Activist Locks Himself to Keystone XL Heavy Machinery Launching a 'Red River Showdown' Over KXL South

TUSHKA, OKLAHOMA--(ENEWSPF)--April 22 - On Earth Day 2013, to mark the close of the State Department’s public comment period for TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL Northern Segment (KXL North) pipeline’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), an activist with the Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance has locked himself to a piece of Keystone XL heavy machinery in Oklahoma, temporarily halting work site construction. Alec Johnson, a 61-year old climate justice organizer from Ames, Iowa took direct action to defend the Red River in solidarity with the Mayflower, Arkansas community, which is currently reeling from last month’s massive tar sands spill. The disaster, due to a 22-foot long gash in ExxonMobil’s ruptured Pegasus tar sands pipeline, has resulted in chronic health problems for nearby residents and has left Lake Conway dangerous polluted.

“This is our environmental impact statement,” stated artist/activist and Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance spokesperson Richard Ray Whitman. “TransCanada claims its technology will prevent spills, but that same technology was used on the Pegasus line, too. That didn’t work, now, did it? We are taking a stand to protect our access to clean water. KXL South is already being constructed with or without the North, and the destruction of our waterways in its path is not a question of if, but when. No toxic pipeline is worth the gamble and no communities in Texas or Oklahoma deserve the fate of Mayflower, Arkansas.”
While the current fate of KXL North rests upon U.S. Presidential approval, KXL South’s now lies in the broad-spectrum opposition it has garnered in the form of legal cases as well as the grassroots civil disobedience campaigns by groups like Great Plain Tar Sands Resistance and Tar Sands Blockade. Should KXL North be permitted to start construction, these groups along with grassroots indigenous organizations, several Lakota Nation tribal councils, and over 60,000 others have pledged resistance in the form of non-violent direct action to halt pipeline construction.
International treaties like the Treaty to Protect the Sacred and strongly-worded tribal council resolutions like those recently passed by the Oglala and Ihanktonwan Oyate/Yankton Sioux General Councils pledging resistance to KXL North “by all means necessary” indicate a tremendous unity amongst Great Plains indigenous nations. The strong reactions come after years of inadequate consultation on the part of TransCanada with regards to impacts on the Lakota Nation communities by its toxic tar sands pipeline. In recognizing the dire threat to their first medicine, sacred water, the communities are also embracing the spirit of international solidarity with First Nation communities downstream from tar sands mining sites. After years decrying the chemical pollution and resulting destruction of traditional life ways from tar sands exploitation in what some affected indigenous peoples refer to as a “slow industrial genocide,” Cree and Dene Nations are experiencing an upsurge in sympathy and solidarity with their plight.
“I am personally amazed at how resistance to the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and education as to what tar sands exploitation looks like continues to grow every day,” Johnson wrote in a statement prior to his action. “Because it would be irresponsible, we’re not stopping until the industry stops poisoning our futures with lies, unnecessary risks, and death for their profit. As long as the tar sands industry promises it will kill, we will blockade.”
http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/latest-national/latest-national-news/42395-activist-locks-himself-to-keystone-xl-heavy-machinery-launching-a-red-river-showdown-over-kxl-south.html

Ritchie Bros. offers online heavy equipment marketplace

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers has launched an online website for heavy equipment sales that gives buyers and sellers an eBay-like experience for purchases of everything from helicopters to dump trucks.
The Burnaby-based auctioneer held the commercial launch of its online marketplace, EquipmentOne.com, in a webcast on Monday.
Chief strategic development officer Bob Armstrong walked participants through the workings of what he described as an innovative and unique addition to the used heavy equipment market.
Ritchie Bros. has a $4-billion-a year auction business specializing in industrial equipment, but Armstrong said although the company is the world's largest seller of used equipment, it has only a two-per-cent slice of the $200-billion-a-year global market.
"The size of the used-equipment market worldwide is colossal," he said.
Half of that market is handled through private negotiations between buyers and sellers.
"We recognized an opportunity because Ritchie Bros. has the reputation, knowledge and brand to bring to that side of the market."
Ritchie Bros. quietly launched the site Jan. 2, Armstrong said, but has spent the last three months refining it and getting feedback. During that period, the website did $10 million worth of transactions.
It has 606 listings, but includes links to other websites. However, its listing tool is available only to sellers in the United States at this time. Canadian sellers are expected to be able to list equipment later this year, with further international expansion planned for 2014.
Armstrong said Ritchie Bros. borrowed elements from existing buy-and-sell websites to develop its own portal. "We have taken advantage of all the great ideas that consumer websites and non-machinery equipment websites have used to create an awesome experience," he said. "It is quite different from what you are used to seeing in the equipment world."
Instead of kicking the tires of a log loader, a potential buyer has access to details about the equipment, high-resolution photos that can be zoomed in on, and market analysis showing what the going prices are for the displayed equipment. Negotiations are all visible, and Ritchie Bros. stands behind the process, Armstrong said.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Ritchie+Bros+offers+online+heavy+equipment+marketplace/8215059/story.html#ixzz2QALlnu5i

