Paca conveyor
PACA Conveyor – Week of February 5, 2021
Table of Contents
Easily jump to a section in this newsletter:

1. ASSOCIATION NEWS
2. Environmental News
3. Promotion News
4. Technical News
5. PennDOT News
6. Industry Events
7. PACA – Building and Connecting Communities

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ASSOCIATION NEWS
ASSOCIATION NEWS
21 Corp Sponsors Square
Thank you to Our 2021 Corporate Sponsors!
PACA wishes to thank our 2021 Corporate Sponsors for their generous support and commitment this year!

  • ASGCO Complete Conveyor Solutions
  • Babst Calland
  • Burch Materials & Supplies
  • Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co., Inc.
  • Commonwealth Equipment Corporation
  • Continental Placer, Inc.
  • Conviber, Inc.
  • Kemper Equipment, Inc.
  • Master Builders Solutions
  • Maurer & Scott Sales, Inc.
  • Mellott Company
  • Murrysville Machinery Co. LLC
Josie
Environmental News
As reported by Josie Gaskey, PACA's Director of Environmental, Safety & Health.
Environmental News
DEP BMP GP 104 & the Latest with EPA
The DEP Bureau of Mining Program’s general permit GP-104 is a general permit, the use of which has to be approved by EPA. This version is set to expire on February 21, 2021. The Department submitted the proposed permit to EPA last year, and while they are working on it with EPA, EPA has yet to give final approval on it. EPA is again struggling to understand the difference between stormwater and process water.

BMP GP 104 is a permit for those discharges that are composed entirely of stormwater.

If you currently have an authorization or permit with an expiration date after February 2021, once EPA approves this new version, you will get a notice that you have the option to certify the reissued permit or apply for an individual NPDES permit. Below is a DEP flow chart that outlines the timeline for you.

In this new permit version:

  • there are restrictions for use in impaired watersheds,
  • the effluent limits were changed to eliminate the 30-day average and daily maximum. All you will have is an instantaneous max limit.
  • there are requirements to minimize exposure of processing and material storage areas to precipitation,
  • --there are updated standard conditions and definitions to be consistent with other and or current requirements.
Any questions or comments, contact Josie Gaskey as soon as possible.
Ken
Promotion News
As reported by Ken Crank, PACA's Director of Concrete Promotion.
Promotion News
Series of Sustainability Focused Webinars Being Developed
PACA staff is currently developing a series of webinars that will focus on the sustainability and resilience of concrete. We will be working with NRMCA and other industry professionals to bring you topics that will include Environmental Product Declarations, portland-limestone cement, carbon sequestration, and resiliency.

We anticipate our first webinar being presented in April and continuing once a month through August. Stay tuned for more information. If there is a topic you would like to hear more about, please contact Ken Crank with your ideas.
Promotion News
Concrete Promotion Board Meets, Sets Goals for 2021
The Concrete Promotion Board recently met to discuss the Association's direction and goals for concrete promotion in 2021. Those goals are based on the Strategic Plan that was developed by the Board in 2019.

The near term goals include specifics regarding securing projects in both the building and pavement markets. That information will be communicated to you as we move forward. As the Board discussed those project goals, one element that was emphasized was the need for our concrete producer members to utilize the numerous resources available to them.

One significant resource is the NRMCA's Design Assistance Program (DAP). The program is available to our membership and is FREE. There simply is no reason to not take advantage of it. Here is a link to a video that is posted on our SpecifyConcrete.org website that describes the program. Please take the time to review the video.

In addition, if you are unaware of the other promotion tools that exist of the website, I invite you to take a video tour of the site. Part 1 provides an overview of the site and Part 2 discusses the resources available on the site.

PACA will be partnering with the NRMCA to bring our membership a webinar on May 18th to better familiarize you with the Build With Strength (concrete buildings) and PaveAhead (concrete pavements) websites. Please look for specific details in future Conveyors.

