Pit and Quarry

Quarry field trip comes to the students

Pennsylvania fourth-grade science curriculum includes the study of rocks and minerals, their uses, and the resulting impact on the economy and the environment. With a quarry located in Washington Township, Pa., Martin Stone Quarries Inc. has partnered for many years with Washington Elementary School to enhance the students' learning experience by hosting a specially designed field trip to their site.

When budget cuts to Pennsylvania schools forced the cancellation of the 2011 field trip, the company offered to come to the students. Programs were presented to the school's fourth-graders. Rod Martin spoke about the quarry and the production of stone, while Eric Gehman presented an introductory program about wetlands and the huge project undertaken by Martin Stone Quarries when they created a large wetlands area adjacent to one of their operations. -Darren Constantino

Wild West

California’s Office of Mine Reclamation (OMR) is threatening to stop Lehigh Southwest Cement Co.’s Permanente Quarry from selling material to government agencies, and the clock is ticking. In a letter dated July 20, the Cupertino company was handed a 30-day notice that it must comply with state reclamation regulations or be taken off the AB 3098 List. Quarries on this list can sell mined materials to governments but must have approved reclamation plans and the financial assurances that they can cover the associated costs. Lehigh’s violations include the instability of pit slopes as well as surface mining operations occurring outside an approved reclamation boundary, which should have been addressed by December 2007, the letter states. Lehigh must correct these violations to comply with the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975. Lehigh has been working with the Santa Clara County planning department, the lead agency on the issue, and said it’s in full compliance with the law, according to an article in the Los Altos Patch. We probably haven’t heard the last on this West Coast dispute. – Brian Richesson

Victory in Michigan

There's good news in Michigan, where the aggregates industry recently celebrated a legislative victory in an ongoing permitting issue.

First, some background, courtesy of the Michigan Aggregates Association (MAA): A Michigan Supreme Court decision last year eliminated a function called the "very serious consequences" test. Because natural resources can only be produced where they are located, courts have historically applied this unique standard to aggregates facility cases. A permit could not be denied if the applicant could prove that “very serious consequences” would not result from the operation of the facility.

According to MAA, this test for decades has struck a reasonable balance between the public’s need for aggregates, private property rights and local zoning interest. But last year, the court reasoned that if the “very serious consequences” standard is to be law in Michigan, the legislature, and not the courts, should establish that standard. This decision gave local municipalities more power to deny permits and close operations. In fact, MAA noted, an aggregates production facility in the Upper Peninsula already had been forced to close.

MAA rallied the industry against this damaging decision and worked to reverse the outcome. Rep. Matt Huuki and Sen. Tom Casperson teamed to amend the law by codifying the “very serious consequences” test in the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act. MAA members were asked to contact their legislators to support this corrective action. And in the end, the legislation passed the House and Senate. View the final bill (HB4746) here.

MAA will hold an environmental meeting on July 16 as part of its summer meeting to further explain the issue. To register for the free meeting, contact the MAA office at 517-381-1732. The summer meeting will be held from July 14-17 at The Inn at Bay Harbor in Bay Harbor, Mich.

According to the MAA, more than 80 million tons of mineral aggregates were sold from Michigan sources last year. About 300 surface facilities produce this aggregate, and the industry employs more than 8,000 people statewide. – Brian Richesson

Giving back

We often hear about aggregate companies giving back to their communities through donations, open houses and other commitments. And for each good deed we read about, hundreds more go unnoticed outside the local area. Many of these projects help not only the community, but the environment, as well.

The largest producer in the United States, Vulcan Materials, donated more than $64,000 worth of aggregates and services to construct an underwater reef in Virginia's James River. It's all part of a collaborative effort to restore the Atlantic sturgeon to the river and the Chesapeake Bay. And the reef project is only one of many community and environmental projects supported by Vulcan Materials.

The company's Grand Rivers Quarry near Paducah, Ky., made a $10,000 donation to the Livingston County Friends of the Library, and an anonymous donor is matching Vulcan's contribution. The funds will be used to buy books for the community's new library.

Lafarge North America also strives to be a good neighbor. As part of its ongoing partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada, the company signed its 2050 Conservation Vision, a statement reaffirming its commitment to conservation in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains.  The company said it will continue to work with WWF Canada and Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation on studies to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the needs of wildlife in the Bow Valley area. These studies will inform future conservation activities in the region.

Lafarge North America also teams with local communities across the United States on environmental projects. To mark Earth Day this year, the company held festivities and open houses in several states, with events ranging from river cleanups to tree plantings. For example, in Pearl River, La., the company's Honey Island facility, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, planted 30 oak trees as part of the site’s commitment to ecosystem rehabilitation and in support of native species.

Of course, Vulcan Materials and Lafarge North America are not the only aggregate producers who give back to their communities. There are several stories of generosity from the largest producers to the smallest. And, as with everything else in life, the paybacks of giving are manyfold. –Darren Constantino

Thrill ride

Sandra Brannan is vice president of corporate development at Pete Lien & Sons. She is also an author. Brannan has blended her two passions – mining and writing – into one notable project. Her mystery thriller, In the Belly of Jonah, is set at a limestone mine in Colorado. It aims to create a better understanding and more tolerance of mining, according to a press release promoting the book. 

“The animosity toward mining was founded on misinformation, old ideologies and broad generalizations,” Brannan says. “We just need a chance to welcome people into our world to give them a better understanding for the industry, to help them see most miners are incredibly concerned for the environment and the communities where they operate. I hope the book shows that.”

Brannan’s grandfather founded South Dakota-based Pete Lien & Sons in 1944 on the core business of limestone mining. It began as a small rock quarry operation, but it exists today as a multimillion-dollar corporation, with divisions encompassing lime, sand and gravel and ready-mix concrete. Brannan has worked in her family’s business for 25 years.

Brannan plans to attend ConExpo-Con/Agg 2011, held March 22-26 in Las Vegas. – Brian Richesson