Top Picks in Heavy Machinery

Credit Suisse

The Machinery group slid 3.8% last week, weighed down primarily by macro headlines.

In farm equipment, we saw some positive data from both the Brazil and the U.S. markets. In Brazil, tractor sales grew of 8% year-over-year, seeing its first positive year-over-year growth since September 2010. In the U.S., combine growth turned positive for the first time since April 2011, growing nearly 10% year-over-year in October.

The September-October time frame tends to be seasonally important for combines, which should benefit Deere (ticker: DE). In construction, Caterpillar (CAT) made headlines by purchasing [Hong Kong-listed] ERA Mining Machinery, which manufactures and sells hydraulic-roof supports under its subsidiary, Siwei. On the heels of Caterpillar's recent Bucyrus International acquisition, ERA would give Caterpillar an even larger presence in the mining market with a focus on underground and a bigger footprint into China specifically. We view the deal as a modest positive as it strengthens Caterpillar's positioning in mining in China and is not too surprising given the company's more aggressive stance on improving its competitive positioning and acquisitions in general.

Top picks remain Caterpillar and Cummins (CMI).

Both KBR (KBR) and Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) held their investor meetings this week and both had very upbeat tones, in particular with respect to the hydrocarbons end market. 2012 could be the year of the elephant for KBR, looking to win major projects including Inpex Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Kitimat LNG, Browse LNG, Pluto LNG, and the Angola Refinery. In fact, KBR believes backlog could nearly double to $20 billion, up from $11.7 billion today, over the next four years. With the house in order, KBR will look to become more vertically integrated, increasing its share of the pie both through organic measures and acquisitions. Last, KBR will continue to enhance its capabilities within Power, Minerals, and Infrastructure. In our opinion, Chief Executive Bill Utt wants the scale of Fluor (FLR) (size and diversification) but with a much deeper oil and gas (i.e. offshore, LNG and Technology) portfolio and vertical integrated service offering.

Chicago Bridge was also very positive with respect to awards growth including LNG (Browse & Kitimat projects), refining, oil sands, and gas processing in 2012. Chicago Bridge also hinted acquisitions are on the table. Chicago Bridge will look to strengthen its positioning in offshore, additional technology businesses (like Lummus), and even petrochemical to balance its already market leading positioning in LNG, refining, gas processing, and oil sands. We continue to like the oil and gas names.

-- Jamie Cook
-- Peter Chang
-- Andrew Buscaglia
-- Linda Yuan
http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052748704101304577038523810687072.html?mod=BOL_hpp_oe

Heavy Machinery Hauled in for Guthrie Search

HOLT COUNTY, Mo. - Crews continued another full day of searching Friday, in hopes of recovering the body of missing Missouri Highway Patrolman, Fred Guthrie.

A close friend of the Guthrie family loaned search crews several large pieces of dig equipment in hopes of speeding up the recovery effort.
Trooper Guthrie is believed to have been swept away by flood waters in early August 2011. Crews are searching for the Troopers body at Highway 111 and 118 near Big Lake, Missouri.

Guthrie's K9, Reed, was found in the area where the search is underway.
Crews from Kansas City and St. Joseph have been pumping remaining flood water from a scour hole more than 65 feet deep and four acres wide around the clock.

Thursday an "item of interest" was recovered at the dig site. Troopers are hopeful it belongs to Guthrie, but have sent it to a lab in Jefferson City for confirmation.
The dig will continue throughout the weekend.
http://stjoechannel.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=236457

Masami Shimizu Named President of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Printing & Packaging Machinery

Hiroshima, Japan, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Board of Directors unanimously approved the immediate appointment of Masami Shimizu to the position of president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Printing and Packaging Machinery, Ltd. (MHI-P&PM). Masami Shimizu succeeds Ken Watabe, who served as the first president of MHI-P&PM and guided the new company during its start-up phase.

