Why (almost) nothing seems to be getting done in Minneapolis

“Stop” may be Minneapolis’ secret mantra. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about why a prize piece of land across from Lake Calhoun continues to sit empty after seven years of attempts to redevelop it. But that's hardly the only example of rampant stoppage.

Read more in MinnPost.

Silica sand mining moratorium in Winona County expires

Winona County's three-month moratorium on silica sand mining expires today and officials there expect to receive permit applications for new operations as early as mid-week. The county has the shortest of nine local moratoriums in southeastern Minnesota that have temporarily blocked silica sand mining in the region.

Read more at Minnesota Public Radio.

When A Parking Lot Is So Much More

NO ONE loves a parking lot. . . . It's hard to imagine an alternative. Or is it? I believe that the modern surface parking lot is ripe for transformation. Few of us spend much time thinking about parking beyond availability and convenience. But parking lots are, in fact, much more than spots to temporarily store cars: they are spaces that have major impacts on the design of our cities and suburbs, on the natural environment and on the rhythms of daily life.

Read more in The New York Times.

NSSGA applauds House passage of bill halting expansion of federal dust regulations

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association commends the U.S. House of Representatives for passing H.R.1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, a bill to protect producers of resource-based products, including aggregates, as well as farmers and ranchers, from increased regulation of a naturally occurring substance.

Read more on the NSSGA website.

MoDOT Pours Smog-Eating Concrete Today

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is pouring smog-eating concrete this week for a section of Route 141 in St. Louis this week.

According to Eureka-Wildwood Patch, MoDOT is using a two-lift paving process and one layer will use the new concrete which has a photo-catalytic additive of titanium dioxide. The additive absorbs smog, uses sunlight to break it down, and releases the smog as nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Read more.

Concrete Alternative Could Make For Stronger Buildings

As Japan works to repair the damage caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami, a newly discovered alternative to concrete may make structures stronger in a fraction of the time.

Japanese architectural design office TIS & Partners created CO2 Structure, a building material that supersedes brick and concrete in many ways. When combined with epoxy or urethane, CO2 Structure is twice as strong as regular concrete. While normal gray concrete takes up to 28 days to harden fully, CO2 Structure is ready within 24 hours. It can support structures with almost no steel reinforcement.

Read more in Wired.

Leading UAE construction supplier to reduce CO2 emissions by 93%

Unibeton Ready Mix, the leading United Arab Emerites (UA)supplier of sustainable concrete, is working to create a pioneering product that will reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 93 percent . . . .

Unibeton's current award-winning 'green concrete' product already reduces CO2 emissions by 75 percent and is being used on some major developements through the UAE, including Abu Dhabi's tallest tower, the Landmark Tower, where the largest single pour of 16,000 cubic metres of self-compacting concrete was performed in the GCC.

Learn more at Zawya.com.

Meeting with new DNR commissioner

ARM member Dave Edmunds and I met yesterday with the new DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr and Larry Kramka, Assistant Commissioner and Lands & Minerals Division Director on March 14 following the retirement reception for Marti Vadis, outgoing Division Director of the Lands & Minerals Division. The meeting reviewed the ongoing partnership that the aggregate industry has had with the Land & Minerals Division and the aggregate mapping program, water appropriations and the potential impact of the Legacy program on aggregate reserves in Minnesota.

On Thursday, ARM members will have the opportunity to go into more details about our concerns with Assistant Commissioner Kranka.