Oct. 26, 2017 – The White House may back the first hike in the federal gasoline tax in decades in order to pay for President Trump’s $1 trillion infrastructure package. Trump’s economic adviser Gary Cohn told moderate House lawmakers that they’ll get a chance to vote on a gas tax hike early next year as part of an infrastructure bill, according…
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Stop Unreasonable Permitting Delays
Oct. 19, 2017 – The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) recently told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife Service that unreasonable delays in the permitting process are far too common for aggregates operations. Nancy Haley and Chip Smith from the Corps met in-person at NSSGA’s headquarters with Mark Williams of Luck Companies, Matt Hinck of…
Read MoreWhat’s the Deal?
Oct. 6, 2017 – The CRH-Ash Grove merger just took a fresh turn. The company provided an update regarding the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger with CRH plc, under which CRH plc would acquire Ash Grove. Ash Grove has now announced that it has received a preliminary, non-binding competing proposal from a third party to acquire Ash Grove at…
Read MoreLet Me Tell You a Thing or Two
Oct. 2, 2017 – At the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association’s Fall Legislative Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., I had the pleasure of meeting Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois. We had a great discussion and I told him a thing or two – however there was really no need to, he is already a huge supporter of proper infrastructure funding.…
Read MoreUSGS Reports Latest Data
Sept. 18, 2017 – U.S. mine and plant production data for 14 selected mineral commodities are provided monthly (or quarterly) by the U.S. Geological Survey to the Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System (FRS), for use in preparing its index of industrial production and the related capacity indexes and capacity-utilization rates. These measures cover manufacturing, mining, and electric and gas utilities,…
Read MoreAftermath of a Collapse
Sept. 5, 2017 – It has been 10 years since the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. The bridge was classified as “structurally deficient” and was undergoing repair at the time. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) took a look at federal government data to see what progress has been made in repairing the nation’s bridges in the decade…
Read MoreNSSGA Releases Hurricane Statement
August 28, 2017 – The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association released a brief statement with regard to the horrific impact of Hurricane Harvey on southern Texas, and the Houston area in particular, where next year’s AGG1 show is scheduled to take place: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people who are affected by Hurricane Harvey and the unprecedented…
Read MorePalmer Interim Head at MSHA
August 21, 2017 – According to The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), the Trump Administration has announced its selection of Wayne Palmer to serve as acting assistant secretary for MSHA. Palmer has been serving as the Trump Administration’s chief of staff of the Department of Labor (DoL), and will be replaced there by Nicholas Geale, DoL’s solicitor. Earlier…
Read MoreNew Video from NSSGA: A Rock Products Exclusive
August 10, 2017 – The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) will hold its first Legislative Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., Sept. 24-28. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. NSSGA also just released a new video featuring three members of Congress – Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) – touting the importance of infrastructure investment.…
Read MoreSafety Advice from MSHA-NSSGA Alliance
July 28, 2017 – Louis Griesemer, president of Springfield Underground and NSSGA co-chair; and Marv Lichtenfels, MSHA deputy administrator, metal/non-metal, issued the following statement from the MSHA-NSSGA Alliance: Although good housekeeping can sometimes be overlooked, it is a key part of eliminating potential safety hazards and preventing issues with equipment and safety management. Keeping all areas within an operation neat and orderly…
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