Latest News and Information
Boyle County Officials Support for Higher User Fee
December 10 - Boyle County, KY - The Boyle County Fiscal Court recently approved a resolution urging the Kentucky General Assembly to “act as soon as possible to address all of Kentucky’s transportation funding needs to avoid further erosion of the transportation network.” “Everything is so dependant on the gasoline tax — but I would say it’s a fee, not a tax. If you don’t drive on the roads, you don’t pay it. With gas prices falling, it cut the road funding for not only state government, but county and city governments also,” said Vince Lang, the association’s executive director. He said the state has documented $1 billion worth of projects that are severely underfunded due to the dip in gas prices, which affects the gas tax. Click here to view the article.
Senate Approved WRDA Reauthorization
October 10 - Washington D.C. - The U.S. Senate approved a reauthorization of the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) by a vote of 99-1, sending the two-year bill to the president’s desk. Click here to see the press release.
FAA Funding Flying To President's Desk
October 5 - Washington D.C. - The U.S. Senate yesterday approved a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by a vote of 93-6, sending the $43.35 billion, five-year bill to the president’s desk. Click here to see what is in the FAA bill.
2018 Underground Stone Safety Seminar Registration
August 20 - Frankfort, KY - The 2018 Underground Stone Safety Seminar will once again be held in Louisville, Kentucky at the Downtown Louisville Marriott. We have slated a good line up of speakers including presentations on controlling horizontal stress impacts through mine design, an update on health and safety topics and several panel discussions to name a few. The Early Bird Workshop will kick off at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 13 and will address updates to NIOSH research on Search like an EXAMiner using NIOSH Hazard Recognition Tools and digitizing records for Workplace Examinations. We will host a reception immediately following the Early Bird Workshop. Click here to register for the underground seminar.
Workplace Exams Rule Goes Into Effect on June 2, 2018
April 19 - Washington D.C. - The new Working Place Examinations rule will go into effect on June 2, 2018. MSHA has stated that they will not issue citations related to the new Workplace Exams Rule until Oct. 1, 2018. This move will give operators time to understand the rule and the agency time to provide additional compliance assistance. However, the agency may issue citations in the case of extremely dangerous hazards. Click here to learn more about the new Workplace Exams Rule.
2017 Safest Year Ever in Aggregates Industry
February 26 - Washington D.C. - According to MSHA’s preliminary estimate, aggregates operations attained a new record low injury rate in 2017. This year’s rate is estimated at 1.74 per 200,000 hours worked, marking the 17th consecutive year that the rate improved. This translates to less than two reportable injuries for a workforce of 100 miners over the course of a year. According to the most current data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is safer to work in a quarry than a retail store. MSHA is expected to release the finalized figures in April. Click here to learn more on the findings.
Supreme Court Sides w/NSSGA on WOTUS Rule
January 23 - Washington D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court sided with NSSGA on an important challenge to the 2015 “Waters of the United States” Rule (WOTUS) rule. The court issued a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the decision that challenges to WOTUS must be filed in federal district courts. NSSGA and a coalition of members have argued for this decision and this decision should be helpful in future Clean Water Act challenges as the Trump administration works to redo WOTUS. Click here to learn more on the ruling.
Kentucky Transportation Hall of Fame Awards Harold G Mays
January 22, 2018 - Lexington, Ky. – On Thursday, January 18, the Kentucky Transportation Center honored Harold G. Mays at the Kentuckians for Better Transportation (KBT) conference in Lexington, KY. The Kentucky Hall of Fame criteria is as follows: inductees shall be persons who by their foresight, dedication, leadership, perserverance, and integrity have significantly enjanced transportation systems in the Commonwealth. They shall be or shall have been residents of the Commonweatlh. Click here learn more about Harold Mays.
MSHA Brings on Aggregate Veteran
November 14 - FRANKFORT, Ky. – Aggregates industry veteran Ed Elliott joined MSHA as a senior advisor to the acting assistant secretary. With a 30-year career in the aggregates industry, recently working as director of safety and health for Rogers Group, Inc., Elliott truly understands safety at quarries and pits. He will work directly with acting MSHA Assistant Secretary Wayne Palmer for the time being. David Zatezalo is the administration’s nominee to lead the agency. Click here to learn more about Ed's new position at MSHA.