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PACA Conveyor – Week of January 7, 2021
Table of Contents
Easily jump to a section in this newsletter:

1. ASSOCIATION NEWS
2. Advocacy News
3. Certification News
4. Environmental News
5. PACA News
6. Promotion News
7. Safety & Health News
8. PACA – Building and Connecting Communities

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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Advocacy News
As reported by Hank Butler, PACA's PACA Lobbyist.
Advocacy News
2021 Pennsylvania House and Senate Schedule Announced
2021 SENATE SESSION SCHEDULE

January 5, 25, 26, 27

February 1, 2, 3

March 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24

April 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21

May 10, 11, 12, 24, 25, 26

June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30



2021 HOUSE SESSION SCHEDULE

January 5, 11, 12, 13, 25, 26, 27

February 1, 2, 3

March 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24

April 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28

May 3, 4, 5, 24, 25, 26

June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30

September 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29

October 4, 5, 6, 25, 26, 27

November 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17

December 13, 14, 15
Jim
Certification News
As reported by Jim Casilio, P.E., PACA's Director of Technical Services.
Certification News
Concrete Finisher Certification for PennDOT Projects Moves Towards Adoption
A Clearance Transmittal for a specification change to Pub 408, requiring concrete finishers to be certified, was introduced in December.

It is anticipated that this will be a requirement for all projects let after April of 2022. While that may seem like a long way off, there are a lot of finishers who will need to acquire certification between now and next spring.

Finishers can meet this requirement by completing either the ACI Flatwork Finisher program or the NRMCA Exterior Finisher program. While both programs are similar in cost, the NRMCA program focuses on proper practices to achieve durable exterior concrete and it carries a lifetime certification. The benefits of this program are not limited to PennDOT contractors. This class will provide valuable education to all of your customers who finish concrete, especially those who do exterior residential work.

We have already begun to receive inquiries about scheduling these classes for this year. Please contact Ken Crank or Jim Casilio to discuss scheduling these classes for your contractors.
Josie
Environmental News
As reported by Josie Gaskey, PACA's Director of Environmental, Safety & Health.
Environmental News
PA DEP Transportation Climate Initiative
The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) is a multi-state collaboration of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia that seeks to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. In previous articles, we brought to your attention Pennsylvania’s possible desire to officially join TCI.

The TCI Memorandum of Understanding is a cap-and-invest approach that would set a cap on transportation emissions reductions of 30% over the first decade of the program. The existing model would require gasoline and diesel wholesalers to purchase allowances for the carbon content of their fuel. That revenue would then be returned to the participating states for wide-ranging green transportation projects.

Pennsylvania has now decided that they will not join this initiative, however, they will support some of the continued collaboration and individual actions to reduce air pollution, create healthier communities, and invest in cleaner transportation prioritizing the needs of overburdened and underserved communities in a socially equitable manner.

You may have seen stories that inaccurately indicate over 64% of Pennsylvanians support this effort. Please note that the number of registered voters who participated in these polling efforts included 3,818 voters across 12 states.

Should you have any questions or comments, contact Josie Gaskey.
Kallie
PACA News
As reported by Kallie Kline, PACA's Director of Member Services.
PACA News
2021 PACA Corporate Sponsor Program and Beyond
By now, you are all familiar with PACA's Corporate Sponsor program. The $5000 annual investment has been in existence since 2013.

Each year, the current sponsors have right of first refusal to continue their sponsorship into the new year and three companies have been with us since the beginning: Burch Materials and Supplies, Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company and Kemper Equipment. We sincerely thank them for their continued commitment to the program for the past 7 years.

These three companies and eight others from 2020 have once again signed on for 2021. The remaining vacancy was filled by the first company on our waiting list from the previous year.

A very special thank you to our final roster of 2021 Corporate Sponsors as follows:

  • ASGCO
  • Babst Calland
  • Burch Materials and Supplies
  • Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co, Inc.
  • Commonwealth Equipment Corporation
  • Continental Placer, Inc.
  • Conviber, Inc.
  • Kemper Equipment
  • Master Builders Solutions
  • Maurer & Scott Sales, Inc.
  • Mellott Company
  • Murrysville Machinery, LLC
If you wish to be added to the waiting list for the 2022 sponsorship, please contact Kallie Kline.
PACA News
PELA Logo FINAL
Members of the Board of Trustees Choose the Inaugural Class of PACA's Emerging Leaders Academy
Late last month, the members of the Board of Trustees of PACA's Emerging Leaders Academy (PELA) met to review and choose the inaugural class of PELA for the 10-month 2021 program.

