Why Should You Join NSSGA?

Our members are among the best informed in the industry, receiving the weekly e-Digest & Washington Watch and the bimonthly Stone, Sand and Gravel Review. The Membership Directory and Buyers Guide lists our producer and Pulverized Minerals Division (PMD) members as well as our Manufacturer and Services Division (M&SD) members and the equipment and/or services they provide to the industry. NSSGA provides a full array of educational opportunities and publishes a host of publications to help you excel. Members are invited to take part in our very active committee system. NSSGA offers several discount programs to our members.

You are invited to join with your colleagues to add even more strength to NSSGA's representation of your interests. Membership in NSSGA is an investment in your company's future success!

Recent NSSGA Accomplishments for Aggregate Producers

Government Affairs

• Arranged for members of NSSGA to testify about the impacts of the economic stimulus plan on the aggregates industry before the House Transporta-tion and Infrastructure Committee and on the need for a multi-year highway reauthorization bill before the House Small Business Committee.
• Reconvened ad hoc mine safety coalition to respond to increasing concerns about MSHA enforcement and developed a plan of action, including creation of a Government Affairs Committee/Safety and Health Committee joint task force.
• Deterred congressional action with strong grassroots and coalition support on the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would delete “navigable” from the Clean Water Act (CWA), thereby extending the reach of the CWA to all waters of the U.S., including incidental water bodies.
• Led allied group of interests that supports banning asbestos, but ensuring legislation includes an accurate definition of asbestos and that exposure levels be based on sound science and development of a reliable testing methodology. Created strategic communica- tions plan for responding to expected reintroduction of asbestos ban legislation that is likely to set a zero concentration level for what is a naturally occurring substance.
• Grassroots communications hit an all-time high including an NSSGA Fly-In and a TCC Fly-In; a grassroots webinar and a webinar explaining the Clean Water Restoration Act; 4,000 legisla-tive action alert responses; “Meet Your Member” operation tours and meetings with lawmakers; and ongoing Government Affairs Committee conference calls. All were instrumental to passage of an economic stimulus bill, with infrastructure funding legislation restoring solvency to the High-way Trust Fund, and defeating efforts to unduly delay a multi-year transportation authorization bill.
• Intensive collaboration with state associations on industry issues.
• With coalition and NSSGA grassroots, held off the Employee Free Choice Act also known as “card check” legislation.
• Ongoing successful participation by ROCKPAC resulted in NSSGA’s political action committee being ranked among the top 250 Membership Association PACs in funds raised for the first six months of the 2010 election cycle.

Safety, Health & Environment

• Injury and illness incident rates at record lows, due to member commitment.
• Expanded the Safety Pledge drive to reduce industry incidence rate 10 percent per year. To date, the companies that have signed the Pledge represent more than two-thirds of members’ individual operations.
• Conducted several successful safety and health-related training courses and work- shops including noise and dust monitoring, and negotiating MSHA citations using Alternative Case Resolution Initiatives.
• Partnership with NIOSH on educational outreach on noise, dust and risk analysis.
• Co-sponsored with NIOSH an Underground Mine Dust Control and Safety Workshop.
• The NSSGA-MSHA Alliance spurred develop- ment of an aggregate industry-specific video to train MSHA inspectors.
• NSSGA CEOs briefed new senior leaders of MSHA on the aggregates industry’s consistently improving safety record and overall commitment to safety and health.
• Safety and health featured in every Stone, Sand & Gravel REVIEW magazine including six rip & share articles.
• Safety and health promoted at both Legislative Fly-Ins.
• 150% increase in Safety Award applications.
• Data from the NSSGA greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory protocol helped exclude the majority of aggregate companies from EPA’s mandatory GHG reporting rule.
• NSSGA emissions data on particulate matter provided credible input on why one-size-fits-all EPA computer modelling to set national emissions factors won’t work.
• Developed a Mineral Identi?cation and Management Guide to assess whether asbestos or asbestiform fibers are present on an aggregate site and to provide a resource to geologic personnel who are charged with identifying potential areas where these types of fibers may occur in a given site.
• Developed an online tool to assess an individual operation’s positive economic impact in the community in which they operate.
• Partnered with EPA on a national compliance assistance webinar for storm water in the aggregates and ready mix concrete industries (500 locations/700 attendees).
• Developed with EPA a revised regulatory and inspection manual for aggregate processing facilities subject to the requirements of the New Source Performance Standards rule.

Membership and AGG1 2009 Aggregates Forum & Expo

• Thirty two companies joined NSSGA in 2009.
• Young Leaders program continues to show growth.
• Introduction of webinar technology for remote meetings.
• Held fourteen webinars/interactive conference calls focusing on Greenhouse Gas Protocols, NSPS, minerals identification best practices, Clean Water Restoration Act, Grassroots, Land Permitting, and online committee meetings.
• AGG1 brought together 153 exhibitors utilizing over 27,000 square feet of exhibit space.
• Over 5,700 people visited the trade show exhibits.
• Exhibitors reflected that the “right” people were visiting their booths.
• Creation of AGG1 Academy which was a consolidation of over twelve educational conferences, offering topical presentations for peer-to-peer education sessions.
• AGG1 Academy sold 2,299 tickets to attendees.
• Co-located NSSGA Annual Convention provided synergy and support for AGG1 success.
• AGG1 survey feedback suggested that both exhibitors and attendees were extremely pleased with the results of the expo and the AGG1 Academy.

Community Relations, Communications and Industry Awards

• Contributed “Rocks Build Our World” brochure to 18,000 “Celebrate Earth Science Week” toolkits for the American Geological Institute’s 2009 back-to-school campaign. The Earth Science Week Tool-kit is made available to members of education and outreach committees, to associates who are K-12 or university instructors and to science teachers.
• Launched new special recognition awards program for those operations achieving the goals of NSSGA’s Sustainability Guiding Principles. Those facilities achieving Gold Awards in all three categories – Safety, Environmental and Community Relations – over a five-year period will receive the highest NSSGA award, “Excellence in Sustainability”.
• Completed a multi-year effort and produced a “Careers in the Aggregate Industry” video for high schools and colleges and marketed it to teachers and counselors. Social Media release secured over 1,500 placements, reaching more than 1.5 million online viewers through blog and forum placements and 439 reported cablecasts.
• Launched a digital version of the Stone, Sand & Gravel REVIEW magazine with added interactive functionality for its members and to give its publi-cations a greener footprint.
• NSSGA’s enhanced relationship with the Smithso- nian’s National Museum of Natural History, stem-ming from the Rocks Build America Foundation’s establishment in 2007 of a $1.7 million permanent endowment and education fund for the support and enrichment of The Rocks Gallery, continues to be a major conduit of the educational outreach program. Fourth quarter 2009 launch of Smithso-nian’s “How to Build a House” information kiosks at the Rocks Gallery with NSSGA member input.
• Produced six issues of the Stone, Sand & Gravel REVIEW magazine and 50 electronic E-Digest & Wshington Watch newsletters.
• Presented/participated in eleven State Association Meetings.

Manufacturers & Services Division

Pulverized Minerals Division

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