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July 6 2011 Vol. XLIX • No. 14
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com
Inside
Farming Solar-Style in Yardville
Trico Equipment Hosts Triple Threat Rodeo…30
A. Gervasio Celebrates 45 Years in Business…50
New Jersey is an optimal location for solar facilities because of the vast amount of open farmland and the cooler temperatures.
By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT
Completed in February, the Yardville Solar Farm in Hamilton Township, N.J., is the largest of four solar farms that Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) has built to Hunya dy Hosts Au ctio n in Te lfo rd, Pa. …140
date as part of its $515 million Solar 4 All program. The program, launched in 2009 with approval from state regulators, is intended to generate 80 megawatts of solar power, create jobs and roughly double the size of New Jersey’s installed solar capacity. The gar-
den state already ranks second only to California in the use of solar power, generating more than 250 mW of electric capacity, which is equal to one midsized coal or natural gas plant. The Solar 4 All program reaps financial benefits, such as see SOLAR page 44
Oil, Gas Drilling Tied to Recovery
Table of Contents ........4 By Pete Sigmund
Paving Section ......59-71 Attachments Section...... ..............................75-93 Parts Section ............122 Auction Section127-144 Business Calendar....132 Advertisers Index ....142
CEG EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
The construction industry is reaping rewards from oil and gas drilling as one of the keys to recovery. The oil and gas industry is closely tied to the U.S. economy — and construction. It supports an estimated 9.2-million jobs and contributes 7.5 percent of total gross domestic product (GDP). The United States is the third largest producer of crude oil, about 5,380,000 barrels per day (b/d). (Russia is first; Saudi Arabia is second.) It’s also the
top consumer of oil (followed by China, Japan, India and Russia). More drilling for oil and gas in this vital area of the economy stimulates recovery of the U.S. economy, including many areas of construction — pipelines, industrial facilities, wastewater plants, consumer spending, housing and other sectors. Impacts Economy Increased supplies of crude would lower the price of gasoline, giving consumers more money to spend and therefore lifting the economy. Crude oil
accounts for about 68 percent of each dollar spent at the pump. More production also increases demand for equipment. “Drilling, particularly onshore, often requires at least rough roadbuilding and site preparation equipment,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). “You have to create a pad, support buildings, storage tanks and so forth. You need excavating equipment to level the see OIL page 26
Caterpillar Equipment Sales Grow PEORIA, Ill. (AP) Caterpillar reported another strong month of global sales growth in May when sales improved 52 percent over last year, but the results were slightly weaker than the recent months. Sales in May were strongest in the region of Europe, Africa and the Middle East where sales grew 65 percent. Caterpillar’s Asian region posted the weakest results, but sales there were still up 38 percent. Caterpillar’s sales figures are considered an indicator of the health of the economy, so they are watched closely. Before May, Caterpillar reported annual sales growth of 66 percent in April, 61 percent in March and 59 percent in February.