When was the last time you heard the regulated community ask the regulators, "Hey, come visit our facility—we're happy to show you around and answer any questions you may have." For many in the industry, this type of conversation is a paradigm shift from years past. However, this was exactly what VAA members did this Spring. VAA and its partner association, VTCA (Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance), coordinated six asphalt plant and quarry workshops around the Commonwealth for Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) personnel.
Background
In July 2023, VAA created the ES&H (Environmental, Safety & Health) Committee. Rather than limiting the committee membership to asphalt producers only, the Board of Directors opened it to all VAA members—a significant shift in the committee's dynamics. Another substantial change to committee structure was with the Chair and Vice Chair roles. No longer were the roles relegated to board directors; instead, they were to be filled with environmental, safety, and health professionals within the membership. The objective was simple – to put professionals in the chairs and committee seats. Since then, the ES&H and other VAA committees have thrived.
Specific to the ES&H Committee, members from all three categories – contractors, associate contractors, and affiliates form the committee. Many of the members on the committee represent companies that hold DEQ permits, such as air, water, stormwater, and above-ground storage tanks, to name a few. Making permits a frequent topic of discussion in the committee meetings.
In October 2024, the ES&H Committee hosted a workshop on Air Permits with DEQ's Air Permitting Division. At the conclusion of the workshop, DEQ's leadership recommended that VAA host workshops and tours to introduce the asphalt industry to its new staff. Like most of the industry, DEQ has seen significant turnover, and many new employees have never visited an asphalt plant. Likewise, many asphalt plants are located on quarry property or very near a quarry/aggregate yard. Therefore, it was logical to expand the DEQ visits to include quarries and aggregate yards. That recommendation from DEQ Leadership turned into the 2025 DEQ Workshops and Tours.
The Workshops
DEQ operates six regional offices and a central office. Each office is slightly different, but they all perform the same core functions, from permitting writing/review to inspections. Understanding the core functions of DEQ, VAA and VTCA worked together with their members to establish an outline for the workshop and tour. At each workshop, DEQ attendees learned about the organizing associations. Attendees learned that asphalt was the most recycled material in Virginia. Each year, approximately 3 to 4 million tons of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) are incorporated into new asphalt mixes. RAP unsuitable for use in new mixes is repurposed as fill and other applications, but rarely disposed of. DEQ learned that Virginia still has approximately 6 million tons of RAP at asphalt plants and other storage facilities. VAA is working to increase the utilization of this RAP in new or rehabilitated pavements. Along with the scope of the asphalt industry, VTCA shared that 73 million tons of aggregate were sold in 2024. Only 10 million tons of coal were mined in that same period.
Following the overview of VAA and VTCA, each host facility talked about its local operations and company history. The hosts spoke about the production of their materials and the permits under which they operate. These presentations spurred numerous questions from the audience. At each visit, 2025-2026 VAA Chair Tim Boone welcomed all DEQ attendees to the event and made this statement: "When presented with the opportunity to host DEQ at member facilities, the Board of Directors was 100% supportive of the effort. The regulated community and DEQ must partner for the good of all." At the Northern Region workshop and tour on July 16, DEQ Regional Director Richard Doucette said very succinctly, "DEQ and industry must work together to promote Virginia's economy while protecting the environment." That simple but powerful statement became the mantra for the remaining five workshops.
The last segment of the workshop demonstrated the changing workforce for DEQ and industry. Each person was asked about their job and how long they have worked for their employer. Most of the attendees from DEQ had less than 6 years in their role or over 25 years. At four of the six stops, DEQ had 2 to 6 summer interns participating. Numerous employees had only been on the job for less than one year. Conversely, most of the industry attendees had worked in the asphalt or aggregate industries for more than 25 years. This simple exercise reaffirmed the statement from October – DEQ has a lot of new people.
The Tours
As you can imagine, asphalt plant and quarry tours in the summer can be very hot, and the Summer of 2025 did not disappoint! Except for the final tour in Norfolk, where there was cloud cover and a breeze, the other tours experienced heat and humidity. Fortunately, the quarry tours involved air-conditioned vehicles, and the asphalt plants provided shade from the silos.
The tours for each location were unique and tailored to the number of employees. At Luck Stone's Bull Run facility, a tour bus was used to move folks around the quarry. At Martin Marietta's Doswell and Abingdon plants, attendees were escorted through the quarry in vans and other vehicles. Except for not experiencing a blast, the attendees saw autonomous trucks hauling rock to the primary crusher at Luck Stone's Bull Run quarry to the secondary systems, where the rock is crushed and screened into various aggregate products.
The asphalt plants were all toured on foot. Some of the plants were idle during the day due to nighttime operations, but others were in full production. Attendees either had the asphalt production process explained or observed it in action. Most tours included visits to the quality control labs and asphalt plant control rooms. Each stop on the asphalt plant and quarry tours raised more questions about how the operations work and how the companies stay in compliance with their various permits.
Conclusion
In less than 30 days, VAA and VTCA organized six workshops and tours for over 125 DEQ professionals. For many within DEQ, these events were the first time they had visited an asphalt plant or quarry. Industry members were able to put a face to the name on the email or letter. For all involved, the time spent proved to be beneficial. According to Robert Weld, DEQ's Blue Ridge Regional Director and point of contact for the events, "The benefit and value for DEQ was immense. We wanted our folks to learn more about the industries they are tasked with regulating. At the same time, we wanted the industry to know we are here to help them – not just inspect." VAA President Trenton Clark echoed Mr. Weld's sentiments, claiming, "These workshops and tours demonstrated the industry's desire to protect the environment while supporting the local and state economies. These companies are part of the community; they have a vested interest in doing the right thing."
The relationships fostered and reinforced through these events will have lasting impacts on the industry and DEQ. These were the first and, due to their success, will certainly not be the last. The ES&H committee is already looking forward to future partnerships with DEQ.
Acknowledgements
VAA would like to thank Robert Weld for his leadership in organizing these events along with the DEQ Central Office and Regional Directors. VAA would like to thank the following VAA member companies and their employees for volunteering to host the events: B&S Contracting, Branscome, Inc., Luck Stone, Martin Marietta, Superior Paving Corporation, Virginia Paving Company, Vulcan Materials, and W-L Construction and Paving. VAA would also like to thank VTCA member Rockydale Quarries. Finally, a big thank you to Rob Lanham of VTCA for his assistance in coordinating the events.