A publication of the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association
Materials and Products Issue
JOYCE FITZGERALD of Elementis PLC
Recognized for her 35-year contribution to the mining industry
SEE INSIDE: 6
FEATURE STORY
10
MEMBER NEWS
16
LEGISLATIVE
20
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Fall Issue
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2020 FALL ISSUE
TABLE of CONTENTS
6
4 CHAIRMAN'S LETTER You’re in Good Hands
6 FEATURE STORY
Joyce Fitzgerald of Elementis PLC recognized for her 35-Year contribution to the mining industry
10
10 MEMBER NEWS
Granite Construction opens Big Rock aggregate facility and asphalt plant in Los Angeles County
16
16 LEGISLATIVE
2020 Legislative Wrap Up
20 ASSOCIATION NEWS
News from national associations
ON THE COVER:
Joyce Fitzgerald, operations and quality assurance manager for Elementis pictured at their Hectorite Mine in Newberry Springs.
The Conveyor is a publication of the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association. The views expressed herein are fixed expressions of the contributing writers and not of CalCIMA. All rights reserved. CalCIMA 1029 J Street, #420 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 554-1000 www.calcima.org www.distancematters.org
Published By Construction Marketing Services, LLC P.O. Box 892977 Temecula, CA 92589 (909) 772-3121 Publisher Kerry Hoover khoover@calcontractor.com
Editorial Contributors Robert Dugan, President & CEO, CalCIMA
Graphic Designer Aldo Myftari
Adam Harper, Director of Policy Analysis, CalCIMA
The Conveyor is published quarterly each year by Construction Marketing Services, LLC
Charley Rea, Director of Communications & Policy, CalCIMA
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Editor Brian Hoover bhoover@ironads.com
The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
3
CHAIRMAN'S LETTER
YOU’RE IN GOOD HANDS This happens to be my final letter as your chairman and I am grateful that you are taking the time to read my comments in The Conveyor. At times, I have found the writing of these quarterly letters challenging only because there is so much to say, but I have felt the need to render my words carefully. Those that know me well are aware that I have plenty to say and have opinions on many topics. Here though, my comments are typically much more measured. However, maybe a little less so this time. We have all faced many hurdles this year with the pandemic, and have needed to change how we manage our respective organizations. Your board has had many challenges as well, which I have shared here in previous letters. We have brought in our new CEO, Robert Dugan, and revised the dues structure. Our next strategic plan goal is to strengthen CalCIMA’s legislative and regulatory influence with a demonstrable positive impact on the members’ bottom line. Our next task is to take a leadership role in aligning industry associations to create a more effective voice. This is crucial. The signing of SB1159 provides a pathway for employees to file a workers’ compensation claim if they have contracted COVID-19. Even more recently, the Governor signed an executive order banning the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. It is becoming clearer every day that a stronger legislative and regulatory influence is mandatory for our industry. This is a very high priority—not only for the survival of our industries, but for the tens of thousands of people we employ. As for our leadership role in aligning our industries, I can assure you, Robert Dugan and staff are well ahead of schedule and alignment is beginning to take shape. In a short time, you will begin to hear and see the effects of these actions. Together, alignment with peer industries, their associations, and our efforts in our organizations and CalCIMA, we will have better legislative and regulatory influence. Spragues’ Ready Mix is a fourth generation, family-owned business, started by my great-grandfather. The current California business climate is not what it used to be. The more recent government actions taken against our respective industries, employees, and their families (creating an anti-business state) is unconscionable. We need to continue to work together to keep building that strong voice. Those of us on the CalCIMA Board of Directors have completed the challenges presented to us at the beginning of the year. We have a new strategic plan, a new CEO, and an overdue revamped dues structure. Having worked very closely with an amazing CalCIMA staff, over the last two-years, I could not be more confident that we are in good hands. Gary Hambly handed off a fantastic team to Robert Dugan. Our incoming Chairman, Martin Hansberger, will have a great group of directors to begin his tenure. I am excited for what is ahead of us. As always, thank you for your membership and your participation! Stay Safe and Healthy! Sincerely,
Michael Toland President, Spragues' Ready Mix CalCIMA Chairman
4
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FEATURE STORY
JOYCE FITZGERALD OF ELEMENTIS PLC Recognized for her 35-year contribution to the mining industry By Brian Hoover, CMS
S
ome people believe that the only way to do great work is to love what you do. The average American works 10,400 hours a year, so doing something you are good at and enjoy is probably right up there with eating and breathing. Many never find the right profession or the perfect job, but the quest is always there, and sometimes it requires taking a few detours along the way.
