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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” March 10, 2012 • Vol. VIII • No. 5 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Komatsu America Unveils New CEO...8
Terex Roadbuilding Names New District Manager...34
ASC O Hosts Grand Opening for Belton Facility...36
Table of Contents ................4 Truck & Trailer Section20-23
Shale Energy Seen as Potential Game-Changer “Equipment distributors in Ohio and Pennsylvania overwhelmingly believe that the shale energy sector has the potential to be an economic game-changer,” Dennis Heller, president and CEO of Stephenson Equipment in Harrisburg, Pa., told a congressional committee Feb. 27. Heller was testifying at a U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Energy & Mineral Resources Subcommittee field hearing in Steubenville, Ohio, on the impact of shale energy development. Appearing in his capacity as a member of the board of directors of Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), an international trade association representing construction equipment companies, Heller spoke about the effect that shale energy production has had on his business and other local equipment dealers. “Energy companies have invested substantial resources in building and expanding roads and highways for hauling sand, water, pipes and other materials to and from sites in the Marcellus Shale formation,” all of which has driven equipment demand, Heller told lawmakers. Heller said that his company was not unique in having benefited from the shale energy boom and described an AED survey of equipment companies in the Marcellus and Utica shale area. Fourteen out of the 15 companies responding to the survey said some portion of see SHALE page 12
Crushing, Screening & Recycling Section ........27-33 Attachment Section ....37-38 Auction Section ..........40-47 Business Calendar ............44 Advertisers Index ..............46
Caption
Pontoon Construction Reaches Peak at Aberdeen By Steven Friederich THE DAILY WORLD
ABERDEEN, Wash. (AP) Just a few months back, Josh Sumner was commuting from Aberdeen to Tukwila for a job building custom storage sheds. Then, his hours were cut and the economics shifted so that his commute would cost more than his wages. That’s when he heard about tryouts in Aberdeen to be a part of the Ironworkers Local 86 building the giant floating pontoons for the 520 Bridge. Out of 24 people who tried out for a job last summer, Sumner was one of only six who had the strength and stamina to do the job. Sumner was sent through a week-long training course and placed in the union’s apprentice
program. Today, you can probably find him, feet placed firm against the walls of the interior of a pontoon, hovering some 20 ft. off the ground tying rebar. He is now one of the 350 craft workers at the Aberdeen pontoon construction project, which has just reached its peak of employment. Of those, roughly half of the workers are from the Grays Harbor area, according to Phil Wallace, the project director of main contractor KiewitGeneral. The 55-acre site on the Chehalis River near Division Street in Aberdeen is bustling with activity day and night now. Huge flood lights can be spotted from blocks away as work continues even into night. Construction on the castsee PONTOON page 14
Proposed Tucson Copper Mine Hits EPA Roadblock TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency isn’t ready to recommend approval of a federal permit for a planned copper mine southeast of Tucson because of water concerns and that could further delay the project. The EPA said the proposed Rosemont Mine
could “damage the water quality and ecosystem of two key streams, Cienega Creek and Davidson Canyon” and called them “aquatic resources of national importance.” The federal agency also said Rosemont Copper hasn’t shown that the mine would meet all the federal guidelines needed to obtain the
key permit. EPA officials claim the mine could adversely affect seven threatened and endangered species — the Chiricahua leopard frog, Mexican spotted owl, Southwestern willow flycatcher, lesser long-nosed bat, ocelot, Gila top see MINE page 34