First Look – September 2022

TOP NEWS

MSHA Assistant Secretary Tours First Aggregates Quarry
The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) organized a day-long tour for the Mine Safety & Health Administration’s (MSHA) Assistant Secretary Chris Williamson along with seven other Department of Labor/MSHA staff at Luck Stone’s Bull Run facility in Virginia.

Holcim Acquires Virginia Aggregates Producer
Holcim US announced it has acquired the sand and gravel operation of Basic Construction Co. LLC, in New Kent County, Va. The transaction will add significant, strategically located, aggregate reserves for Holcim’s Mid-Atlantic Region along with 230 acres of land. 

Vulcan Materials Acquires Syar Industries
Vulcan Materials Co. has acquired Napa, Calif.-based Syar Industries Inc. Syar is one of the largest independently owned construction materials producers of scale in northern California. The company offers construction aggregates, recycled materials, hot-mix asphalt and ready-mixed concrete.

MSHA WATCH 
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on July 21, a miner at Giant Cement Co., Dorchester County, S.C., received fatal injuries when his right arm became entangled in an auger (screw) conveyor. This is the 16th fatality reported in 2022, and the sixth classified as “Machinery.”

USGS STATS 
The estimated U.S. output of construction sand and gravel produced and shipped for consumption in the first quarter of 2022 was 185 Mt, an increase of 5.2% compared with that of the same period of 2021, according to Jason Willett, commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey. The estimated production-for-consumption of construction sand and gravel in the first quarter of 2022 increased from that of first quarter 2021 in five of the nine geographic divisions. Production-for-consumption increased in 27 of the 45 states for which estimates were made.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that construction spending during June 2022 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,762.3 billion, 1.1% (±1.0%) below the revised May estimate of $1,781.9 billion. The June figure is 8.3%(±1.5%) above the June 2021 estimate of $1,628.0 billion. 

According to the latest quarterly update of the five-year forecast released by the American Rental Association, equipment rental revenue, including the construction and general tool segments, will grow 11.2% to nearly reach $55.9 billion in 2022. 

Total construction starts rose 48% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.36 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. This gain results from the start of three large manufacturing plants and two LNG export facilities. However, even without these projects, total construction starts would still have increased 7%

ENERGY

WTI CRUDE OIL FUTURES
8/19/2022: $90.77/barrel, down $1.32 from week earlier; up $27.08 from year earlier.

NATURAL GAS FUTURES
8/19/2022: $9.336/MMBtu, up $0.568 from week earlier; up $5.506 from year earlier.

RETAIL DIESEL
8/15/2022: $4.911/gal., down $0.082 from week earlier; up $1.555 from year earlier.

ELECTRICITY
5/20/2022: Average price to industrial customers 8.35 cents/kilowatt hour; up from 6.71 cents/kilowatt hour a year earlier.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

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