JOYCE PULLIAM-FITZGERALD Joyce Pulliam-Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald) was, as she puts it, a "military brat" whose father served as a medic during World War II and the Korean conflict. Growing up in a military family taught her many things, not the least of which was always to work hard and be respectful. Fitzgerald's work ethic and desire to help others led her to pursue a career in medicine. She obtained her Associates degree in Math and Science from Victor Valley College and then entered UCLA as a pre-med student. To gain real work experience she began working as a volunteer in the nuclear medicine department at the Veteran Administration Hospital in Los Angeles. By the end of her junior year, Fitzgerald began to ponder if becoming a medical doctor may require more of her time than she was prepared or financially capable of. She decided to try something else that summer of her junior year and went to work for Pfizer Inc. in their mineral and pigment division. 6
Pfizer had a talc operation in Victorville, and Fitzgerald began working for the geologist in the quality control laboratory. She remembers his name like it was yesterday, Phil VanAlstine, as he was kind and took the time to teach his young apprentice all about fieldwork as they gathered samples in Death Valley. Fitzgerald worked for Pfizer for around nine months, and as a new school year approached, she applied and was accepted to Cal State Sacramento to pursue a bachelor's degree in geology. Pfizer let her know that a job would be waiting for her when she graduated, which they happily honored after Fitzgerald received her geology degree in 1982. Eventually, Pfizer decided to turn over their California talc deposits to the Death Valley National Monument Foundation, and suddenly Fitzgerald was
Above: Joyce Fitzgerald, operations and quality assurance manager for Elementis holding a hectorite sample which is a relatively rare and naturally occurring clay deposit.
looking for employment. She bounced around with various jobs for companies like Sunkist and Vydac, Inc. before being approached by a headhunter representing NL Chemicals, who later sold its Rheox additives subsidiary to Elementis PLC (Elementis) in 1998. Fitzgerald interviewed and was immediately hired as the quality control manager and exploration geologist at NL Chemicals in Newberry Springs, CA. She spent many of her days sitting on the drill rig at the Hector Mine, assisting the mine superintendent in evaluating The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
Left & below: View of Elementis’ hectorite mine and plant located in Newberry Springs.
the hectorite clay deposit. Fitzgerald was eventually promoted to production and quality control manager at the plant and today serves as the operations and quality assurance manager for Elementis. ELEMENTIS PLC So, exactly who is Elementis and what are they up to out at the Hector Mines located 40 miles east of Barstow off Interstate 40 in Newberry Springs. Elementis is a global specialty chemicals company that offers performance-driven additives that help create innovative formulations for consumer and industrial applications. As one of the UK's largest specialty chemicals and personal care businesses, they also have extensive operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. The company's origin dates back to 1844 when Harrisons and Crosfield (Elementis' legacy company) was formed by brothers, Daniel and Smith Harrison and Joseph Crosfield. The company changed its name to Elementis in 1998 to better represent its core strength and overall brand value in the chemicals business. 1998 also marked the company's The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
$465-million acquisition of Rheox, a US-based international rheological additives producer and former owner-operator of the Hector mine in Newberry Springs. MINING HECTORITE AT HECTOR MINE IN NEWBERRY SPRINGS Silicate materials comprise approximately 90 percent of the Earth’s crust, and many of them are classified as clays. The deposits are controlled by fault zones, allowing the hot water access to the ash. The more common crystalline phyllosilicates clays are used in personal care items and include hectorite, smectite, montmorillonite, kaolin and mica. Clays like hectorite are produced by grinding mined ore, followed by washing, treating and drying the powder. In California,
Elementis mines Hectorite at their Hector mine in Newberry Springs. The Hector mine is a world-class source of hectorite, a thixotropic magnesium lithium silicate clay that formed when lithium and fluorine were introduced into fine lacustrine volcanic sediments through hot springs activity during the Pliocene. Hectorite is a fairly rare mineral that is used in applications that require lighter color, higher viscosity and thermal stability. This particular hectorite deposit has been supplying the highest-grade thixotropic clay to the coatings industry for over 70 years. It is highly absorbent and has been used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, and high temperature organoclay for oil well drilling. Hectorite provides flow control through the thickening 7
Above: Community relations and education is a real passion for Joyce Fitzgerald and the Women in Mining group as well as other groups like the Society for Mining Metallurgy & Exploration. Right: Attendees participate in a cookie mining activity where they use chocolate chip cookies to learn how mining works.
