First quarter numbers roll in

The stone just keeps piling up. USGS just released its first quarter 2005 production numbers, and the numbers are darn good. An estimated 299 million metric tons of crushed stone were produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the first quarter, an increase of 5.5% compared with the same period of 2004. The estimated U.S. output of construction sand and gravel produced and shipped for consumption in the first quarter was 208 million metric tons, an increase of 0.9% compared with the same period of 2004. That makes an estimated 512 million metric tons of total aggregates that were produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the first quarter, an increase of 4.1% compared with the same period of 2004. The summer is off to hot start. Your comment?