TOP NEWS
WIA takes part in AGG1 Academy?
On the first day of AGG1, Women in Aggregates (WIA) – formed by SEMCO Publishing, the parent company of Rock Products magazine – sponsored a successful AGG1 Academy session and networking mixer at the Music City Center in Nashville. The interactive “Finding the Next Generation of Women in the Aggregates Industry” panel featured Resa Furey, marketing & business development manager, Global Mining at Stantec; Raquel Lazur, project manager – Southwest Aggregates at Heidelberg Materials; and Karen Thompson, president at Haver & Boecker Niagara.
AGG1
A record number of aggregates and asphalt professionals convened in Nashville for the largest AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo/World of Asphalt in the show’s history. Running March 25-27, the show set new records in both attendance and square footage.
New Silica Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has issued a final rule to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica, also known as silica dust or quartz dust.
USGS STATS
An estimated 377 million metric tons (Mt) of crushed stone was produced and shipped for consumption in the fourth quarter of 2023, a slight increase compared with that of the same period of 2022, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Commodity Specialist Jason Willett. The estimated production for consumption of crushed stone in the fourth quarter of 2023 increased in six of the nine geographic divisions compared with that sold or used in the prior-year period.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
The AVP Pulse Index for April – brought to you by Rock Products and Allen-Villere Partners – increased 1.1% month over month. The Index is up 6.9% year over year and 14.5% over the past 36 months.
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, fell 8.6% in March to 164.0 (2000=100) from the revised February reading of 179.5. Over the month, commercial planning fell 3.2% and institutional planning dropped 17.2%.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, construction spending during February 2024 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,091.5 billion, 0.3% (±0.8%) below the revised January estimate of $2,096.9 billion. The February figure is 10.7% (±1.3%) above the February 2023 estimate of $1,889.6 billion.
MSHA WATCH
Commenting on MSHA’s new silica rule, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association President and CEO Michael Johnson said, “Though this final rule extended the compliance date to two years, we are greatly disappointed that our input during the comment period was disregarded, and this rule does not incorporate provisions of the recently adopted OSHA silica standard. Our members now have the challenge of complying with the highly prescriptive MSHA silica standard while also complying with the OSHA requirements at many sites. We will continue working with our aggregate members to advance the cause of worker health and safety and assist members in helping them understand and comply with the new MSHA rules. We will continue to vocalize our concerns about necessary improvements to this rule.”
ENERGY
WTI Crude Oil Inventories
4/12/2024: 460.0 million barrels; up 2.7 million barrels from week earlier; down 6.0 million barrels from year earlier.
Natural Gas Inventories
4/12/2024: 2,333 Bcf; up 50 Bcf from week earlier; up 424 Bcf from year earlier.
Retail Diesel
4/15/2024: $4.015/gal., down $0.046 from week earlier; down $0.101 from year earlier.
Electricity
1/20/2024: Average price to industrial customers 8.10 cents/kilowatt hour; down from 8.32 cents/kilowatt hour from year earlier.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
WOMEN IN AGGREGATES
Women in Aggregates is a new group dedicated to supporting women working in the aggregates industry. The Mission Statement of the group is: “To create a supportive space for women that fosters leadership growth, networking opportunities and advocacy of the aggregate industry.” Membership in Women in Aggregates is open to any woman working in, or working in support of, the aggregates industry, including producers, manufacturers and distributors; and marketing, advertising or public relations professionals. Interested parties can go to www.womeninaggregates.com to join the mailing list and to stay apprised of future developments, meetings, events and other communications from the group. There is also a LinkedIn discussion page, at www.linkedin.com/groups/12717856/.