of properties and viscosity in products like paint, nail polish, deodorants, foundations, lipsticks and face and skin creams. It also keeps the liquid product homogenous and prevents any settling. COMMUNITY EDUCATION Fitzgerald points out that Elementis has afforded and supported her passion for teaching and educating teachers, students, legislators, public groups and clubs about the importance of minerals in our everyday life. "You can't live the lifestyle we are all accustomed to without taking advantage of the great minerals within the Earth's crust. The intellect, technology and ingenuity that turns these deposits into wonderful products is amazing and certainly makes all of our lives easier and more convenient," says Fitzgerald. "We worked closely with CalCIMA and Women in Mining organizations in the early days of their Education Foundation. I would participate in their three-day conferences for teachers, where we held lectures followed by hands-on exercises. We provide these teachers with materials that they can take back to their students in the classroom. We also conducted tours of our mining operation to show these 8
teachers everything that goes on from removing the material to loading the trucks, processing in our chemical plant, and bagging it all for sale to the end-user. Educating became a real passion for both me and the Women in Mining group and other groups like the Society for Mining Metallurgy & Exploration."
We took the “BB” out of the nail polish. Fitzgerald explains that she has been involved with education in mining throughout her entire career. "Sometimes it takes a good analogy to explain what a product like Hectorite can do for our everyday products like lotions and nail polish," says Fitzgerald. "One of my favorites is when I explain to our audience that we took the “BB” (steel mixing balls) out of the nail polish bottle. Most of them would probably remember the “BB” in their mother or grandmother’s nail polish. It was there to mix the ingredients after they had separated. I explain that the rheological additive made from Hectorite takes the place of that BB and keeps the nail polish homogenous at all times on the shelf and when used. You can see the lights go on, and
immediately they understand the basics of what it is we do here at Elementis." August 5, 2020, represented Joyce Fitzgerald's 35th year of service to both Elementis and the Hector mining facility in Newberry Springs. "I would like to retire in two years and do something else, but I don't know what that something else is at this point. Perhaps teaching or some other community service," concludes Fitzgerald. "I have had the honor of representing the world-class deposit of Hectorite clay for these past 35 years. I have evaluated ores and deposits all over the world. I have visited many countries and met people along the way that I might never have been able to do if not for the opportunities this company has afforded me. For all of that, I am eternally grateful, but what was most important and rewarding is the people I have been so fortunate to work with and around. From the chemists in the lab and IT gurus to the customer service agents and heavy equipment operators and corporate executives, they have all been so wonderful to meet and interact with over the years. I am forever grateful and consider myself a fortunate person to have been a part of all this magic for the past 35 years." n The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
MEMBER NEWS
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION Opens Big Rock aggregate facility and asphalt plant in Llano to better serve the northern Los Angeles marketplace By Brian Hoover, CMS
G
ranite Construction (Granite) recently opened its 76th materials facility as a direct replacement to their Little Rock plant that officially ceased operations this past May. Granite’s construction materials business stretches across the western United States, supporting its vertically integrated business model and external customers simultaneously. James Sauder is the area plants manager for the northern Los Angeles region and has many years of experience producing high-quality asphalt, concrete and aggregate products. “The Big Rock plant in Llano is a direct replacement for our Little Rock facility, which is sunsetting after 33 years of service,” says Sauder. “The primary purpose of the plant is to continue to fulfill the need for quality concrete, asphalt, and aggregate products in our northern Los Angeles market area.”
