On behalf of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), I am pleased to submit the following comments in response to the Office of Clean Energy Demonstration’s (OCED) request for information (RFI) on the use of current and former mine lands to further the nation’s clean energy goals.  NSSGA is a trade association that represents crushed stone, sand, gravel (aggregate) and industrial sand producers, consisting of approximately 7,000 operations nationwide, and the manufacturing and service providers who serve the industry.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) organized a day-long tour for the Mine Safety & Health Administration’s (MSHA) Assistant Secretary, Chris Williamson along with seven other Department of Labor/MSHA staff at Luck Stone’s Bull Run facility in Virginia. This was the Assistant Secretary’s first tour of an aggregates quarry and his first mine tour since starting at MSHA. This was followed by the first NSSGA-MSHA Alliance working meeting.

The Coalition for Workplace Safety (“CWS”) submits these comments in response to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) Proposed Rule, Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses (87 Fed. Reg. 18528, March 30, 2022). The CWS is comprised of associations and employers who believe in improving workplace safety through cooperation, assistance, transparency, clarity, and accountability. The CWS believes that workplace safety is everyone’s concern.

Thank you for your leadership in implementing the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This investment in our infrastructure comes at a critical time as our nation navigates the ongoing supply chain crisis and inflation.

The National Sand, Stone and Gravel Association (“NSSGA”) appreciates the opportunity to provide this comment letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) to respond to the SEC’s rulemaking proposal on The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors published in the Federal Register on April 11, 2022 (the “Proposed Rule”). NSSGA represents aggregates producers, as well as those who manufacture equipment and provide services that support the construction industry.

The National Sand, Stone and Gravel Association (NSSGA) submits this comment to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on the Request for Information published in the Federal Register on April 21, 2022 on the implementation of the “Build America, Buy America Act” contained in P.L. 117-58. NSSGA represents aggregates producers and those who manufacture equipment and services that support the construction industry.

The Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity (PPWO or Partnership) and the 93 undersigned organizations urge the Department of Labor’s (DOL or Department) Wage and Hour Division to abandon or at least postpone issuance of its announced proposed rulemaking altering the overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Due to significant concerns with supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages, inflationary pressures, and the shifting dynamics of the American workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic, any rule change now would be ill-advised.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides you with a unique opportunity to directly confront the supply-chain challenges that are adversely impacting the U.S. economy and the daily lives of all Americans. We urge you to dedicate as much as allowable by law in discretionary grants for FY 2022 to support projects that will facilitate and ease the movement of goods. Over the past two years, the supply chain has endured extreme slowdowns due to pandemic-related pressures.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) President and CEO Michael Johnson issued the following statement on the recent crisis facing freight rail shippers and its impact to the aggregates industry. NSSGA recently submitted comments to the Surface Transportation Board detailing these issues and urging action.

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (“NSSGA”) submits these written comments to the Surface Transportation Board (“STB” or “Board”) pursuant to the April 7, 2022, Notice from the STB in the proceeding referenced above, which permits “written comments by any other interested person” concerning freight service. NSSGA members use freight rail to supply aggregates, particularly in fast growing metropolitan areas. The Association of American Railroads (“AAR”) estimates that freight rail moved 1.1 million rail cars of stone, sand, and gravel in 2020.