Non-Metal Mining & Quarrying NAICS 2123

Sep 27, 2025 - Limestone Shipments Decline

• Shipments of limestone across the Great Lakes totaled 3.6 million tons in August, a 3% drop compared to a year earlier, Pit & Quarry reports. August’s decline follows a decrease of less than 1% in July, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). According to LCA, August’s cargos were below the month’s five-year average by 6.7%. Loadings from US quarries totaled 2.95 million tons, up 1.8% compared to a year ago. Year over year, the Great Lakes limestone trade is down 4% to 16.3 million tons compared to the first eight months of 2024. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries totaled 13.4 million tons, a decrease of 2.1%. Analysts point to a combination of factors for the recent decline in shipments, including fluctuating construction demand, weather-related shipment delays earlier in the season, and vessel scheduling adjustments, according to World Ports Org.
• Federal cost cutting by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has targeted Kentucky's mine safety offices, terminating leases at seven locations around Kentucky and Appalachia, USA Today reported in March. Overall, leases for 35 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) offices across the US have been terminated, according to DOGE — including most of the agency’s offices in Kentucky. Critics say the closures will result in fewer inspections, eliminate onerous regulations, and create a more sympathetic enforcement environment for mine operators. While the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 requires that all surface mines receive at least two annual inspections and that underground mines receive at least four inspections annually, meeting those requirements has been challenging, and will become even more difficult given the staffing cuts and office closures, according to Pit & Quarry. As such, advocates say miners' health and safety will suffer.

• The Trump administration is expected to “significantly prioritize” building more mines, processing facilities, and refineries in the US, as opposed to the previous administration's focus on international cooperation to reduce US reliance on foreign supply chains for critical minerals, according to Gregory Wischer, founder of critical minerals consultancy Dei Gratia Minerals. Wischer also predicts that the Trump administration will continue and accelerate bipartisan policies strengthening US mineral supply chains. “In particular, I think you can expect the [Trump] administration to focus heavily on domestic onshoring of all parts of the mineral supply chain, especially mineral extraction,” Wischer told Mining Technology (MT) after the election. Trump’s approach will likely entail streamlining the permitting process and imposing tariffs to incentivize domestic mineral production, Wischer adds. Also, Trump’s more relaxed approach to environmental regulation is likely to benefit the mining sector, per MT.
• Producer prices for non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying firms rose 6% in August compared to a year ago, after rising 6.1% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Industry producer prices hit another record high in August, extending their 3 ½ year climb. Industry payrolls are also at all-time highs: Employment by non-metal mining and quarrying firms grew 2.4% year over year in July, while average industry wages rose 3.5% over the same period to a new high of $29.77 per hour, BLS data show.