Photos by Granite & Superior Industries Big Rock will provide aggregate, asphalt and concrete products to public customers in northern and western Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, and San Bernardino counties. Brad Estes is the vice president of construction materials for Granite and oversees Granite’s construction materials business across seven western states. “We are pleased to bring this new plant online as part of our continued expansion in southern California,” says Estes. “Our new Big Rock facility offers greater efficiencies, including higher production rates and more flexibility on what we can offer and produce.” The new Granite Big Rock facility is located around 10 miles from the previous Little Rock plant. Both facilities were aptly named after the aggregate sources that feed each plant, namely Little Rock Creek and Big Rock Creek. Both are alluvial
deposits that fan out from the San Gabriel Mountains and provide a variety of aggregate sources. This includes rock, gravel, sand, and crushed stone for use in various applications from bridge and road building to the construction of parking lots and airport runways. The new Big Rock facility can produce up to 700-tons of aggregate per hour and was constructed with safety and sustainability in mind. The state-ofthe-art plant is specifically capable of producing 11 high-quality aggregate materials simultaneously. The new Big Rock plant will also recycle 134,000 gallons of water per hour with a combination of dewatering screens, low-water washers and water clarifiers. “Granite is constantly focused on environmentally responsible practices, and part of our sustainability program is to recycle water
whenever and wherever we can,” says Estes. “Our new Big Rock plant is equipped with high-efficiency motors, pumps, and an advanced electrical control system that take our water recycling efforts to a new level. We are also looking at adding battery backup capability as this technology evolves, which we have implemented at five of our other plants.” Construction on the new Big Rock plant broke ground and was The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
open for business by summer 2020. Northern Los Angeles area plant manager, James Sauder, oversaw the entire construction process. “There were many individuals and companies that worked together seamlessly to make this a successful transition. I would like to recognize our plant foreman, Glenn Losey, and our plant engineer, Karan Patel, for their tireless efforts, along with our entire Big Rock team,” says
Top: Aerial view of Granite’s Big Rock processing plant (mining area not pictured) in Llano. Above left: Crushed rock sizing screens with transfer conveyors. Above right: Sand circuit with dewatering screen to reduce water use and support water recycling.
11
Above: View of the wash plant and clarifier area. Right: The new plant is equipped with dual feeds sending the materials to sizing screens.
Sauder. “I would also like to thank our suppliers, Superior Industries, Rock Solid Industries, and Phoenix Water Systems for their contribution to the new Big Rock facility.” Brad Estes says that the new Big Rock facility is one component of an overall strategic plan to expand their materials business throughout the western United States. “We have permitted an additional 81 million tons of aggregate over the last year with 700 million tons of total permitted reserves,” says Estes. “Part of our strategy is to have long term reserves in all of our key markets like Los Angeles. This includes our 12
new Solari plant in Bakersfield that is similar to our Big Rock facility and scheduled to open later this year.” The Big Rock facility will also include an asphalt production plant. “The Little Rock asphalt plant is being transferred over to the Big Rock facility and will be updated with several new components,” says Estes.
Along with providing sustainable infrastructure, Granite is always looking for ways to support and give back to their surrounding local communities. “We maintain strong, close relationships with local emergency officials and agencies, and respond as a team to assist wherever possible. Our Coalinga [ Continued on page 14 ]
The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
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plant recently provided a water source to helicopters fighting the fires off Highway 198 near Coalinga,” says Sauder. “Additionally, our Oroville operation assisted in the Paradise fire cleanup, while our Gardner facility helped out when powerful storms caused flooding on the 101 freeway in Santa Barbara County.” Estes has this to add about Granite’s concern and response to local disasters, “we want to use our resources to respond to local emergencies. Because we have the ability and capacity to do this, we encourage all of our sites to help out whenever possible,” says Estes. “This includes taking in debris like concrete to recycle, and clean fill materials after a fire or other disaster. It also means providing aggregate materials to armor slopes to prevent erosion from heavy rains and mudslides. There is so much we
can do, and we want to part of the solution in our local communities.” Granite safely mines quality aggregates that fuel infrastructure, including concrete, asphalt, and other specialty sands and rock. Their new Big Rock facility is just one of the many assets that Granite brings to the table, as they continue in their mission to build a better world. For a full list of all of Granite’s material locations, please visit graniteconstruction.com/ company/ouroffices or call (661) 533-0145 to contact their new Big Rock facility in Llano. n
Above: View of materials conveyor sending rock to crusher and base circuit. Left: Surge tunnel maintaining a continuous feed of material to the processing plant. Below: The plant’s new sand dewatering screen delivers a dryer, cleaner fine aggregate product.
