Editors’ Blog
Keeping youths away from quarries, mines
People sometimes trespass into quarries and mines throughout the summer. The Express-Times based in Lehigh Valley, Pa., published an editorial Aug. 25 about actions quarry owners should take to deter trespassers. Hiring personnel as quarry monitors and adding video surveillance are… Keep Reading
Proximity detection ruling could apply to aggregates
This month, the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) issued a regulation proposing that hauling machines and scoops in underground coal mines be equipped with proximity detection systems. But the proposed rule may go beyond just coal operations. The agency… Keep Reading
Publication exhibits poor judgment in attack on industry
People trespass into abandoned quarries every now and then. Occasionally, trespassers get injured or killed because of the risks they take. Yet, the property owners are to blame. At least that's the logic of the opinion staff at The Express-Times… Keep Reading
The quarry or the trespasser: Who’s to blame?
A number of stories appear in newspapers every summer about people who are injured or killed after trespassing into active and abandoned quarries. The Express-Times based in Lehigh Valley, Pa., published an editorial Aug. 25 about actions quarry owners should… Keep Reading
The ‘Yellow Pages’
One of the benefits of being an editor is having the opportunity to read about all of the new equipment and technology being developed by the hundreds of equipment manufacturers supporting this industry. Details of it arrives in the way… Keep Reading
States, localities taking the initiative
Some states are not waiting around for Congress to get its act together in regards to highway funding. According to a report by the Associated Press (AP), about half of U.S. states have approved measures in the past two years… Keep Reading
Long-term, short-term highway funding feud
The Senate approved a long-term highway-funding bill. The House of Representatives approved a short-term highway-funding bill. And at the end of July, the House cornered the Senate into approving a three-month extension, leaving the long-term funding issue unresolved. The lack… Keep Reading
Incidents put industry in negative light
A few recent incidents have cast a negative light on the aggregates and mining industries. When such events reach the public eye, the effects could be, among other things, stepped enforcement by the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) and… Keep Reading
Effects of the western drought
The severe drought conditions in the West are creating energy concerns in some areas. NBC News reports that as rivers shrink, sources of water-generated electricity are beginning to dry up. The report cites the shutdown of a hydroelectric generation turbine… Keep Reading