California Asphalt Pavement Association
Vol. 16, Issue 41 || Oct. 9, 2023
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Dear Russell,
This weekly report contains news and information of interest to the asphalt pavement industry, customers and agency partners in California. Please feel free to distribute this newsletter to others who may be interested in asphalt pavements. To subscribe to the newsletter click HERE. To provide feedback or story ideas click HERE. Having difficulty viewing this newsletter? View as Webpage
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Registration open for CalAPA technical asphalt classes in Northern California |
Registration is now open for three of CalAPA's most popular technical training offerings, which will take place this Fall in Northern California.
Back by popular demand is the "Troubleshooting HMA Production" class, taught by nationally known plant operations expert Tim Murphy. The class will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to noon at CalAPA's Offices, 1550 Harbor Blvd., Suite 120 in West Sacramento. An on-line option will also be offered for this class. On-line registration must be completed in advance on-line. Details are HERE. The class was scheduled to coincide with the CalAPA technical workshop on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 25 in Sacramento. Details on that workshop can be found HERE.
The class focuses on various strategies and best practices for plant operators to identify and implement to create a more efficient and profitable operation. Murphy draws information from experiences at plants in California and across the nation. It is among CalAPA's most requested class and has received high marks from attendees.
Registration is also open for another perennial favorite, "Asphalt Pavement 101," taught by Roger Smith, a former senior Caltrans materials engineer and later asphalt association executive. Because so much has changed in the world of asphalt in recent years, the class is being expanded to six hours. It covers all aspects of asphalt paving, from planning and design, materials engineering and mix designs, testing, field inspection and acceptance.
The "Asphalt Pavement 101" class will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 8 a.m.. to 2 p.m. at the Hilton Sacramento Arden West Hotel, 2200 Harvard Street in Sacramento. Parking is complementary for class attendees. Those who complete this class are eligible to earn 6 hours of Professional Development Hours (PDH) credit. Details and on-line registration are HERE.
Also added to the CalAPA Fall technical training calendar is another popular class with a field emphasis, "Quality Asphalt Paving." The class, taught by longtime paving company owner Skip Brown, is a "boots on the ground" focus on best practices during the asphalt paving operation. The fast-paced class is filled with lots of practical information and plenty of do's and don'ts that has made it one of CalAPA's more popular offerings, particularly for agency personnel who have street maintenance personnel.
The "Quality Asphalt Paving" class will take place on Thursday, Nov. 16 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Hilton Sacramento Arden West Hotel, 2200 Harvard Street in Sacramento. Parking is free for class attendees. Details and on-line registration are HERE.
All attendees of CalAPA technical training classes will receive a handy reference workbook as well as a handsome certificate of completion. All CalAPA technical training classes help satisfy the continuing education requirements of the prestigious CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate." More information about the CalAPA Technical Training Program, including our on-line course catalog, can be found HERE. More information about the CalAPA Quality Paving Certificate can be found HERE.
Additional information on upcoming classes and events in Southern California will be announced in future issues of the Asphalt Insider newsletter.
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Skip Brown conducting one of his "Quality Asphalt Paving" classes. The classes are particularly popular with paving crews and inspectors. | |
Skip Brown (left) and Roger Smith chat during a break between technical classes taught for CalAPA. Between them they have many decades of practical experience in asphalt pavements. | |
Noted asphalt plant operations expert Tim Murphy will be back in California Oct. 24 to conduct his popular "Troubleshooting HMA Production" class for CalAPA. | |
Specter of another federal government shutdown looms as U.S. House grapples with leadership battle; CA mourns Feinstein |
California was at the center of a whirlwind of political events last week.
As foreshadowed in Monday's Asphalt Insider newsletter, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from Bakersfield, was ousted by his own party from his leadership post Oct. 4 after he enlisted the help of House Democrats to temporarily avoid a federal government shutdown. The move sets up a battle this week over who will take over the job. At the same time, the federal government faces the prospect of yet another shutdown deadline looming next month.
The body of former U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., meanwhile, was returned to California and she was laid in state in San Francisco City Hall, where she once served as mayor, and later was eulogized at her Thursday funeral attended by Vice President (and former Senator from California) Kamala Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and Gov. Gavin Newsom, among many others. Flags in the Golden State flew at half-staff during the period of mourning. Feinstein died Sept. 29 at the age of 90.