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LEGISLATIVE
2020 LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP By: Robert Dugan, Adam Harper, Charley Rea, CalCIMA
T
here is probably no better use of the term “unprecedented” than to describe this year’s legislative session in California. We have faced health crisis, recessions, polarizing presidential elections, and severe fire seasons, but never all of them at once and in the middle of a pandemic. The California State Legislature is a place of history, rules and processes which operates on a predictable rhythm of deadlines. How else does one manage the policy and fiscal impacts of over 2,000 bills considered in any given session? The 2020 legislative session began as most years do, with a large number of bills, over 2,200 addressing the full array of expected issues along with new priorities such as homelessness and the Green New Deal all waiting discussion and action. In January, the state budget was proposed at over $220 billion, which would have been a new record. The state was golden and all was normal in Sacramento. Then on March 4, Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency and on March 14 he issued Stay at Home orders in response to the coronavirus. The legislature acted quickly to support Governor Newsom, providing him with a billion dollars of spending authority before going into an unscheduled recess on March 16. Something the Associated Press and KPBS reported had only happened once before due to flooding in 1862. While the legislature planned to reconvene in early April, they were unable to reconvene until May, and a looming appropriations 16
deadline was set on May 29. The Legislature had no real choice but to reduce the number of bills introduced. Capitol Track, a legislative tracking service, created an outstanding graphic highlighting how different 2020 was from 2018 in regard to legislation failing to make the procedural deadlines (see above chart). Exactly which bills failed to move forward because of COVID-19 and the impact it had on the legislative schedule is a real mixed bag. Legislation championing a “green new deal,” AB 1839 (Bonta), was among the bills that didn’t have a first policy hearing and therefore failed the appropriate deadline. At the start of the year, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that we expected AB 1839 to provide significant debate throughout the legislative process. COVID-19 and the Governor’s executive orders forced the Legislature to prioritize mitigation measures for the crisis while also facing a budget crisis limiting state spending. The final adopted state budget was $202.1 billion, almost $20 billion less than originally proposed for the year, and could ultimately still be reduced by
billions more if additional federal aid does not materialize. Issues of unemployment and worker safety also quickly surged. Perhaps as a result much of that aid focused on what employers should do for their employees. Everyone was busy discussing workers compensation, paid and unpaid sick leave, employee safety protections, and other immediate actions. Other numerous pieces of legislation impacted employers in policy areas such as workers compensation. While there are troubling aspects for employers to these bills, items such as a rebuttable presumption included in SB 1159 (Hill) were important and hard won recognitions of the real vulnerability of employers alongside their employees in this crisis. The Legislature also developed, and the Governor ultimately signed SB 1383 (Jackson) expanding protected family leave and AB 1867 (Committee on the Budget) which creates a pilot mediation program for small employers to access free mediation prior to an employee being allowed to file suit The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
on leave issues. This belt and suspenders approach to addressing COVID-19 was the rule of the day or year. It should be mentioned that AB 2257 (Gonzalez) also passed and was signed into law clarifying the use of independent contractors, including business-tobusiness contracting, which can be important for trucking contract services for our members. A lot of significant legislation that was prioritized during the shortened session failed passage due to legislative chaos triggered by the crisis. California’s housing crisis was a significant priority entering the session and Senate President Pro Tem Atkins continued to prioritize potential solutions, but even her SB 1120 ultimately failed passage when the clock ran short preventing the necessary vote to send her bill to the Governor. The deadline + COVID-19 + an early fire season ultimately beat the process. Housing was not the only issue to suffer that fate. Several bills addressing policing and the social justice issues which emerged as a result of George Floyd’s death also failed. The challenges of that final evening lay very much at the hands of COVID-19 and the constitutional deadlines of the process. When Republican Senator Brian Jones tested positive for COVID-19 all but one member of the GOP Caucus were required to vote from a distance. That action led to additional delay and debate on process, which consumed precious time before the Senate got back on track to adopting bills in the face of the midnight deadline. COVID-19 is of course still among us and likely will continue to have impacts on the legislative process. At the same time, how to proceed and function while protecting everyone is now better understood and the month-long The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
delays of 2020 are likely behind us absent a significant resurgence. However, the legislature still has its rules. The Capitol itself remains a tight crowded space when busy and elected officials have to get out and meet the people. As all of those will remain true, the potential for additional future disruptions of and changes to the legislative process seems likely.
