March 2021 Executive Director’s Blog
Hello Colorado Stone, Sand & Gravel Association! Here is the latest version of the CSSGA Blog and what is going on with your aggregate trade association.
As the virus continues on, I hope everyone remains safe and healthy. As I mentioned in the recent CRMCA Blog, it continues to impress me how companies have made the operational changes on the fly and are operating at a high capacity while keeping your employees safe. This is something everyone in the aggregate mining industry should be proud of. With the vaccination roll out progressing, we all hope there is a clear end in sight. With this in mind, our first official in-person, large event is a summer conference in Vail, August 12-13th. While this had been a CRMCA event, and CSSGA did a separate event later in the fall, both boards decided to pull this together for 1 joint event. Therefore, we are planning to meet in person for this. So, block the dates and look for registration information to follow from Emma Dolan. I personally look forward to our face-to-face interaction again, and this should be a great way to get back to it.
Regarding our committees:
Governmental Affairs Committee
- The Colorado General Assembly session started again on Feb 16, after a scheduled delay allowing for vaccinations. There are already many bills working their way thru the process. As usual, we (Legislative Sub-Committee) meet Monday mornings to discuss bills applicable to our industry. While these meetings cannot yet be held in person, conference calls Monday mornings at 8 am are allowing the process to continue. Contact either Annelise or myself if you would like to participate in the process. Our lobbying firm, Rees Consulting, continues to do a great job fighting for our positions and making our voices heard.
- The legislators have outlined 4 primary priorities for the 2021 Session:
- Transportation Funding: A bill to raise fees on deliveries, TNCs and electric vehicles. Change the gas tax to a fee. Reconfigure the HUTF.
- Health Care: Establish a Public Option — there is no consensus among the legislators, and this may come from DC.
- Police Reform: Define previously undefined terms and an attempt to establish due process for officers facing Police Officer Standard Training (POST) revocation.
- Greenhouse Gas Roadmap: Eliminate greenhouse gases by 2050. Governor’s initiative. This initiative is not expected to have a major impact on sand/gravel, ready mixed, or asphalt operations. However, cement manufacturers in the state were named directly in the plan. Here’s a link to the plan: http://bit.ly/2LJ7YQ2
Safety Committee.
- Team Safety Awards: This was held virtually on March 3, and was widely attended throughout the state. This virtual format allowed for additional participation and we ae glad many more are able to attend as we recognize safety leadership within the industry! Congratulations to all the companies and mine sites recognized. Safety is a full time effort and congratulations to all those recognized as great examples of safety leadership!
Board of Directors Update.
CSSGA’s Board of Directors is excited to welcome Sherman & Howard’s Dana Svendsen as the newest Associate Board member! Dana has a long history of participation with CSSGA, including co-chairing the Safety Committee for three years, being recognized with the Rodman C. Stewart Memorial Safety Leadership award in 2016, and participating in events and committees for many years. We had many great candidates for this position and thank everyone for their participation. View the complete list of CSSGA Board Members.
While this next point involves your partner association, I am proud of our team and want to announce that CRMCA was named the recipient of the NRMCA State Association of the Year for 2020. This marks the 3rd time in 5 years that CRMCA has received this recognition, and something we are extremely proud of. We work to make both the CSSGA and CRMCA the best we can be. As we have several Joint Committees, CSSGA is clearly part of the successful process. While we strive for continuous improvement, this national recognition is a strong indicator that we continue in the right direction, for both associations. Thanks to our dedicated staff, as well as the board of directors and committee leaders that drive this forward.
Lastly, the Blog updates from myself will soon include a video version option. A VLOG instead of a BLOG. So you can soon get the CSSGA update in a format of your choice. So look for that in the coming months!!!
Thank you, and again, look for the VLOG option coming soon. Reach out with any questions and be safe.
Todd R. Ohlheiser, CAE
Executive Director