Thank you to all of our members of the Board of Trustees for their time and input.
  • Jason Blase, Conewago Ready Mix
  • Marcia Lynch, Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co., Inc.
  • Rod Martin, Martin Stone Quarries, Inc.
  • Vince Pagano, Highway Equipment & Supply Company
  • Lisa Stephen, Wayne Concrete / Wayne Gravel
  • Chris Wright, Union Quarries, Inc.
To announce their acceptance into PELA, each student and their nominator received a video welcoming them to the program.

We will follow up with more information on the students in the next edition of the Conveyor.

We would also like thank and acknowledge our 2021 PELA Sponsors:
  • Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc.
  • Martin Stone Quarries, Inc.
  • New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., Inc.
  • Union Quarries, Inc.
Ken
Promotion News
As reported by Ken Crank, PACA's Director of Concrete Promotion.
Promotion News
20201221 093406
20201221 093844    
Masters Concrete Hosts Site Tour
Over a dozen attendees braved the weather and site conditions to take a tour of the Susquehanna County 911 Call Center project currently under construction in Gibson PA.

When completed, the facility will represent a concrete industry "dream." The building is being constructed with insulated concrete forms (ICF's) and the pavement will be roller compacted concrete. It will be a showpiece.

As the accompanying photos show, a recent snow storm deposited almost 20" on the project, but that did little to interfere with the enthusiasm of the attendees, which was a cross section of design and construction personnel.

We thank Masters RMC, Inc., Rick Masters and Lanny Kipp for organizing the event and look forward to a second trip to the site later in 2021. That tour will highlight both the building and pavement.
Promotion News
2021 Brings New Promotion Opportunities
Despite the challenges that we were faced with in 2020, more members took advantages of the tools and resources that PACA and the NRMCA have to help them promote concrete.

Our numbers in terms of DAP projects submitted through the Design Assistance Program, as well as, projects that got flipped to concrete through your (our members) promotion efforts were the highest in recent memory. It was a successful year!

Looking ahead, I hope that more of you contact staff for assistance. Whether it be helping to flip a project or promote that project through the use of onsite tours (such as the one described earlier in this newsletter), we are here for you.

We're excited to announce that we anticipate conducting at least two site tours in the April-May timeframe. In both cases, ICF construction and concrete paving will be highlighted. Keep an eye out for that information as the details become available.

In the meantime, if you have a project that we can help you with, please don't hesitate to contact Ken Crank.
Josie
Safety & Health News
As reported by Josie Gaskey, PACA's Director of Environmental, Safety & Health.
Safety & Health News
NIOSH EXAMiner Webinar to Showcase Software - For the Aggregates, Concrete & Cement Industries
PACA is partnering with CDC/NIOSH to bring you a demonstration of their free EXAMiner software. EXAMiner allows mineworkers to search for safety hazards by performing a virtual workplace examination. While the software was originally designed to be used by trainers during MSHA Part 46 miner refresher training, quarterly training meetings, or pre-shift toolbox talks, users have found it to be helpful in other industries such as concrete plants and sand/gravel facilities.

This interactive PC-based application can be used with the 30-plus preloaded images of scenes from four locations at a stone surface mine, but more importantly, trainers can upload their own facility images making for a more realistic safety training.

The webinar is scheduled for January 21, 2021, at 11:00 AM.

The software can be downloaded here ahead of the webinar, if you choose.

After registering below, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Should you have any questions, contact Josie Gaskey.
Safety & Health News
Adele Abrams Safety Podcast
Many of you know Adele Abrams through her work on safety issues and have heard her speak at PACA safety events. Adele has partnered with the Safety Justice League (SJL), a small consortium of safety professionals who started the SJL podcast channel, to present safety podcasts.

Adele is working on a series of podcasts, but you can find her first podcast here

where she addresses the challenges to businesses of various states’ new emergency temporary standards designed to protect workers in those states from exposure to COVID-19. She discusses the ancillary effects of these temporary standards on all your operations.

Should you have any questions, contact Josie Gaskey.
PACA – Building and Connecting Communities