Hopefully they will not be so significant that worthwhile measures will not be sidelined, such as legislation on materials recycling and highway spending transparency. And, it seems likely issues of social and environmental justice will continue to be the legislature’s priority heading into the new year. n
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NATIONAL NEWS
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NEWS In an effort to keep members informed on key developments with national associations and issues, we are including a brief recap of each association’s recent activities.
INDUSTRIAL MINERALS ASSOCIATION – NORTH AMERICA (IMA-NA) Mineral industry gets regulatory relief through royalty rate reductions IMA-NA would like to offer sincere thanks to Secretary David Bernhardt and his team for following through on the Trump Administration’s request to move forward with common sense regulations that can place American companies in a position to succeed. In a bipartisan voice, Congress has requested the U.S. Department of the Interior to lower the rate for the soda ash industry from 6% to 2% for a period of 10 years. Because of that action led by Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), Representatives Cook (R-CA08) and Cheney along with US Senator John Barrasso, Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Mike Enzi, the DOI has taken the necessary action to revise the royalty reduction process to streamline requests for rate reductions and make the process far less cumbersome. This rulemaking is important for the minerals industry beyond soda ash. For example the Gilsonite industry and others were desperate for rate relief during COVID, but the process that had been in place prior to this rule made it impossible for relief to be granted based on market conditions changing. This new rule now allows for companies to do so and makes relief easier to achieve. In a year of unprecedented challenges, IMA-NA just convened their first ever virtual Annual Meeting. 20
During a series of 14 different meetings, IMA-NA staff and members were able to discuss important issues facing the industry and the potential for a different political landscape in 2021. In addition to the meetings of the various mineral sections and committees, IMA-NA celebrated the Safety Award winners and held a working meeting of the MSHA Alliance, which is working on a series of Industrial Hygiene best practices for both miners and operators. These best practices provide an opportunity for industry leaders to work closely with MSHA officials to promote the best approaches to common EHS challenges in the mining community. Looking forward to the challenges and opportunities on the horizon, the IMA-NA is excited to increase public awareness of the critical and essential role minerals play in our supply chain. As the world works to address new problems one thing is certain, the minerals industry stands ready to be partners in the search for innovative solutions. Minerals are the building blocks of the modern world and have an integral role in answer to both environmental and economic challenges facing the United States. IMA-NA continues to work towards increasing the necessary collaborative efforts amongst industry leaders, public officials, and the public.
NATIONAL ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION (NAPA)
effort. The latest industry survey by NAPA, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published on September 25, 2020, validated that our nation’s asphalt mixture producers are some of the most diligent recyclers, with more than 94 percent of asphalt mixture reclaimed from old asphalt pavements and put to use in new pavements. The total estimated tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) used in asphalt mixtures was 89.2 million tons in 2019. This is a nearly 8.5 percent increase from the 2018 construction season and represents a nearly 59.3 percent increase from the total estimated tons of RAP used in 2009, when this annual survey was first conducted. In addition, the industry reclaimed 97 million tons of RAP for future use, saving about 58.9 million cubic yards of landfill space and more than $5.3 billion in gate fees for disposal in landfills. “Over the years, we’ve seen steady advancement in the amount of RAP being used across the country. This has been the result of collaboration among industry engineers and road owners to research and apply best practices to ensure we maintain or improve performance while increasing the use of recycled materials,” stated NAPA President & CEO Audrey Copeland, Ph.D., P.E.
