• ASGCO Complete Conveyor Solutions
• Babst Calland
• Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co., Inc.
• Commonwealth Equipment Corporation
• Continental Placer, Inc.
• Conviber, Inc.
• East Rock Solutions
• Groff Tractor & Equipment
• Kemper Equipment, Inc.
• Maurer & Scott Sales, Inc.
• Mellott Company
• SIKA Corporation

REGISTER TODAY for PACA's Superintendent Workshop & Quarry Tour!

Date - Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Location - Rohrer's Incorporated, Lititz, PA

Fee - $95 per person

Topics:

• Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce - Rick Munson, Paramount Business Development
• Values Based Leadership & Safety Programs and Incentives - Jeff Rowland (Human Resources Manager), Justin Mellott (Market & Business Intelligence Manager), Brendan Kloos (Asst. Field Operations Manager) & Cody Jones (Safety Coordinator) - Mellott Company
• Operational Best Practices:
  • Rubber Lined Truck Bed Liners - Kemper Equipment
  • Applied Vibration in Aggregates Processing - Airmatic Inc.

Following the educational sessions, all attendees will board the bus to tour Rohrer's exemplary facilities including their quarry site, concrete plant and concrete reclaimer - something you don't want to miss!

ASSOCIATE MEMBER BUSINESS PARTNERS: Associate members are welcome to attend, however, to allow for space and the maximum educational experience for our superintendent community, we ask that Associate members register one person per company, please.

REGISTER HERE

The September PACA Members Forum Online Meeting is scheduled for September 13th at 11:00 AM and will feature Nick Troutman, Chief of Staff, Communications and Executive Director of Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee; Office of Senator Gene Yaw. As always, PACA Staff will be online providing updates on various program areas benefitting members of the Association.

To register to participate in the meeting, GO HERE.

Action Clears Way for Transportation Improvements across Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's State Transportation Commission (STC) today updated the 12-Year Program. The new plan anticipates $84 billion will be available over the next 12 years for improvements to roads, bridges, transit systems, airports and railroads.

The 12-Year Program, or TYP, is a multimodal, fiscally constrained planning tool used to identify and prioritize Pennsylvania's transportation projects and the funds needed to complete them. State law requires the STC to review and update the TYP every two years. No capital project can move forward unless it is included in the TYP.

The newly adopted program, which takes effect October 1, incorporates funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and anticipates the following funding availability in the first four years of the TYP from federal, state and local sources:

• $16 billion for state highway and bridge projects;
• $11.4 billion for public transit;
• $331 million for multimodal projects;
• $232 million for rail freight; and
• $168 million for aviation.

Now that the STC has approved the update, it has been submitted to the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration for review and approval. The Federal Highway Administration coordinates with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review the plan's conformity with air quality requirements.

For more information about the TYP, visit www.TalkPATransportation.com.

Members of the PACA Staff had the opportunity to tour Union Quarries' new office building in Carlisle, PA. The company chose to use ICF's for their durability, energy efficiency, and overall cost effectiveness. In addition, the roof and floors are concrete, making the entire building a testament to the value that concrete can bring to any project. Here are a few pics. A project profile will be posted on PACA's specifyconcrete website in the near future.

Concrete, It Just Makes Cents!

As you know, our blog page contains a variety of topics that focus on sustainability, construction innovations, and other benefits that concrete can provide to your project.

We recently posted our first vlog. It is titled "The Continuing Quest for Emissions Free Cement". If you're familiar with our blog page, you may have read this post when it was first released. The vlog bring the written word to "life", check it out.

Don't forget, the SpecifyConcrete website is there to be a resource for you and your customers. We hope you will use it

Concrete, It Just Makes Cents!

We are very pleased to announce that we will be having a combined in person Technical Communities meeting on Sept 22^nd in State College. We share everyone’s thoughts that it will be good to get back together! There is no lack of important topics to discuss.

We will forward a draft agenda to all prior to the meeting but please register at the link below. We look forward to seeing everybody there. There will not be remote access to this meeting.

If you have credits for Technical Community meetings that were canceled in early 2022. (I know it seems like decades ago). Please email Kallie and she will credit you for this registration.

Thursday, September 22, 2022 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM EST

Toftrees Golf Resort

1 Country Club Lane

State College, 16803

https://web.pacaweb.org/events/Technical-Communities-Meeting-16027/details

Below is a registration link and information for an NSSGA webinar on Pyrrhotite and updates on the research surrounding it. Much of the research is occurring here in PA.

