PACA wishes to thank our 2024 Corporate Sponsors for their generous support and commitment this year!

• 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

Reminder: PACA to Hold Joint Technical Community Meeting

As a reminder, PACA will be holding a Joint Technical Community Meeting for the aggregates, concrete and cement industries on March 7th. Attendees may choose to join in-person or virtually when registering. Access to the virtual meeting will be sent to registrants closer to the meeting date.

The in-person meeting will take place at (PLEASE NOTE LOCATION - correction to previous article!!!!)

WYNDHAM GARDEN STATE COLLEGE

310 Elks Club Road
Boalsburg, PA 16827

Meeting start time is 10:00 AM.

Topics of discussion are as follows:

Reports from the New PennDOT / PACA Technical Working Groups and Management Group

Updates on ASR, SRL, Deleterious Shale and Automated Monitoring of Cylinder Curing CT

Concrete Plant Technician Certification Update

FOR THOSE ATTENDING IN-PERSON:

Just a reminder that it is imperative that you register as soon as possible so that we have enough seats and lunches available.

Benefits to attend in-person - the opportunity to provide input on key decisions and the ability to network with colleagues in the industry

FOR THOSE ATTENDING VIRTUALLY:

We encourage you to include as many members of your team as possible to hear updates on these critical topics.

Benefits to attending virtually - hear the latest without greatly impacting your daily schedule and allowing opportunities for additional teammates to participate

Next PACA Members Forum Meeting

DATE: Thursday, March 7th

TIME: 11:00 AM

SPONSOR: Burch Materials & Supplies

FEATURED SPEAKER: Michele Stanley, Executive Vice President & Chief Advocacy Officer; National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association

TOPIC: An Overview of What is Happening in DC and the Impact on our Industry

About Our Sponsor

Babst Calland provides focused legal and strategic counsel to clients in a variety of industry sectors. Currently, the firm provides legal services to PACA serving as its general counsel, and representing several PACA members on environmental, land use, litigation, and/or general business and commercial matters.

The firm has decades of relevant experience with businesses, trade associations and non-profit organizations, specifically in matters pertaining to the mining, concrete and aggregate, natural resources (including limestone, coal and natural gas) and construction industries. Their attorneys are leaders in their fields and understand the regulatory and business context in navigating even the most complex legal and regulatory challenges to mitigate risk and exposure while providing the most practical, economical solutions to meet the needs of clients.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., Babst Calland also has offices in Harrisburg, Pa., State College, Pa., Charleston, W.Va., and Washington, D.C. Babst Calland’s attorneys have been acknowledged by various organizations, including: Best Lawyers in America® (by BL Rankings), “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers,” and Chambers USA Guide.

For more information, including attorney profiles, visit babstcalland.com.

MSHA Surface Mobile Equipment

Just a reminder that the MSHA Surface Mobile Equipment Safety regulation is final with an implementation date of July 2024. This link will take you to the final regulation, which affects all mining operations regardless of size or number of employees.

Should you have any questions, contact Josie Gaskey.

PA DEP Public Uploads with Payment

PA DEP Public Uploads with Payment for active mining operations and mining programs is available to submit digital versions of applications and forms and pay the fee, if applicable, via credit card or Telecheck. If there is no epermitting option, applicants are encouraged to use the Public Upload with Payment tool to submit.

Attached is a guide that provides directions on Public Upload submittals and answers some specific questions.

If you have questions, contact Josie Gaskey.

Federal NAAQS for Particulate Matter

This is the link to a prepublication version (easier to read) of EPA’s revisions to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) or soot. This link takes you to EPA’s complete Particulate Matter webpage. With this notice:

• EPA is revising the level of the primary (health-based) annualPM2.5 standard from 12.0 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) down to 9.0. They believe evidence shows the current standard does not protect public health with an adequate margin of safety, as required by the Clean Air Act (CAA).

• EPA is retaining the primary 24-hourPM2.5 standard at the level of 35 µg/m3. EPA believes that the revised annual standard together with the current 24-hour standard will protect public health with an adequate margin of safety.

