TOP NEWS
York Building Products Acquires Union Quarries
York Building Products acquired Union Quarries, a Carlisle, Pa.-based manufacturer of crushed stone, asphalt and ready-mix concrete products. Chris Wright, president of Union Quarries, noted, “We believe our customers and employees will be very pleased with the future course of the company, and look forward to this new chapter in our history.”
PACA Holds Educational Sessions, Tour at Rohrer’s Quarry
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA), Pennsylvania’s leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries, offered educational sessions and a tour on Sept. 14 at PACA member Rohrer’s Quarry in Lititz.
Granite Joins The Road Forward
Granite has joined The Road Forward, an initiative of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) to achieve net zero carbon emission asphalt pavements by 2050. The move is the latest Granite has taken to demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility, environmental stewardship, dependable governance, and enduring value in pursuit of sustainability.
USGS STATS
An estimated 687 million metric tons (Mt) of total construction aggregates was produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the second quarter of 2022, essentially unchanged compared with that of the second quarter of 2021, according to Jason Christopher Willett, commodity specialist, National Minerals Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that construction spending during July 2022 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,777.3 billion, 0.4% (±0.8%) below the revised June estimate of $1,784.3 billion.
Over the first seven months of 2022, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date nationwide reached 645,877. On a year-over-year basis, this is a 5.3% decline over the July 2021 level of 681,949.
Total construction starts fell 9% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.25 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Highway and bridge starts were up 21%.
MSHA WATCH
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration launched an app for use on iPhone and Android devices that will help get timely information directly to miners and members of the mining community. The app allows miners to easily use the tool at mine sites and outside of working hours to search for best safety and health practices and find resources on understanding their rights and responsibilities under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. The app also sends users notifications of mining accidents and how to prevent them.
ENERGY
WTI CRUDE OIL FUTURES
9/21/2022: $82.94/barrel, down $5.54 from week earlier; up $12.38 from year earlier.
NATURAL GAS FUTURES
9/21/2022: $7.779/MMBtu, down $1.335 from week earlier, up $2.974 from year earlier.
RETAIL DIESEL
9/19/2022: $4.964/gal., down $0.069 from week earlier; up $1.579 from year earlier.
ELECTRICITY
6/20/2022: Average price to industrial customers 8.96 cents/kilowatt hour; up from 7.28 cents/kilowatt hour a year earlier.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration