Pit & Quarry articles from June 1999

Pit & Quarry archives from June 1999

National report.
June 1, 1999... The attention of the nation continues to be on the fighting in Kosovo and shootings at rural and suburban high schools. Monica Lewinsky's name and the partisan wrangling it engendered have been (mostly) out of the news, only to have been...

Finding an Answer to Fines.
June 1, 1999... An Indiana producer eliminates settling ponds and keeps fines accumulation manageable using a belt filter press. Rodney E. Garrett, a Bernville, Pa.,-based freelancer specializing in quarries and mining equipment, is a long-time contributor...

Something In the Air.
June 1, 1999... Luck Stone opts for air classification to remove fines from low- moisture material. Citing equipment improvements over the years, some producers are opting for air-classification technology in situations where the material's moisture...

Using air classification.
June 1, 1999... Some of the primary applications of air classification include: * Scalping off of the coarse end from a pulverized product, usually for further milling. According to Marsulex Environmental Technologies LLC, this prevents overgrinding and...

Tornadoes aggravate aggregate demand.
June 1, 1999... Aggregate demand is expected to soar in the aftermath of May tornadoes that blasted through portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Tennessee. At least 76 separate twisters were spawned by the massive storm system, which packed record-setting...

NAA names new president.
June 1, 1999... Charles (Charlie) E. Hawkins III, CAE, a valued construction industry association professional, has accepted the position of president of the National Aggregates Association (NAA). The appointment comes on the heels of NAA's recent move to a...

New Holland buys Case Corp.
June 1, 1999... European farming and construction company New Holland agreed to buy American-based Case Corp. for approximately $4.3 billion. New Holland will finance the deal with new equity and debt. The new company, in which Fiat will retain 71 percent...

MSHA launches safety campaign.
June 1, 1999... As the weather warms and schools recess for summer, the potential for accidents in active and abandoned sites will increase despite warning signs and fencing. But the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has launched a nationwide...

Miner training rule proposed.
June 1, 1999... The Mine Safety and Health Administration has moved one step closer to putting training regulations in place for the 120,000 miners at 10,000 surface nonmetal mines across the United States. A proposed rule establishing training...

MSHA visited 5,000 sites in May.
June 1, 1999... In an effort to build safety awareness, MSHA sent inspectors to 5,000 small surface mines, typically sand and gravel operations, over a two- week period in May. The MSHA initiative aimed to raise safety awareness that will lead to a reduction...

Pioneer to spend more in U.S.
June 1, 1999... Building materials group Pioneer International Ltd., an Australian company, says it is casting a keen eye over more potential U.S. acquisitions following its latest A$40 million purchase. "We continue to look for opportunities, and we have...

Company diversifies with transactions.
June 1, 1999... Martin Marietta Materials Inc. announced three transactions, which expand its business in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. In Alabama, the company completed a long-term agreement with The Georgia Marble Co. to process and sell aggregates and...

Martin Marietta sets first quarter record.
June 1, 1999... Martin Marietta Materials announced record financial results for the first quarter of 1999. Sales of $241 million for the first quarter were up 29 percent over 1998 first-quarter sales of $186.5 million. Net earnings for the quarter were $7.9...

Vulcan sales up 34 percent.
June 1, 1999... Vulcan Materials Co. reports that sales in the first quarter of 1999 were $482 million, up 34 percent from the 1998 first-quarter record of $358.9 million The acquisition of CalMat in January 1999 resulted in some dilution of first-quarter...

U.S. Silica purchases five N.J. operations.
June 1, 1999... U.S. Silica Co. (USS) has acquired five New Jersey-based operations of Unimin Corp. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed. Located in Cedar Lake, Holly City, Mauricetown, Port Elizabeth and Upper Township, N.J., the facilities employ...

State Association News.
June 1, 1999... * The Colorado Rock Products Association (CRPA) is working toward forming a coalition with industries, businesses and individuals affected by the Endangered Species Act. The coalition is being formed to voice industry concerns and combat...

