We are pleased to announce our next NSSGA Policy Briefing, scheduled for Wednesday, July 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET. This briefing will feature a special guest speaker, Emily Ackerman, Floor Director for the House Majority Whip. Ms. Ackerman will provide exclusive insights into the current legislative landscape on Capitol Hill, share key priorities for the House Majority and discuss what’s ahead on key issues like surface transportation reauthorization, government funding and permitting reform.

The Biden Administration final WOTUS rule purports to be a formal withdrawal of the stayed 2020 Trump Administration WOTUS rule, but actually expands jurisdiction.   This is likely to add to the confusion in permitting, because the Supreme Court is still working on a decision in the Sackett case, which could end or limit significant nexus as a means to determine jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act.

NSSGA hosted a Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Briefing with Taft partners Ian Arnold and Jason Covert on Tuesday, June 25. The CTA was enacted by Congress on January 1, 2021 to combat financial crimes, including money laundering, terrorist financing and tax evasion. Pursuant to the Department of the Treasury's rules, effective January 1, 2024, with limited exceptions, any entity formed in the U.S. or any foreign entity qualified to do business in the U.S. will be responsible for compliance with the CTA.

NSSGA is pleased to present Part 2 of an interactive webinar series on medical surveillance programs for workers with silica dust exposures. Part 2 of the webinar series will be presented by Andy O’Brien, M.S., CIH, CSP, Vice President of Health and Safety at Covia, the largest producer of industrial sand in North America. Andy will discuss the lessons learned from managing a medical surveillance program for decades, and he will share insights into the day-to-day issues that may arise in running a medical surveillance program and ideas on how to address them.

The new MSHA silica rule will require aggregates and sand & gravel mine operators to conduct exposure monitoring for crystalline silica, dust sampling and medical surveillance. The compliance date for the rule is April 8, 2026, but NSSGA members should begin preparations to comply with the rule now. NSSGA is pleased to offer a series of three webinars, presented by Vulcan Materials, Luck Stone and P.W. Gillibrand.

The November elections could significantly reshape the political, economic and regulatory landscape, particularly with our national environmental agenda. This webinar, featuring a panel of policy and regulatory experts from K&L Gates LLP, explored the key post-election environmental issues NSSGA members should be most concerned with. 

NSSGA presented the PM2.5 Rule & Permitting Impacts webinar on Wednesday, May 17.  The webinar featured presentations by Cindy Langworthy, Counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP; and Leah Blinn, Principal at CEC. Langworthy and Kurth discussed the recent EPA proposal to reduce the PM2.5 standard, which could make future permitting efforts by aggregate producers much more difficult and expensive in many parts of the U.S.

Watch this webinar for the latest on recent changes to U.S. Fish & Wildlife implementation of the Endangered Species Act, including changes to Section 7, take and proposed listings, including the Monarch Butterfly. Ryan Slack and Jonathan Farrell from Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc. provided this this informative and timely webinar.

We know from our members that blasting is one of the most common issues of concern raised by communities around quarries, when it comes to permitting. In response, the NSSGA is pleased to offer this 3-part webinar series on “Blasting and Community Relations – Good Management Practices.” In Part 1, Douglas Rudenko, PG, of Vibra-Tech Engineers, will discuss the technical aspects of understanding and controlling the effects of ground vibration and air overpressure from blasting.

NSSGA GARA Staff held a webinar that included guest speaker former Rep. Bill Shuster (PA), who previously served as chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The discussion included a range of policies impacting the aggregates industry today, with a special focus on highway reauthorization efforts and the role of tariffs in shaping economic and trade dynamics. Following that, NSSGA GARA Staff provided updates on executive orders, tariffs, environmental regulations, and ROCKPAC.