NATIONAL READY MIXED CONCRETE ASSOCIATION (NRMCA)
Asphalt producers are diligent recyclers
Portland-Limestone Cement An important step to reducing carbon in concrete products
Sometimes innovation in products and materials is as simple as reusing what we already have. Asphalt producers have aggressively “leaned in” over the years on the recycling
Concrete producers are under pressure, just like other building product manufacturers, to reduce the carbon footprint of their products. The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
As specifiers look for ways to reduce the carbon impacts of their buildings, NRMCA, through its P2P initiative, codes and standards activities, sustainability initiatives, EPD program and Concrete Design Center,continues its work to promote performance-based specifications hoping to open the door to more widespread use of Portland Limestone Cement (PLC). Collectively, we have made progress, but there is still work to do. While all industry standards permit the use of PLC, many project specifications across the country still specify the use of ASTM C150 portland cement. NRMCA is advocating for no restriction on the types of materials that can be used to produce ready mixed concrete, provided they comply with a material specification. If the use of PLC fits within the objectives of a ready mixed concrete producer for performance and sustainability, there should be no restriction on its use. NRMCA’s advocacy of this process begins with educating the specifier community. Similarly, we are encouraging our ready mixed concrete producers to work directly with their cement suppliers to determine availability and, if available, consider proposing PLC as an alternate on project specifications where sustainability is a defined goal, especially those with a carbon footprint or GWP target.
NATIONAL STONE, SAND & GRAVEL ASSOCIATION (NSSGA) Advocating for federal transportation funding The Congressional fall activity has continued to move forward in Washington. Though the FAST Act was set to expire, Congress successfully passed a Continuing The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
Resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown until December 11 which included a one-year extension of the surface transportation program. These programs included $13.6 billion appropriated into the Highway Trust Fund: $10.4 billion into the Highway Account and $3.2 billion into the Mass Transit Account. NSSGA supports this one-year extension and continues to advocate for a multi-year highway bill. To help with these advocacy efforts, NSSGA brought together more than 300 members “virtually” at the Legislative & Policy Forum held on Sept 21-23. Participants received advocacy training and heard directly from Members of Congress including Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Rep Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC). During the Hill day, NSSGA members met with hundreds of Members of Congress and their staffs to discuss NSSGA’s priority issues like funding relief for state Departments of Transportations; creating certainty for the industry through a multi-year highway bill; and supporting infrastructure investment as a key driver to economic recovery. We would like to join CalCIMA in thanking the NSSGA members from California who met with 21 congressional offices including those of Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris to deliver the message. For more information or any questions about NSSGA please contact, comms@nssga.org. n
& MEGA SPRAYER IN ACTION
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You need it. We get it.™ Fly ash has become a strategically important component of producing durable, sustainable concrete. We get it. You need fly ash supplies that are consistent and reliable. We get them for you. At Boral Resources, we have the resources to get fly ash where you need it, when you need it. We are the fly ash industry’s pioneers.
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The Conveyor • 2020 Fall Issue
NO on Prop 15 The BIGGEST Property Tax Hike in State History
Hurts California Construction and Industrial Materials Businesses Prop 15 will raise property taxes on California mines, quarries, plants, and the equipment used to produce critical construction and industrial materials.
Discourages Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Prop 15 will punish businesses for making capital investments to modernize facilities to reduce pollution.
Threatens Disadvantaged Communities Higher property taxes will disincentivize investment and the revitalization of local communities. Even worse, Prop 15 will raise the cost of living for everything we buy and use, making our cost of living more expensive.
Get the facts at NOonProp15.org Ad paid for by No on Prop 15 – Stop Higher Property Taxes and Save Prop 13 – a coalition of California homeowners, taxpayers, and businesses Committee major funding from California Business Roundtable California Business Properties Association California Taxpayers Association Funding details at www.fppc.ca.gov
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