On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, please join us to learn about the latest on Pyrrhotite research in the US. This online event is for NSSGA members only, however, please feel free to share the invitation with those interested within your organization.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpd-usqjMjEtC3C_zVAczB0sEKDpPoYX8r

Title: State of Pyrrhotite Research in the US

Description: In recent years, some concrete cracking at the foundation level of homes and commercial buildings in Connecticut has been associated with Pyrrhotite¹. As a result, state legislation has been put forward to protect homeowners and federal funding has been provided for research. Massachusetts is also looking to adopt policies over concerns with Pyrrhotite. In the absence of direct and practical quality control tests to detect and measure Pyrrhotite concentration in aggregates, some of the proposed policies can negatively affect aggregate producers. In this webinar, we will learn the latest research on Pyrrhotite in the U.S., and discuss if there is a quality control tool that can be adopted by the aggregate producers. In addition, we will hear from members in CT and MA about the latest pyrrhotite policy in their states.

The PAG-03 General Permit is intended to provide NPDES permit coverage to existing or proposed industrial facilities that discharge stormwater associated with industrial activity to PA streams. The Saturday, August 20, 2022 PA Bulletin contained DEP’s re-draft PAG-03 permit information. Comments are due September 19, 2022.

In January 2022, DEP published a draft PAG-03 General Permit with a public comment period. In February 2022, EPA objected to the issuance of this permit. Based on changes made in response to public comments and EPA's objections, the Department decided to re-draft the PAG-03 General Permit for an additional public comment period. (Note that if you have no permit, it is likely you need one.)

Changes that DEP is proposing in this re-drafted draft permit are in the Fact Sheet (3800-PM-BCW0083j). They include significant changes to the filing of a Notice of Intent complete renewal package, as opposed to just an Annual Report, a requirement to report analytical data for pollutants that are the cause of impairment to your receiving stream and a requirement to report structural BMPs and acreage of impervious area each BMP treats, as examples.

You can access the Fact Sheet that identifies changes, in particular, the Addendum on .pdf page 13.

Should you have any questions or comments or wish to discuss, contact Josie Gaskey.

The final manganese rulemaking was on the August 9th EQB (Environmental Quality Board) meeting agenda. The EQB approved the proposed rulemaking, which then started the IRRC (Independent Regulatory Review Commission) process and set timeline. We will continue to work on this issue and have scheduled a meeting with IRRC. DEP’s presentation can be found here. Annex A can be found here.

Should you have any questions or want specifics, contact Josie Gaskey.

On July 27th, the US Fish & Wildlife Service issued an ANPR (Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) to develop a proposed rule establishing objectives, measurable performance standards, and criteria for use for species conservation mitigation banking. They believe this will help with the recovery of listed species and help reduce threats such as habitat fragmentation and lack of habitat connectivity by consolidating and managing priority habitat areas in a reserve network.

Should you have any questions, contact Josie Gaskey.

DEP submitted the final Phase 3 Chesapeake Bay WIP (Watershed Implementation Plan) to EPA on July 18, 2022. The amended final WIP includes the Countywide Action Plans (CAPs) and calls on EPA to improve and update computer modeling. It also highlights DEP’s 2022 Integrated Water Quality Report that documents improving trends in water quality. EPA does not believe DEP is doing a good enough job nor allocating sufficient financial resources.

43 of the counties in PA contain waterways that drain to either the Susquehanna or the Potomac rivers. DEP is working with interested parties in the counties whose local waters run to the Chesapeake Bay to create the CAPs. These plans outline how each county’s share of the state’s 2025 pollution reduction goals will be met. You may want to watch your CAPs, as there is a recommendation, for example, to use the Bay computer modeling to assist in MS4 calculations, even though DEP indicates the modeling needs updated.

Should you have any questions, contact Josie Gaskey.

The Department has published its Non-Regulatory Agenda. This is published twice a year, in February and July. The Agenda is the focus of the Department's policy development for the coming year. The types of documents listed in the Agenda include policies and technical guidance documents that provide directives, guidance or other relevant compliance-related information.

Of note:

• the final Environmental Justice Public Participation Policy to be published as final the 4th quarter in 2022;
• PHMC and DEP coordination on permit review to be published the 1st quarter of 2023;
• Operation and Maintenance Costs of Replacement Water Supplies to be published as draft the 2nd quarter of 2023;
• Ch. 105 Alternative Analysis to be published as final the 4th quarter of 2022;
• Update to the 2006 Pennsylvania Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual for Chapter 102 earth disturbance activities to be published as draft the 1st quarter of 2023;
• Water Quality Toxics Management Strategy to be published as final 1st quarter of 2023;
• Spills, discharges, and other incidents of a substance causing or threatening pollution to Commonwealth waters to be published 4th quarter of 2022;
• Closure Requirements for Underground Storage Tank Systems to be published as draft 4th quarter of 2022;
• and several Bureau of Waste Management changes.

Should you have any questions, contact Josie Gaskey.

