Final Internship Post

This will be the final posting on this blog regarding my internship with the Arizona Rock Producers Association. It is my hope that, if you took the time to read the postings, your were able to learn something about the Aggregate Industry and the important contributions that ARPA members make to the Arizona economy. Also, I hope that you were able to learn something about what it is to work as an Intern for an organization. 

If I could offer some parting advice it would be: when working as an Intern be willing to learn and seek out things that need to be done within the company or organization. You never know where your Internship will take you in the future. 

Proving Grounds Tour

This past week I had the opportunity to accompany a group of ARPA members on a tour of the General Motors Desert Proving Grounds in Yuma. For 56 years this facility was located in Mesa, however, due to the encroachment of residential housing tracts and the loss of secrecy, General Motors made the decision to sell the Mesa complex and leased 2400 acres from the Federal Government at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Grounds. Because they will be sharing the testing facilities and tracks, this agreement will be extremely beneficial to both GM and the Army.

During our tour we were able to see several prototypes of upcoming GM vehicles as the test drivers drove them around the 3.5 mile circle track at high rates of speed. The vehicles had unusual apparatuses applied to their bodies in order to disguise the body shapes. At the speeds the cars were travelling I'm not sure they needed to disguise them. Another highlight of the tour was the 1.5 mile long drag strip. The strip has several movable feature that allow the user to test varying road conditions. At the time of our visit the Army was testing a new vehicle to transport tanks. It was pretty impressive to see a truck driving 65 miles an hour over a bumpy road with a 68 ton Abrams Tank chained to the trailer. Because the Army often has to move equipment at high rates of speed, they use this system to test tank transports prior to sending them to Iraq and Afghanistan.

General Motors has 75 testing engineers at this facility. Most of the engineers relocated from Mesa testing complex when the decision was nade to move the operations. The grand finale to our tour included a stunt show that was put on by GM test drivers, driving 2012 Corvettes in excess of 110 miles per hour.

Reclaiming Aggregate Mines

One of the concerns I have heard when attending meetings that involve citizen groups and members of the aggregate mining industry is: What happens to the land after mining operations have been completed? This is a valid concern as nobody wants live near an eye sore. ARPA and its members have devised several plans that will reclaim the land after operations have ceased. A prime example of what a area that has been mined can become is The Pines Golf Club at Marana. This golf course is located in the Town of Marana which is just north of Tucson.

Ten years ago, the company that operated the aggregate mine decided to stop mining the land. The mine operator, working in conjunction with The Town of Marana, formulated a plan that would transform what was once an aggregate production facility into a beautiful golf course. I am not a golfer, but I have been to this course and I can honestly say it is almost impossible to believe that this course was once an active aggregate mine.

Originally, the mine was situated adjacent to an existing golf course. The reclamation plan called for ten of the holes to be moved onto the mining site and for the reconfiguring of eight of the existing holes. What ultimately was created is one of Tucson's most popular golf courses. Today, the unique desert landscape features several elevation changes that were created during the mining of the land, along with the addition of thousands of trees. It is also one of the sources of great pride within the mining industry.

A Policy that Worked!

One of the ongoing committee meetings that I have attended during my internship is held weekly at the Arizona Department of Air Quality (ADEQ) and involves a dust control policy, Rule 310-316. This policy establishes standards for dust output and mitigation of dust on construction sites and within aggregate mining facilities. Members of the committee include governmental officials, industry members and representatives from several citizen groups. The committee was original formed to formulate the policy and despite the fact that the Rule has been implemented, the committee has continued to meet to monitor results. Rule 310-316 took years to write and implement and is among the most stringent in the country.

The following are just a few of the measures that ARPA members are required to employ to reduce dust emissions at their aggregate mining facilities:

• Operations and Maintenance plans are required for all air control equipment and monitoring devices.
• Facilities must conduct moisture testing two times a day to ensure 4% moisture content on all processed materials.
• Emission controls also extend to truck loading areas.
• Dust emissions can not extend beyond property lines and operators must shut down during high wind events.
• Operators must control traffic patterns at the facility on paved surfaces and internal and external roads must be cleaned regularly.
• Aggregate mining facilities must employ a Dust Control Technician on site, and the Technician must attend training and be certified through ADEQ.

Since Rule 310-316 has been implemented, dust emissions have been dramatically reduced. Proving that, in this case at least, changes to Public Policy do work.

State Capitol Displays

Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA) recently had the opportunity to work with Arizona Senator John Nelson (D-12) on a two part rock specimen display at the Arizona State Capitol. The initial part of the exhibit is on display near the entrance to Senate gallery inside the Arizona State Senate building. This display includes oceanic specimens provided by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Members of the ARPA working in conjunction with the Arizona Geological Survey were able to identify the specimens and install them into the display.

In addition to the oceanic specimens, the exhibit also includes a photograph of the ship and the deep water submersible, Alvin, that descended to a depth of over three miles to recover the rocks used in the display. This extreme environment make the oceanic samples as rare as moon rocks. I found it interesting that the oceanic samples are very similar to specimens that can be found here in Arizona.

The second exhibit consists of a large oceanic sample that sits atop a pedestal in the central courtyard of the Capitol Complex. This unique specimen also has mineral characteristics that are common in samples recovered from areas of the Arizona desert, demonstrating that at some point in our distant past oceanfront property in Arizona may have been a reality! 

Community Information

One of the functions of ARPA is to represent the aggregate mining industry at community meetings. Often these meetings are held because a group of citizens living within close proximity to an active mining site have concerns about how the operations are being conducted, the amount of truck traffic generated by the operation and/or the amount of dust created by the facility. Another common complaint that is expressed is, why does this mining have to take place here? Why can't they mine somewhere else? These are all valid questions and in order to answer them ARPA has developed a fact sheet that they distribute to the attendees of the meetings. I found the information interesting and would like to share it.

In an earlier post I discussed how much aggregate a person will use throughout their lifetime. We often do not see aggregates as a vital resource, however, aggregates are essential to our quality of life. They are used to build the roads and bridges we travel on, our homes and schools and are used in every facet of the construction industry. Historically, Arizona communities have relied on locally mined aggregates as the most effective and efficient way to supply materials. Typically producers transport aggregates by truck but, because it is a high bulk, heavy weight commodity, it is very costly to transport long distances and the distance adds to the environmental impacts. Mining locally available materials allows producers to use less fuel to deliver the material, which in turn reduces costs to the consumer. In addition, utilizing less fuel also reduces emissions and the adverse impact they have on the environment. 

According to the California Department of Transportation if truck trip length is reduced by an average of 15 miles it would have the following benefits:

• Fuel consumption reduced by 44 million gallons a year.
• Removal of over 400,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases
• 42% savings in material costs
• Fewer delays in the supply of materials would save $9 million a year

 

Abandoned Mine Shaft Closures

Arizona mining officials have documented nearly 100,000 abandoned mine shafts throughout the State. Of this total, 9,000 have been identified as dangerous because of their proximity to communities and recreation areas. Over the past couple of years several people have been killed falling into the open mine shafts or by inadvertently riding all-terrain vehicles into the openings. ARPA and its member companies recognize the fact that these abandoned shafts are a detriment to the entire mining industry and working in conjunction with the State Mining Inspector's office, have started an effort to fill in the shafts. Because the State does not have any available funds to put toward this effort, ARPA arranges for a member company to donate the materials and the Mining Inspector's office acquires the necessary permits. ARPA sees this as an opportunity to give back to the communities that support ARPA member companies.

Politics and Policy

Before I began this internship I thought politicians and policymakers worked hand in hand to develop and institute the guidelines that governments use to govern their constituents. However, this week I learned that is not always the case. The ARPA Technical Committee has spent countless hours working on an update to the Maricopa Association of Governments' (MAG) detail for the construction of concrete curbing that is used on virtually every roadway construction project here in the Valley. The ARPA committee members volunteer to participate on the committee and have met numerous times with and without other members of the MAG committee. The amendment to the construction detail are relatively insignificant, however in order for them to become a part of MAG policy a consensus of all of the  MAG members is required. The MAG committee is comprised of representatives from the Engineering Departments from every municipality in the county, along with representatives from construction companies and material suppliers. Only the governmental representatives can vote on any policy changes.

The ARPA committee members felt, based on side conversations that they had with governmental committee members, that they had a consensus on the amendment that they worked tirelessly on formulating. However, when the amendment was proposed to the entire committee, the ARPA members were blindsided by opposition from representatives of two competing municipal governments. Basically, the dissenters were upset with the representatives from another city and refused to support the changes. The conversation over the disagreement was lively and bordered on heated. After verbally sparring for over two hours the committee adjourned without a vote being taken. As it stands nobody is sure of the amendment's status.

A political disagreement over unrelated issues is holding up the adoption of a simple policy item. I sometimes wonder how these people ever get anything accomplished...