Construction Aggregate Distribution Model (San Diego County)Construction Aggregate PresentationThe construction aggregate slide show is a community outreach presentation intended to build a broad base of support for the aggregates industry and aggregate producing projects. When compiling this presentation, it was assumed that the audience would have no knowledge of construction aggregates. The presentation details basic facts about construction aggregates, where it comes from and how it is used. The presentation then discusses an economic model for San Diego County that looks specifically at the construction aggregates industry. This model considers many factors affecting the industry such as population growth, supply of material, market trends, transportation costs, pricing, etc. This program is targeted at the general population with the purpose of increasing knowledge of construction aggregates. By developing this general knowledge base, many stereotypes can be corrected and questions answered about the construction aggregate industry. Resolving these issues will provide greater opportunity to build community support for construction aggregate producing and related projects. You could think of this as a "grassroots" campaign to educate the public about supply considerations and what they mean in every day life. Throughout California, it has become increasingly difficult to not only repermit existing sites, but also to permit new sites, especially in urbanized areas. This presentation discusses the factors affecting the permitting of new sites including the government agencies involved with the permitting process, the types of permits that must be acquired, and the costs associated with the permitting process. Historically, the aggregate industry has not done a good job of community outreach to develop support. Typically, the industry has taken a top-down approach where one supports the local politician or decision-maker by going to fundraisers or making some sort of contribution to a current goal of the public official. This program provides information concerning population statistics, demand for aggregates, trends in resource development, identifies production sites in subregions of the county, identifies constraints to aggregate development, and outlines the costs for choosing to import materials from other areas. This demonstration presents only the facts and makes no attempt to embellish the provided information. By relaying this unbiased information to the public, community members can understand the implications of implementing a local aggregate production site versus trucking the material in from the nearest source. Most citizens have a predetermined perspective that local production sites blight their community and fail to see the benefits that these local sites provide. Once the construction aggregate situation is understood, community members can make a fully informed decision on whether local production sites would be beneficial to their community. This program is currently being presented to public interest organizations and community planning groups in an effort to gain support for approval of permits for mining projects. The program is fairly easy to prepare and can be presented by almost anybody with basic knowledge of the industry for very little cost. It is a departure from the top-down politicking that the industry normally pursues, and based on our local history of getting approvals for new sites, can't be less effective. As part of our basic human nature, the more familiar we are with something, the more likely we are to accept it. Please contact EnviroMINE if you would like us to give a presentation or if you would like a copy of the PowerPoint to present yourself. |