In 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) modified its regulations governing the maximum hours that commercial motor vehicle operators may drive or operate within a certain timeframe. insert this link: https://www.govinfo.gov/conten...

The Teamsters and other organizations petitioned the Court for review arguing the final rule was arbitrary and capricious because it failed to deal with driver health and safety consequences of changes to recordkeeping rules for short-haul commercial vehicle drivers and break requirements for long-haul drivers. The Court disagreed with the Teamsters et al writing that FMCSA had supplied enough evidence to justify the changes.

This is good news for the industry because it allows the ready mixed concrete industry, and its sister industries, to operate under the current, more flexible HOS rules, as opposed to the stringent pre-September 2020 regulations. The Court decision can be found here: https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/...

PACA wishes to thank the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association for providing this information.

In 2013, OSHA launched the Temporary Worker Initiative to increase OSHA's focus on temporary workers to highlight employers' responsibilities and ensure these workers are protected from workplace hazards. Earlier this month, NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health), along with several partners including OSHA and the NORA Services Sector Council, announced new resources aimed at better protecting temporary workers on the job. This set of best practices includes an overall document with real-life scenarios to provide examples of how the recommended practices might be implemented, as well as checklists and a slide presentation.

Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Josie Gaskey.

The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association, Pennsylvania's leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries, recently completed 80 Certified Concrete Finishers courses across the commonwealth, training nearly 1,600 during the two-year period.

Since 2019, nearly 1,600 Pennsylvania concrete finishers completed either the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) or American Concrete Institute (ACI) certification programs, making Pennsylvania first in the nation with finishers who have received the lifetime NRMCA certification. These finishers now meet the requirements for PennDOT projects that started in or after April of this year. Additionally, there are 179 Pennsylvania finishers who currently hold the ACI finisher certification in the state.

“An equally important, if not the most important, aspect of this initiative has been its role in providing meaningful workforce development to those individuals in construction across the state,” said Jim Casilio, PACA’s director of technical services. “The NRMCA certification requires a hands-on segment that has shown time and time again to be a unique opportunity for senior finishers to help instruct, mentor and train those newcomers. Bringing together the experienced and the new in an educational setting away from an active project site was a fantastic, unexpected program outcome.”

The success of this program is due in large part to the PACA member companies that hosted an NRMCA class or brought this important training opportunity to their customers and company personnel. Those companies are:

• Masters RMC Inc.
• Golden Triangle Construction Co. Inc.
• Conewago Ready Mix
• Pennsy Supply Inc., a CRH company
• Centre Concrete Company
• Union Quarries Inc.
• Central Builders Supply Company
• New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc.
• Delaware Valley Concrete Co. Inc.
• H&K Group
• Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc.
• Kinsley Construction
• JJ Kennedy Inc.
• Wendell H. Stone Company Inc.
• M&B Redi-Mix d.b.a. DuBrook Inc.
• Baycrete Inc.
• Byler Materials Group

The goal of the certification course, which includes classroom and practical, hands-on work, is to help improve the resilience and extend the service life of concrete and work to eliminate mistakes in the finishing process that can result in costly repairs or reconstruction.

On August 5th, The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA), Pennsylvania's leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries, today hosted a meeting and a tour of the Springfield Pike Quarry with leaders in government, industry and higher education. PACA member Lehigh Hanson and its parent company, HeidelbergCement Group, hosted the event to highlight the safety protocols in the Springfield Pike Quarry, which was honored with the Sentinel award in 2019 by the National Mining Association.

Attendees of the meeting and tour included Sekhar Bhattacharyya, chair of the Mining Engineering Program at Penn State University, state Rep. Ryan Warner, Nick Troutman and Matt Osenbach, from state Sen. Gene Yaw’s office, Emily Eyster from state Sen. Carolyn Comitta’s office, staff from the state Department of Environmental Protection, and Aggregates Advisory Board members.

“PACA is proud to partner with Lehigh Hanson to inform and educate our government, industry and higher education leaders about the safe production of aggregate that comes from the Springfield Pike Quarry and quarries like it,” said Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association President and CEO Peter Vlahos. “We're confident this event will leave our attendees with a better understanding of the aggregate industry's focus on safe mining practices and our commitment to furthering the use of construction materials to benefit the commonwealth.”

In operation since the 1960s, the Springfield Pike Quarry is one of three active underground room and pillar operations mining the Loyalhanna Limestone formation. Operated by Hanson Aggregates, the mine produces and sells approximately one million tons of aggregate annually. The products produced at Springfield Pike mine are used primarily in the production of hot mix asphalt, ready mixed concrete, and general road and building construction.

HeidelbergCement Group was founded in Germany in 1874 , and has grown from a small regional cement manufacturer into one of the largest international manufacturers of building materials. HeidelbergCement Group strives to operate sustainably and has set a goal to produce climate neutral concrete by 2050, in a push Group . toward carbon reduction.