• EPA is retaining the primary (health-based) 24-hour PM10 standard, set up to purportedly protect public health against exposures to coarse particles. EPA believes there is no evidence showing this standard needed to be changed.

• EPA is not changing the current secondary (welfare-based) standards for both PM2.5 and PM10 at this time.

This lowering of the annual PM2.5 level will not affect the majority of Pennsylvania. However, those areas that might be affected include Allegheny, Cambria, York, Dauphin and Lancaster counties and Philadelphia area counties. Not being able to meet the standard sets into motion statutorily required actions for DEP and, in general, makes permitting facilities more difficult.

In addition, EPA is modifying the PM2.5 monitoring network design criteria (which PA DEP will be required to follow) to include a factor that accounts for proximity of populations at increased risk of PM2.5-related health effects to sources of air pollution. This is being done in the name of environmental justice by ensuring that localized data collection (i.e. “citizen science”) in overburdened areas plays a role in future NAAQS reviews. (NAAQS reviews are required every 5 years by the Clean Air Act.)

EPA needed to get this done before February 7, which was the date triggered by the Congressional Review Act “Lookback” mechanism. See this link for a great explanation of how Congress uses this mechanism in an election year.

Mine Safety & Health Seminar for Supervisors Invitation

You're invited to join Steptoe & Johnson, Eagle Mine Safety, and Flick Safety Services for a Mine Safety & Health Seminar for Supervisors.

The seminar is an opportunity for supervisors and safety professionals to learn new ideas and approaches to improve safety and health performance in the workplace, through effective training and hazard assessments. Special focus will be given to the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) proposed respirable crystalline silica rule and the surface mobile equipment final rule.

The cost to attend is $115/ticket and pre-registration is required. There will be no refunds for ticket purchases. Proceeds from the seminar after expenses will benefit the Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association Scholarship Fund.

WHERE: Delta Hotels Allentown Lehigh Valley, 7736 Adrienne Drive, Breinigsville, PA

WHEN: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

AGENDA

REGISTER HERE

Washington, D.C. to Host Command Alkon’s Annual Spring TRAININGdays

Personalized, Comprehensive Training Sessions Will Refine Software Skills, Update on Features and Functions, and Foster Collaboration with Industry Professionals

Command Alkon is thrilled to announce that registration for Spring TRAININGdays is now open! The event will take place from April 15th to April 18th in Washington, D.C.

TRAININGdays is an opportunity for industry professionals to enhance their skills and knowledge of Command Alkon's innovative technologies and solutions. The event brings together experts, thought leaders, and practitioners from the heavy building materials sector to share insights, best practices, and fine-tune their skills.

"We are incredibly excited to host our first TRAININGdays event for 2024 in Washington D.C.," said Brett Bertz, Chief Customer Officer at Command Alkon. "This event is a fantastic opportunity for our customers to deepen their understanding of our solutions and learn from application experts. We look forward to fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and empowering our attendees to achieve greater success in their businesses."

Whether participants are new to Command Alkon's solutions or seasoned users looking to expand their expertise, TRAININGdays offers a comprehensive curriculum that caters to all skill levels.

Participants will have the opportunity to dive deep into Command Alkon's suite of cutting-edge software solutions, including Dispatch, COMMANDbatch, COMMANDseries, Apex, and TrackIt. Product experts will guide attendees through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios to ensure maximum understanding and practical application.

Registration fees are $1200 per person for 1 day, $1800 for 2 days, $2100 for 3 days, and $2400 for 4 days of training. In addition to the wide array of classes to choose from, these fees also include lunch and drinks on each training day attended, laptops for hands-on classes, and demonstrations of new technologies that complement the users’ existing systems.

Detailed class outlines, event schedule, hotel reservations, and online registration are available here.

Command Alkon holds sessions like these at locations around the globe throughout the year. Visit the TRAININGdays webpage to stay informed about this and future learning opportunities.

The company will also offer TRAININGdays in conjunction with ELEVATE – The Command Alkon User Conference in October. To stay up to date as more information about the conference becomes available, click here and fill out the form on the bottom of the webpage.

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