) water permit that was issued for the Singleton Stone Quarry.
Emerging Workforce Trends Report Sounds Alarms
It is unlikely that there will be sufficient skilled labor to provide the basic raw materials needed to meet future industry demand.
MSHA WATCH
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently issued a safety alert highlighting ways operators and personnel can avoid hazards this time of year. Some hazardous conditions MSHA mentions include: unfamiliarity with tasks or equipment, working around water, working at height and in cold weather, snow or ice. Operators can improve safety conditions by identifying risks through effective workplace exams, controlling hazards through detailed work plans, providing effective task training, locking out and blocking equipment against hazardous motion and others.
USGS STATS
An estimated 360 Mt of crushed stone was produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the second quarter of 2015, an increase of 5 percent compared with that of the second quarter of 2014. The estimated production for consumption in the first six months of 2015 was 589 Mt, an increase of 6 percent compared with that of the same period of 2014, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
- The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced that construction spending during July 2015 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,083.4 billion, 0.7 percent (±1.5 percent) above the revised June estimate of $1,075.9 billion. The July figure is 13.7 percent (±2.0 percent) above the July 2014 estimate of $952.5 billion.
- New construction starts in August dropped 11 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $554.5 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. Declines were reported for each of construction’s three main sectors – nonresidential building and housing pulled back from their improved July pace, while nonbuilding construction continued to recede from the heightened performance witnessed earlier in 2015.
- Nationwide housing starts dropped 3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.126 million units in August, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. Overall permit issuance rose 3.5 percent to a rate of 1.170 million.
ENERGY
- WTI crude oil futures price: 9/25/2015: $45.70/bbl, up $1.02 from week earlier; down $46.83 from year earlier.
- Natural gas futures price: 9/25/2015: $2.564/mmBtu, down $0.041 from week earlier; down $1.407 from year earlier.
- NATURAL GAS inventories: 9/18/2015: 3,440 Bcf, up 106 Bcf from week earlier; up 466 Bcf from year earlier.
- Crude oil inventories: 9/18/2015: 454.0 mmbbl, down 1.9 mmbbl from week earlier; up 96.0 mmbbl from year earlier.
- Weekly coal production: 9/19/2015: 17.803 million tons, up 0.438 million tons from week earlier; down 1.755 million tons from year earlier.