Tarmac Hanover Quarry honored.
June 1, 1999... Tarmac America's Hanover, Pa., quarry received three national awards from the National Stone Association (NSA). For the second time in three years, the Hanover Quarry received the award for Large Quarry of the Year, as well as the Good...

Oglebay Norton posts earnings records.
June 1, 1999... Oglebay Norton Co. recorded record revenues and earnings for the first quarter of 1999. A decline in net income was due primarily to the impact of increased interest expense on borrowings used to fund four acquisitions that were completed after...

Oglebay Norton grows again.
June 1, 1999... Global Stone Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Oglebay Norton Co., acquired substantially all of the assets of W.S. Frey Co. The assets, which include the Winchester, Va. lime and limestone production facilities and quarries, are...

Staying Grounded, Considering tire ballasting?
June 1, 1999... It may be right - or wrong - for your operation. If front-end loaders are an integral part of your day-to-day operations, then you've probably used, or have at least considered using, ballasted tires to enhance performance. There are...

Equipment Market Trends.
June 1, 1999... Internet sales, equipment rental and customized leases are trends to watch over the next few years. Two forces - the growth of Internet sales and the continued growth of equipment rentals - are converging, and the construction equipment...

The lease you could do.
June 1, 1999... Creative financing can help smaller producers acquire the equipment they need to grow their business. For a quarry operation looking to expand its business, new equipment is often a necessity. However, with that need comes the need to pay...

Actions speak loudest.
June 1, 1999... Carl R. Metzgar, CSP, has more than 30 years of safety and health experience in the pit and quarry industries. He was formerly a safety and health director for Lone Star Industries, and Mideast Division safety director for Vulcan Materials. He...

Products seen at CONEXPO CON AGG 1999.
June 1, 1999... Mining shovel Hitachi Construction Machinery Corp.'s EX3500-3 736,000 lb. mining shovel is designed to work well with haul trucks in the 150- to 190-ton range. The machine's cab height has been raised by nearly 3 ft. and features a sloping...

Upper Crush.
June 1, 1999... The world's largest portable crusher keeps Martin Marietta's Beckmann Quarry among the country's elite aggregate operations. To say the giant primary crusher at Martin Marietta's Beckmann Quarry in San Antonio is big is nothing short of an...

Taking the lead.
June 1, 1999... One of the main ways many producers get information about new products - along with trade shows, direct mail and visits from equipment distributors - is through the trade press. Articles and write-ups in magazines such as Pit & Quarry can pique...

Coalition comments on proposed new miner training rule.
June 1, 1999... The Coalition for Effective Miner Training (CEMT) praised the release of MSHA's proposed safety training rule for miners from industries currently exempt from MSHA enforcement of safety training requirements. CEMT Chairman William C. Ford,...

Bond to introduce legislation to fix "grandfathering" decision.
June 1, 1999... Senator Christopher Bond (R-Mo.) says he will introduce legislation to establish as law the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) long- standing practice of "grandfathering" certain transportation projects into an area's clean air attainment...

Construction put in place rises in February.(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 1999... Construction put in place during February 1999 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $706.5 billion, 2 percent above the revised January estimate of $691.0 billion. The February figure represents an 11 percent increase over...

MSHA noise standard to appear in July.
June 1, 1999... After delays in issuing a final rule on occupational noise exposure, MSHA is saying the controversial new rule will appear in July. The deadline is contained in MSHA's semi-annual regulatory agenda, released in the Federal Register April 26....

White Wash.
June 1, 1999... A Florida building contractor turns his "borrow pit" into a profitable beach sand operation. When Hurricane Opal smashed into the Florida Panhandle, it devastated the barrier islands, washing into the Gulf the white sand for which...

Stay on your guard.
June 1, 1999... Michael T. Heenan, Pit & Quarry's legal editor, is a founder of the Heenan, Althen & Roles law firm, which advises and represents mining companies in safety, employment, labor and regulatory matters. Questions or comments may be directed to:...