MAPA Enews - August 2026

Registration Now Open: MAPA Sporting Clays Event 2026

Registration is officially open for MAPA's Sporting Clays Event, happening Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at Wild Marsh Sporting Clays, 13481 County Road 3 SE, Clear Lake, MN. Join us for a fun day out with industry colleagues — two rounds of 50 targets per person, with lunch and dinner included. Teams of four are ideal, but individuals and partial teams are welcome; we'll match you up with other shooters.

Pricing: $150 member attendee, $200 non-member attendee, plus an optional $25 golf cart rental per person.

Cancellations are accepted on or before September 8, 2026 with a $25 fee; no-shows will be billed in full.

Register here: Sporting Clays Registration

Sponsorship opportunities: Sporting Clays Sponsorship

Save the Date: 2026 MN Asphalt Conference Registration Opens This Week

Mark your calendars — registration for the 2026 MN Asphalt Conference opens this week! This year's conference runs Monday, November 30 – Tuesday, December 1, 2026 at Mystic Lake Center in Prior Lake, MN. Sponsorship opportunities are already available and offered first come, first served — reach out early if your company wants a spot.

Conference details: 2026 Annual Meeting

Sponsorship opportunities: 2026 Conference Sponsorship

Federal Update: Senate Moves to Extend Highway Programs

On August 8, the Senate voted 90-6 to pass a short-term continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through December 11, 2026, and tucked into that bill is a temporary extension of the key surface transportation authorities under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). If the House goes along, that pushes the long-standing September 30 deadline for a new long-term highway bill out by roughly ten additional weeks — buying Congress more time to negotiate before current authorities would otherwise lapse.

The catch: the House passed its own government funding bill before leaving for August recess, and that version did not include a surface transportation extension. The House will need to take up the Senate's version when lawmakers return to Washington in late August, and reconcile the two approaches. Also worth noting for members tracking transit and rail funding — the Senate's extension does not preserve all of the IIJA's advance appropriations, meaning some non-highway programs could still see funding disruptions even if the highway extension goes through.

Separately, and in the same vein, AASHTO joined 60 other organizations in a July 27 letter calling on Congressional leadership to preserve fiscal year 2026 funding levels for all federal transportation programs in the event a short-term funding measure or program extension becomes necessary. The letter warned that any funding reduction tied to a stopgap measure would inject uncertainty into state and local investment decisions and could delay both ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects — a message directly relevant to Minnesota's share of federal highway dollars, and one NAPA has echoed in its own advocacy while continuing to push for passage of the BUILD America 250 Act.

Full coverage: NAPA — Senate approves short-term surface transportation extension

AASHTO Journal — Industry urges Congress to preserve FY 2026 transportation funding: aashtojournal.transportation.org

MnDOT Office of Civil Rights: DBE Program Update

MnDOT and its partner MNUCP agencies have completed the priority reevaluation process for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) certified in Minnesota, as required by the interim final rule (IFR) published by USDOT on October 3, 2025. That federal rule mandates that states remove race and gender presumptions that previously helped businesses qualify as DBEs, and instead requires every currently certified DBE firm to individually demonstrate social and economic disadvantage — without regard to race or sex — in order to re-qualify.

MnDOT and partner agencies in the Minnesota Unified Certification Program (MNUCP) have been working to comply with the federal program requirements while continuing to support Minnesota's small business community. This update covers several areas impacted by the interim final rule:

• New DBE directory

• MnDOT's 3-year goal

• New DBE applications

• Continued reevaluations

• Declaration of eligibility

• DBE goal setting

• Next steps

Members with DBE-related questions can reach out to MnDOT's Office of Civil Rights directly, or contact Kate Heine for help connecting with the right contact.

Full MnDOT bulletin: MnDOT Civil Rights — DBE Program Update (govdelivery)

MnDOT Proposes Revised 3-Year DBE Goals — Comment Period Open Through Sept. 7

Following the DBE Interim Final Rule issued October 3, 2025, MnDOT is proposing revised statewide Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goals for the remainder of the FFY 2025–2027 period: lowering its overall FHWA goal from 15.3% to 6.2%, and its FTA goal from 8.7% to 2.8%. The public comment period runs August 5 – September 7, 2026. MNUCP partners are also offering DBE personal narrative workshops and one-to-one support to help Minnesota-based business owners meet the new narrative requirement.

Separately, as of August 17, 2026, new DBE applications must be submitted through MnDOT's new online platform. Start the process with one of the certification partner agencies (Metropolitan Airports Commission, Metropolitan Council, or MnDOT).

Review the goals and submit a comment: MnDOT Civil Rights — Updates

New DBE application platform: mnucp.dbesystem.com

MPCA: Industrial Stormwater Permit Deadline Extended

Deadline Extended — Industrial Stormwater Application (MPCA bulletin, 8/24/2026)

The online application service for the 2025 Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) and No Exposure certification for industrial stormwater went live August 18, 2026. At that time, MPCA announced all 2020 permits would expire at the end of August, which would have left facilities a very short window to get applications in. MPCA has since extended the expiration date of the 2020 MSGP to September 30, 2026, giving facilities more time to complete applications under the new 2025-2030 permit — which has technically been effective since June 1, 2025, even though the application service itself only just went live. Facilities are still encouraged to apply as soon as possible rather than waiting for the new deadline, since the volume of applications is expected to create its own delays.

