P&Q Editors Blog
Competitive fires
January 5, 2012
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
Martin Marietta Materials' takeover bid for Vulcan Materials has strengthened the competitive fire between the nation's two largest aggregate producers. And understandably so. The companies have been going at each other pretty good lately, since Martin Marietta announced its intentions on Dec. 12 to acquire Vulcan via an all-stock transaction valued at a reported $4.7 billion. Martin Marietta says a merger would work, creating a global leader in construction aggregates. Vulcan says it's a bad idea. To get a feel for where things stand between them, you only need to look at special web pages created by both companies that provide information on Martin Marietta's takeover attempt. Martin Marietta's information can be found at www.aggregatesleader.com. How about Vulcan's? www.realaggregatesleader.com. Say no more. – Brian Richesson
School of rock
November 29, 2010
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
In early November, we saw another example of aggregate producers reaching out to their communities in an effort to educate and grow relationships. Three major producers with operations in Sun City, Ariz. – Vulcan, Lafarge and Cemex – hosted a tour of their mining sites. With demand on the upswing, the companies, which mine the Agua Fria riverbed, wanted to showcase environmental improvements and demonstrate how they comply with regulatory requirements, according to an article in The Arizona Republic. About 50 people, including residents, city officials and school board members, toured the facilities. They learned about the industry's history by watching videos on their bus, the article described. The group also learned how the companies control dust and reduce pollutants, and how their building materials contribute to local projects. – Brian Richesson
Quarry business makes strange bedfellows
September 1, 2010
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
When officials from the city of Azusa, Calif., voted 4-1 to approve the expansion of a Vulcan Materials quarry there, they went from being a difficult suitor to an ally in very short order. They also pitted themselves against the neighboring community of Duarte, which now plans to file suit against Vulcan and Azusa for moving the project forward. It took much community outreach and plenty of cash for Vulcan and Azusa to become best friends. The company will reimburse the city $613,000 for an environmental-impact report conducted before the vote, and will also cover the legal fees for Azusa to defend the expansion project against the coming Duarte lawsuit. Sometimes the quarry business makes strange bedfellows, but if the end result is a permitting victory, the investment is worth it. – Mark S. Kuhar
Vulcan settles the case
May 27, 2010
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
I’m sure President Barack Obama is going be happy that Vulcan Materials just made his home state of Illinois a little bit richer. The company will pay the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) $40 million to settle a state lawsuit that has been going on for 12 years over a damaged portion of Joliet Road in suburban McCook, according to a story in the Chicago Sun-Times. IDOT alleged that Vulcan damaged a mile-long section of Joliet Road that bisects its massive McCook Quarry. That portion of Joliet was closed by IDOT in 1998 after IDOT experts concluded that the road was destabilized from years of mining and was no longer safe to use. Vulcan contended the cracks that caused Joliet Road to flex and buckle extend much deeper than the company mined. The company did not admit liability. In any case, IDOT will receive an initial $20 million, and will be paid the rest within nine months, according to a Vulcan statement. U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., told the paper the closure has been “an issue of concern” to people in the area and he’s happy a settlement had been reached. Vulcan is certainly not celebrating the $40 million payout, but the company does have cause for cheer. Its shipments climbed in March, compared to a year ago, marking the first monthly increase in several years, according to its first-quarter report. – Mark S. Kuhar
Permitting struggle goes on
May 20, 2010
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
Reclamation isn't just a post-site, land-use consideration for quarry operators. In many cases, it's a critical permitting criteria. For instance, an ongoing permitting effort at Vulcan Materials' Azusa Rock Quarry in Azusa, Calif., failed a critical test when the city council voted 3-2 to reject Vulcan's request to open up an additional 80 acres for production. At issue was a reclamation plan for the site that officials from Azusa and the adjacent town of Duarte say doesn't go far enough. Under the new plan, Vulcan would have used a new method as part of its reclamation plan, a technique called micro-benching that would reshape the slopes into 30- to 50-ft. benches, similar to a Mayan pyramid. Vulcan spokesman Todd Priest, quoted in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, disputed the contention that the plan was not feasible. "Vulcan Materials has never nor would we ever submit a reclamation plan that is not fully capable of being implemented," he said. "The revegetation standard required under the proposed plan provides far more natural plant coverage than currently exists on the previously mined areas." The struggle for Vulcan at Azusa Rock is not over, and it is likely the plan will be tweaked and presented for a vote again in the near future. -- Mark S. Kuhar