Also last week, Newsom's pick to fill Feinstein's seat, Laphonza Butler (pictured), was sworn in as California's junior U.S. Senator. Given the rapid developments of the week, her bare-bones Senate website by week's end carried just a photo, a one-paragraph biography and a form for constituents to communicate with her. It is HERE.
On the one hand, there was a finality to last week's events. Feinstein's storied life and political career came to an end, and the question of who would fill her seat, at least temporarily, was answered. But there was plenty still to be decided. Partisan drama in the U.S. House of Representatives, it was clear, seemed destined to continue in Washington for the foreseeable future when lawmakers return after a weeklong recess. The first order of business is to select a new Speaker of the House. Two prominent declared candidates are Republicans Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the current House Majority Leader, and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Whether either man can unite the fractious GOP caucus, which holds a slim majority, was unclear for the nation but a bonanza for political pundits and pugilistic prognosticators (consistent inconsistency seemed to be the Beltway consensus opinion of what ultimately led to McCarthy's downfall).
Of much greater importance to the asphalt industry is minimizing disruption to the functions of the federal government, particularly agencies that impact transportation. The current federal government spending authority, via a "Continuing Resolution" (CR), is due to expire on Nov. 17, and that will be one of the first major issues confronted by a new House Speaker, whomever it is. The current CR suggests some disruption is already occurring, as it states "funding shall be spent in the most limited manner possible to continue projects and activities, as Congress has not made final funding determinations for fiscal year 2024."
The shared nature of governing in Washington is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The presidential administration proposes a budget of spending goals and priorities for a given year, but the authority to spend money rests with the legislative branch of the federal government. The Congress has divided up the mammoth budget into 12 appropriation bills to allow for specialized scrutiny of the spending. The House Appropriations Committee, for example, approved the FY24 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related bills last July. If the full Congress does not act on the measures in time, however, temporary bills to grant the government authority to keep paying its bills must be passed. The federal fiscal year began Oct. 1.
The Government Accountability Office studied the impact of CRs on three federal agencies (not transportation) and found that they can slow hiring, create funding uncertainty and cause administrative burdens. The federal government has operated under CRs in all but three of the last 46 fiscal years, the GAO reported.
While CRs have become routine in Washington, the most recent one was seized upon by GOP hardliners to invoke a motion to vacate the Speaker's chair, essentially removing McCarthy from his job. He ascended to the post in January, after 15 grueling votes, only after making a number of concessions to his right flank, including one that ended up being his undoing: Any single member of the House could call for a vote to oust him. Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a McCarthy agitator, signaled he was ready to move on his boss, who called his bluff when he famously declared, "Bring it on." Days later Gaetz delivered the fatal blow. The measure passed Oct. 4 on a partly-line vote of 216-210 and McCarthy was out. The House adjourned to give the GOP caucus time to identify and, it is presumed, coalesce around a replacement. Under House rules, no work can be done until a speaker is in place. McCarthy, for the time being, remains the representative of the 793,000 residents of the 20th Congressional District in the Bakersfield area and somewhat of a tragic figure in modern American politics.
Meanwhile, the federal government remains somewhat in limbo with yet another financial sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. In absence of funding authority, federal agencies are required to stop all actions deemed non-essential. Since 1976, according to the Associated Press, there have been 22 funding gaps, with 10 of them leading to workers being furloughed. The most recent shutdown, and the longest ever, was 35 days during the Trump administration between 2018 and 2019, over a dispute over border-wall funding. A similar shutdown, lasting 21 days, occurred in 1995 during the Clinton administration. Untold time and attention is spent on contingency plans for who will, and will not, work during a shutdown. At minimum, it is a distraction for millions of federal employees, and in the event of a furlough could be a financial catastrophe for household finances.
Much has been made of the passage in 2021 of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, otherwise known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which was intended to address decades of underinvestment in our nation's vital infrastructure, including roads. Funds from that bill are slowly making their way to states, and CalAPA has been strident in advocating for industry's desire to keep those funds flowing uninterrupted to states and turned into as many pavement improvement projects as possible.
For the time being, however, those basic functions of government will take a back seat to a messy leadership fight in Washington as a prelude to next year's presidential elections. Bring it on indeed.
The National Asphalt Pavement Association, a CalAPA partner, has a website where you can learn how to contact your member of Congress. You can view it HERE. For more information on CalAPA's legislative advocacy program, click HERE.