Due to a high volume of assistance requests, applicants are encouraged to review the application guidance document before contacting MPCA directly: Application Guidance (PDF).

Application access: The MSGP and No Exposure application service is only accessible to e-Services users who have their facility added to their account and have ISW Signatory access. If you don't have ISW Signatory access, request it in e-Services and submit the electronic signature submittal agreement form — once processed, you'll receive an email confirming access. Facilities that previously submitted industrial stormwater monitoring or annual reports in e-Services should already have access. See pages 4–7 of the application guidance linked above for full details.

Program overview and permit documents: MPCA — Industrial Stormwater

Technical Resource Spotlight: DNR Aggregate Resource Mapping

A reminder for members sourcing or planning around aggregate supply: the Minnesota DNR's Aggregate Resource Mapping Program has now completed county-scale sand, gravel, and crushed stone maps for 31 Minnesota counties, with four more counties currently in progress. DNR geologists use county-scale mapping techniques to identify sand, gravel, and crushed stone resources and assess their quality, producing resource maps, GIS datasets, field observations, and inventories of active and historic gravel mines and crushed stone quarries. Demand for the maps has been growing as more communities incorporate aggregate access into their planning — Le Sueur County's Environmental Services Office, for example, has said the map and underlying data get used weekly, if not daily, to make sure proposed land uses don't inadvertently cover up finite aggregate resources.

The information helps counties, planners, and producers alike avoid losing access to aggregate resources to incompatible development — useful background for members working with local planning and zoning offices, or anyone evaluating where future pit or quarry sites might still be viable.

View completed county maps: DNR Aggregate Resources Mapping Program

Read the full DNR news release: DNR — Aggregate mapping helps Minnesota communities build for the future

Safety Reminder: Heat Enforcement Remains Active Into Late Summer

With paving crews still working full days in late-summer heat, it's a good time to revisit heat safety plans. OSHA's revised National Emphasis Program on Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards (Directive CPL 03-00-024, effective April 10, 2026) remains in place for five years and continues to target construction among its high-hazard industries, using OSHA's own inspection data along with BLS injury and violation data to build its target list. Federal OSHA still doesn't have a finalized standard specifically addressing heat — the proposed "Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings" rule remains pending — so outdoor paving crews are covered primarily through the General Duty Clause, which lets OSHA cite employers for recognized heat hazards even without a dedicated standard.

Minnesota is one of just a handful of states with its own permanent heat standard, but it's worth knowing exactly what it covers: Minnesota Rule 5205.0110 sets mandatory heat exposure limits using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, and it applies only to indoor places of employment — it does not extend to outdoor work like paving. That means outdoor crews fall back on the federal General Duty Clause and OSHA's general heat-illness guidance rather than a Minnesota-specific outdoor rule. Either way, the core protections inspectors look for are the same: water access, shade, rest breaks, and acclimatization plans for new or returning workers.

OSHA heat exposure resources: osha.gov/heat-exposure

Minnesota Rule 5205.0110 (indoor heat standard): revisor.mn.gov/rules/5205.0110

Minnesota Construction Employment: Mixed Signals in July Data

DEED's July jobs report showed Minnesota's overall economy posting its third straight month of over-the-year growth, adding to more than 44,000 jobs statewide over the past 12 months — a 1.5% increase that significantly outpaced the 0.2% national growth rate. But the month-over-month picture was softer: the state lost roughly 1,900 nonfarm jobs in July, and construction employment fell by about 1,000 jobs for the month, one of several sectors (alongside trade/transportation/utilities and government) that pulled back after a stronger spring.

The annual trend tells a more encouraging story for MAPA's membership specifically: construction gained almost 6,900 jobs over the past year, with growth concentrated in specialty trade contractors and heavy and civil engineering construction — the two segments most closely tied to paving and highway work. DEED officials also flagged that Minnesota's labor force participation rate has now declined for eight straight months, which is worth watching as members plan hiring and capacity for the remainder of the season and into fall.

Full coverage: WDIO — Minnesota employment data gives off mixed signals

2026 MnDOT Projects Requiring EPDs

MnDOT's current letting schedule (updated 6/17/26) lists 97 projects statewide requiring Environmental Product Declarations under the Minnesota Buy Clean initiative — spanning lettings from January through May 2027. Across the 61 projects with EPD counts finalized so far, MnDOT is tracking 352 total EPDs due: 111 for asphalt, 160 for concrete, and 81 for steel. The Metro district carries the largest share by far, with 148 EPDs across 19 projects.

District breakdown:

Members producing mixes for any of these lettings should confirm EPD requirements before bidding.

Download the full project-by-project list (SP numbers, trunk highways, work type, and location): EPD Project List (Excel) — updated 6/17/26