Lehigh Hanson encompasses the North American operations of HeidelbergCement In the western Pennsylvania region, Hanson Aggregates operates three active and one inactive underground limestone mines, four hot mix asphalt pla nts, multiple ready mixed concrete plants and several surface quarries with goals to expand and introduce future operations to keep pace with aggregate availability needs. Hanson Aggregates is one of the largest producers of crushed stone, sand and gravel in the United States.

The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) was proud to welcome its 2022 Emerging Leaders Academy (PELA) to the state Capitol for a day of advocacy and grassroots training during its annual PA Politics Initiative, followed by a day on the Gettysburg Battlefields.

PELA is a 10-month hybrid program consisting of both online and in-person educational sessions and networking opportunities aimed at elevating potential leaders in the aggregates, concrete and cement industries, along with industry partners the consulting engineers, equipment dealers and manufacturers, admixtures, service providers and more. Class members have the opportunity to meet key industry and legislative leaders throughout the commonwealth, tour industry plants and facilities, and learn valuable leadership and life skills they can bring back to the benefit of their company and peers.

“The beautiful thing about this program is that it allows participants the opportunity to develop at any point in their career,” said Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association PACA Board Chairman Robert Housel. “There are no limitations on who can participate in the program that, by design, has a key component of educating participants outside of the classroom through trips to places like the state Capitol and Gettysburg battlefields. We are proud to offer PELA to our industry’s future leaders.”

Led by instructor and facilitator Greg Coker, class size is limited to 20 students as selected by the members of the PELA board of trustees. The curriculum is exceptional and includes mandatory participation in a cornerstone project to be presented at the PACA annual meeting in November.

The 2022 class includes:

• Michael Beury, Kemper Equipment
• Aaron Christ, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc.
• Ted Fegely, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc.
• Ryan Fink, Keystone Cement Company
• Michael Forte, Delaware Valley Concrete Co. Inc.
• Joe Kim, Earthres Group Inc.
• Dillyn Lyons, Centre Concrete Company
• Richard Masters, Masters RMC Inc.
• Nicky Morrison, Allan Myers
• Chris Rodkey, Union Quarries Inc.
• Sunni Snyder, Central Builders Supply Company
• Jenifer Spang, Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc.
• Adam Veldhuizen, Mellott Company
• Nicholas Whitaker, Keystone Cement Company
• Greg Willi, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc.
• Tasha Williams, Centre Concrete Company
• Eran Willis, Byler Materials Group
• Andrew Wittle, York Building Products
• Taylor Young, Specialty Granules LLC

On August 15th, Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) members and participants in the association’s Emerging Leaders Academy (PELA) Class of 2022 attended the PA Politics Initiative, a day of grassroots and advocacy at the state Capitol.

The goal of the initiative is to help members and PELA program participants understand the role politics plays in their everyday life and make them more comfortable with the people and processes that surround it.

“PACA’s PA Politics Initiative was designed to provide attendees with the tools to feel comfortable meeting with state representatives and advocating for their organizations either in their community or in Harrisburg,” said Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association Government Affairs/PAC Committee Chair Rod Martin from Martin Stone Quarries. “Hearing from individuals involved in Pennsylvania’s legislative process such as legislators, staff members and committee executives allows for a balanced look at state government.

2022 PA Politics Initiative presenters included:

• Jake Smeltz, Chief of Staff; Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster);
• John Hopcraft, Chief of Staff, Sen. Kristen Phillips-Hill (R-York);
• Betsy Phillips, Scheduler; Gov. Tom Wolf (D);
• John Guyer, Executive Director; Senate Appropriations Committee (R);
• Scott Sikorski, Legislative Director, Deputy Chief of Staff; Sen. Kim Ward (RWestmoreland); and
• Rep. Seth Grove (R-York).

Meeting with state legislators as part of a coordinated legislative event is an important part of PACA’s legislative strategy. Events such as the PA Politics Initiative show the dedication of PACA’s members and helps them foster relationships with lawmakers.

PACA Members are invited to participate in the upcoming International Institute of Minerals Appraisers-Fall Conference on October 11 & 12 at the Southpointe Golf Club.

Included in this article is a flyer for the Fall Conference. The two-day event includes:

1. October 11^th is the first day is a 7 hour refresher course on appraisals (this is something for certified minerals appraisers in the IIMA need for certification. As geologists who do appraisals of value for clients, it may have some interest.
2. October 12^th is a workshop in which we will have 8 speakers talk on an aspect of appraising minerals-oil-gas-coal-limestone-ores, etc.

The attached flyer has more details.

PACA-PAC is creating a unified and strong voice for our industry. DONATE TODAY!