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Former U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. | |
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. | |
Vice President (and former California Senator) Kamala Harris. | |
CalAPA members continue legislative, political engagement amid chaos |
Amid the chaos in Washington, and sometimes in Sacramento, CalAPA members continued their active engagement with current elected officials as well as candidates for elective office. Advocating for good roads is always a central focus.
Steve Ward with CalAPA member Pavement Recycling Systems, was in Washington with a contingent of construction industry representatives recently. Among those he met with was U.S. Rep. Young Kim, R-CA. Kim is well-known to CalAPA members from her time in the Assembly.
Crystal Howard with CalAPA associate member firm Crystal Waters represented the CalAPA Political Action Committee when she met with Republican Assembly candidate Andrew Hayes Sept. 20 in San Diego County.
To learn more about CalAPA's legislative engagement program, click HERE. An excellent in-depth article about the many accomplishments by the CalAPA Legislative Committee & Political Action Committee was featured in the association's magazine, California Asphalt, and can be viewed on-line HERE.
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Crystal Howard with CalAPA member Crystal Waters Consulting represented the CalAPA Political Action Committee during a meeting in San Diego County with Assembly candidate Andrew Hayes. | | |
CalAPA Legislative Committee Chair Steve Ward with Pavement Recycling Systems (right) met recently with U.S. Rep. Young Kim, R-CA, in Washington, D.C. | | |
CARB to hold 2-day public workshop on off-road diesel engine standards Oct. 30-31 |
The California Air Resources Board will be holding a virtual two-day public workshop Oct. 30-31 to discuss the off-road diesel engine emission standards, also known as Tier 5 Rulemaking. Details and on-line registration for the workshops is HERE.
The workshops, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Advanced registration is required to participate. There will be an opportunity for comments and questions from the public at this workshop.
During the workshop CARB personnel will introduce proposals that include more stringent exhaust standards for all off-road diesel engine power categories, on-board diagnostics and in-use testing. The presentations will cover Tier 5 implementation timing; criteria pollutant standards; GHG pollutant standards; Adoption of an off-road Low Load Cycle (LLC) for certification; Reducing idling provisions; Revised useful life, warranty, and defects reporting requirements; The use of accelerated aging for certification; New and enhanced in-use screening and testing provisions; California-specific credit provisions; Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Inducement provisions; Tier 5 On-board Diagnostics (OBD); and an overview of modified off-road inventory methodologies. Additional information and documentation on this workshop will be posted HERE.
A recent write-up in the current issue of the CalAPA magazine, California Asphalt, included information on these and other regulatory matters impacting construction equipment and air quality. It can be viewed on-line HERE.
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Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.
SOIL SUPPORT: A term expressing the ability of the roadbed material, or sub-grade soil, to support the traffic loads transmitted through a flexible pavement structure.
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Paving Pointer of the Week |
Each week we highlight a key point or best practice of interest to asphalt paving crews, inspectors and others working in the field. We welcome suggestions. More tips can be found in our "Asphalt Parking Lot Construction Checklist" HERE. Information on the CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate" program is HERE.
CALL BEFORE YOU DIG: Call 8-1-1 prior to construction when plans call for any type of excavation so that the location of underground utilities can be verified and marked. More information on the 8-1-1 program in California can be found HERE.
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Each week we highlight a term that is specific to climate-change issues related to the asphalt pavement industry. This feature is intended to raise awareness of the asphalt industry's climate-change initiatives and the specialized terminology that goes with them. More information on "The Road Forward" asphalt industry climate initiative can be found HERE.
SEQUESTRATION: Storage or removal of carbon dioxide within a product.
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"I've earned my doubt.”
– Michael Lewis
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We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider newsletter. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news, analysis, events and trends in California that is of interest to the asphalt pavement industry and our various agency partners. To subscribe to the newsletter, click HERE. For comments, questions or to suggest a story idea, click HERE.
Sincerely,
Russell W. Snyder, CAE
Executive Director
California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®
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The "Asphalt Insider" is an official publication of the California Asphalt Pavement Association. For more information or to inquire about membership, call (916) 791-5044, or click HERE to contact us. Copyright © 2023 California Asphalt Pavement Association -- All Rights Reserved. The CalAPA name (No. 5,621,794) and logo (No. 5,621,795) are registered trademarks with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
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P.O. Box 981300, West Sacramento, CA 95798
1550 Harbor Blvd., Suite 120, West Sacramento, CA 95691
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