TACA Meeting a Success / Wendling Quarries Acquires Coots Materials / Lindsey Aggregates’ New Plant
TOP NEWS
TACA Meeting a Success
The Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA) welcomed more than 360 attendees to its 65th Annual Meeting June 12-14 at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine, Texas.
Wendling Quarries Acquires Coots Materials
Wendling Quarries Inc. purchased the Iowa assets of Coots Materials Co., according to a company announcement. The deal includes Coots Quarry, Jabens Quarry and the Coots Sand Pit.
Lindsey Aggregates’ New Plant
Lindsey Aggregates, based in New York state, opened its doors to showcase its new multi-million-dollar integrated sand washing system, designed and installed by full-service EPC company CDE. Rock Products was on-hand for the equipment debut.
MSHA WATCH
The agency completed a major upgrade to its primary data system – the Mine Data Retrieval System (MDRS) – bringing increased functionality and more intuitive navigation to this widely used feature. The MDRS offers a variety of tools to help operators monitor their compliance with MSHA regulations. The system provides access to comprehensive mine location, status, ownership, employment, production, accident/inspection/violations history and health-sampling data.
USGS STATS
The estimated U.S. output of construction aggregates produced and shipped for consumption in the first quarter of 2019 was 449 million metric tons (Mt), an increase of 9% compared with that of the same period of 2018, according to Jason Willett, crushed stone commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that construction spending during April 2019 was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,298.5 billion, nearly the same as (±1.3%) the revised March estimate of $1,299.2 billion. The April figure is 1.2% (±1.5%) below the April 2018 estimate of $1,314.7 billion.
The Dodge Momentum Index fell 1.0% in May to 141.0 (2000=100) from the revised April reading of 142.4. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year.
Total housing starts posted a 0.9% decrease in May (1.269 million units) compared to an upwardly revised April estimate of 1.281 million units, according to the joint data release from the Census Bureau and HUD. Relative to May 2018, total starts are 4.7% below the annual pace of 1.332 million units.
ENERGY
- WTI crude oil futures price: 6/18/2019: $53.90/barrel; up $0.63 from week earlier, down $11.95 from year earlier.
- Natural gas futures price: 6/18/2019: $2.328/MMBtu, down $0.071 from week earlier; down $0.623 from year earlier.
- Retail gasoline price: 6/17/2019: $2.670/gal., down $0.062 from week earlier; down $0.209 from year earlier.
- Retail diesel price: 6/17/2019: $3.070/gal., down $0.035 from week earlier; down $0.174 from year earlier.
- Electricity: 3/20/2019: Average price to industrial customers 6.73 cents/kilowatt hour; up from 6.66 cents/kilowatt hour from year earlier.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration