Pit & Quarry, February 2019

MSHA ADMIN TO OVERSEE COAL METAL NONMETAL T he Mine Safety Health Administration MSHA tapped Timothy Watkins deputy administrator for coal mine safety and health to be the agencys administrator for coal and metal nonmetal mine safety and health Ogletree Deakins reports The position is a newly created one by MSHA and the appointment is part of the agencys One MSHA initiative combining MSHAs coal and metal nonmetal sectors Watkins now has overall responsibility for all enforcement aspects related to coal and metal nonmetal mines 2018 mining fatalities approach record low T he Mine Safety Health Administration MSHA reports that 27 mining fatalities occurred in 2018 the second lowest number ever recorded Eighteen fatalities occurred at surface operations while nine occurred in underground mines About 250000 miners work across 12000 metal nonmetal mines and 83000 miners work in the nations 1200 coal mines The leading cause of fatalities was powered haulage accounting for 48 percent of the annual total Last year MSHA published a request for information seeking input on tech and practices that can improve conditions in this area SAFETY UPDATE H A R D N U M B E R S 11886 The latest WOTUS definition provides clarity on what doesnt constitute a U S water body alleviating some concerns for aggregate producers who were worried about regulatory overreach 100 PIT QUARRY February 2019 pitandquarry com KEVIN YANIK ISTOCK COM AVALON_ STUDIO NUMBER OF METAL NONMETAL mines in the United States according to an October 2018 MSHA presentation at the Mine Safety Health Conference in Nevada EPA U S ARMY PROPOSE NEW WOTUS DEFINITION T he U S Environmental Protection Agency EPA and the U S Army proposed a new definition of the Waters of the United States WOTUS rule that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act According to the EPA the proposal contains a straightforward definition that would result in significant cost savings protect the nations navigable waters help sustain economic growth and reduce barriers to business development Our proposal would replace the Obama EPAs 2015 definition with one that respects the limits of the Clean Water Act and provides states and landowners the certainty they need to manage their natural resources and grow local economies says Andrew Wheeler EPA acting administrator For the first time we are clearly defining the difference between federally protected waterways and state protected waterways Our simpler and clearer definition would help landowners understand whether a project on their property will require a federal permit or not without spending thousands of dollars on engineering and legal professionals Under the proposal traditional navigable waters tributaries to those waters certain ditches certain lakes and ponds impoundments of jurisdictional waters and wetlands adjacent to jurisdictional waters would be federally regulated In addition the new definition details what are not waters of the United States such as features that only contain water during or in response to rainfall groundwater many ditches including most roadside or farm ditches prior converted cropland stormwater control features and waste treatment systems We are pleased that EPA listened as NSSGA National Stone Sand Gravel Association advocated that dry streambeds and isolated waters should not be federally regulated under the Clean Water Act says Mike Johnson NSSGA president and CEO We strongly support the administrations effort to improve rules such as WOTUS that have had direct impact on the availability and costs of materials needed for vital infrastructure projects The agencys proposal is the second step in a two step process to review and revise the definition of WOTUS