Lastly, staff is always available to answer your questions and assist you in your promotion efforts. Please contact Ken Crank any time.
Jim
Technical News
As reported by Jim Casilio, P.E., PACA's Director of Technical Services.
Technical News
All PACA Members are Welcome to Join the PACA Combined Technical Communities Spring 2021 Meetings
This year’s Technical Community Meetings are an opportunity for all those who work in operations, sales, and customer service to hear first-hand about the issues that our Technical Communities work on without having to leave your office. Please join us for these two online meetings.

The regional Technical Community meetings that were held over the past two years not only offered us an opportunity to address technical concerns together, but were an opportunity to hear presentations from our associate members and from outside PACA. These meetings and presentations were well received.

This year’s virtual meetings are an opportunity to continue to offer short presentations on specific technical topics. Although some ideas for presentations have been discussed, please let us know of a topic, issue, or speaker that you believe would provide value to our communities.

We will group topics and presentations together to provide the most return for your time spent.

We will structure these meetings to be brief but informative!!

Please register for these two meetings. We will forward agendas to all soon.

We are confident that we will be able to resume in-person meetings later this year and look forward to next year’s regional meetings for all producers along with DME’s and PennDOT LTS as we did in early 2020.

Wednesday February 17, 2021 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Click Here to Register

Wednesday March 24, 2021 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Click Here to Register
PennDOT News
PennDOT News
New Law Updates CDL Requirements for PA Veterans, Service Members
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) announced today that a new Pennsylvania law waives the requirement for Pennsylvania residents who are current and former military members and who operated a commercial vehicle as part of their duties, to take a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Knowledge Test when applying for a CDL. Previous legislation – Act 133 of 2008 – established a waiver of the CDL skills test for these individuals.

"We are pleased to announce this important change and hope that it helps military members in their transition to civilian life find good-paying, sustainable employment to begin their new lives," said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian.

Act 131 of 2020 allows the PennDOT to waive the CDL Knowledge Test for Pennsylvania residents on active or reserve military duty or recently honorably discharged veterans, provided those service members have at least two years of experience operating a commercial motor vehicle as part of their military job requirements.

The waiver applies to CDL applicants who wish to operate vehicles similar to those they operated in the military. For example, those who drove combination type commercial (Class A) motor vehicles in the military will be eligible in Pennsylvania for a waiver to drive a combination type vehicle and those who drove a single motor vehicle of commercial type (Class B) in the military will be eligible in Pennsylvania for the waiver to drive that type of vehicle. Applicants must complete form DL-398, "Application for Military CDL Test Waiver," to request the waiver.

Doubles, triples and school bus endorsements cannot be waived under this program. PennDOT will waive the knowledge test specified, subject to the limitations in the 49 Code of Federal Regulation Section 383.77, to an applicant who meets all the requirements for a waiver.

"Service members gain many valuable skills in the military that translate well into the civilian job sector," said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania's acting adjutant general and acting head of the DMVA.

"This program is a huge opportunity to assist our veterans and service members with these skills to get good jobs as Pennsylvania is critically short in CDL drivers."

Military personnel and veterans interested in taking advantage of the CDL skills and knowledge test waivers can find further information by visiting www.dmv.pa.gov, click on Driver Services and choose Military Personnel Veterans from the dropdown. Form DL-398 can be found under Forms and Publications on the homepage.
Industry Events
Industry Events
23rd Annual ACPA/PA Concrete Conference To Be Held Virtual
Our members are being offered the opportunity to participate in the VIRTUAL Annual ACPA/PA Concrete Conference slated for February 17 and 18, 2021. This year’s conference includes topics focused on pavement design, construction, and maintenance, materials, and agency/industry updates.

If you would like to join in as a participant and or as a sponsor, click the following for the Conference Flyer, the Agenda and to Register & Sponsor.

PACA members are being extended a discounted registration rate. Please use 323a as your discount code to take advantage of $20 off the $65 registration rate. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us or the ACPA/PA.
PACA – Building and Connecting Communities