Masami Shimizu brings a wealth of managerial skills and hands-on experience within the graphic arts industry to his new position. He attended the prestigious Nihon University for his undergraduate and graduate studies where he earned a Master in Mechanical Engineering. In 1978, he joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and was assigned to the Production Department of the Paper & Printing Machinery Division as an engineering technician, gradually expanding his responsibilities in this area over the years. Following his appointment to the position of senior manager of the Production Department, he oversaw the renovation of the production management system and headed the production cost reduction project. These and similar key accomplishments were instrumental in setting the course of the company's direction.

With the establishment of MHI-P&PM in July 2010, he was appointed to one of three executive vice president positions created within the highest managerial ranks of the new company and placed in charge of the company's paper converting machinery business (corrugating machinery and box-making machinery) and all production and procurement operations.

Calling upon his more than 30 years of experience, Masami Shimizu and former President Watabe helped mold MHI-P&PM into a leaner organization better equipped to weather the harsh economic conditions still prevalent in many of today's global markets. In his new role, President Shimizu will lead MHI-P&PM in becoming an even more customer-oriented operation through the introduction of sophisticated technologies designed to advance printers, publishers and the graphic arts industry.
http://whattheythink.com/news/51552-masami-shimizu-president-mitsubishi-printing-packaging/

Dealer deepens presence in heavy equipment sector

Heavy equipment supplier Mantrac has expanded its operations in Kenya to tap into a construction boom triggered by the ongoing infrastructure and housing projects across the country.

The construction of county government offices and related infrastructure that is expected to start soon will further provide an expanded market for construction equipment vendors.

There is also ongoing shift to give more incentives to the residential housing sector in a market that is under-supplied with lobbying directed towards enabling construction of affordable middle income homes.

Kenya is also planning mega projects in wind power, with Lake Turkana Wind Power, expected to break ground in December this year in an area that will require roads and related infrastructure.

The construction of Lamu Port, which is also in the pipeline, will need heavy equipment as well.

Mantrac and Panafrican Equipment Kenya, both vendors of earth-movers including construction tractors and heavy-duty generators are the two main players in the Kenyan market.

Mantrac said it has spent Sh160 million to expand its warehouse and renovate its premises in the Industrial Area readying for a market battle in an economy that has lined mega projects on expansion of roads, port, waterworks and airports.

“Our sales in Kenya have been growing in the last five years despite the global meltdown and post-election violence and that is why we are investing to take care of the growing client list,” said Mantrac managing director Fred Aryeetey.

The company said it plans to invest a further Sh24.6 million this year to expand its Nairobi facility to handle more equipment, spares and improve customer service.

Robust infrastructure development has provided the biggest market for earth movers and heavy diesel generators.

Other key projects that will provide long term market for earth movers include the ongoing construction of Thika Road, construction of water dams across the country, the relocation of Wilson Airport to Ruai, the Konza ICT City and other projects related to Vision 2030.

Reforms in the construction sector like the proposed National Construction Authority Bill are expected to drive growth.

Local financing solutions like the Infrastructure bonds are expected to ease the risk of stalled projects that could slow down the equipment market.

Matrac is the sole distributor of Caterpillar brand in Kenya.

The government first issued infrastructure bond in February 2009 and subsequent three others that have collectively raised Sh86 billion.

Rescuers in southwest China use heavy equipment to search for 107 trapped in landslide

BEIJING (AP) - Rescuers are using bulldozers and other heavy machinery to search for survivors buried under a landslide that trapped at least 107 people in rain-hit southwestern China.

But Tian Maosheng, an official from Guizhou Communist Party Propaganda Department, who is helping with the rescue, says there appears to be little hope for survival, with no word on casualties or survivors by noon Tuesday.

More than 60 residents stranded by the landslide were evacuated Tuesday. Other villagers huddled in tents as rescuers searched for their family members.

Homes were buried when the landslide struck the village of Dazhai in Guizhou province Monday afternoon after days of torrential rains. An official interviewed by state broadcaster CCTV said nearly half a hill had collapsed, engulfing a wide area in soil.

http://www.todayonline.com/BreakingNews/EDC100628-0000228/Rescuers-in-southwest-China-use-heavy-equipment-to-search-for-107-trapped-in-landslide