US: St. Marys Cement plans to reopen its Dixon, Illinois plant in the spring of 2015. Citing a downturn in the economy, the St Marys Cement closed the plant in December 2008. About 90 jobs were lost.

At the time, the US Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA) had fined St Marys and co-owner St Barbara Cement US$800,000 for violations of the federal Clean Air Act. In addition, the settlement with the government called for the companies to spend nearly US$2m to upgrade pollution control on three of its four kilns. The fourth kiln had to be replaced or shut down.

The settlement was the first completed as a result of an EPA crackdown on cement plants. The EPA said that the companies had illegally modified the kilns at the Dixon plant in a manner that increased SO2 and NOx emissions. In addition to failing to install the proper pollution-control equipment, the companies were cited for failing to get the proper permit before making modifications.

Mayor Jim Burke said that representatives from St Marys approached him nearly a year ago about the possibility of restarting operations. A small maintenance crew has been working at the plant for a while to prepare for a reopening. St Marys said that the decision was based on increased demand due to the improving economy. St Marys also plans to invest US$130m in its Charlevoix, Michigan, plant to increase capacity there.

"St Marys Cement is pleased to announce that after a seven-year downturn in the economy, we will be reopening our cement plant in Dixon, Illinois," said spokesman Steve Gallagher. Gallagher provided a spring timeline for the reopening process. He also said that all regulatory issues with the EPA had been addressed. "We've been working since January 2015 with a small crew performing the necessary routine maintenance," said Gallagher. "By the end of March 2015, we will be completely staffed, bringing around 60 jobs back to Dixon. The plant will resume operation shortly thereafter with all required environmental permits in place."