Displaying items by tag: Department of Environmental Quality

US: The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is working with Lehigh Cement to investigate a potential source of hexavalent chromium (chromium six) emissions from a cement terminal in Portland. The environmental agency suspects that cement dust may be a contributing source of chromium six that it has monitored since March 2016 in southeast Portland. The DEQ is working with the cement company to improve its dust-capturing efforts when unloading cement from railcars.

“We're concerned about the persistence of elevated levels of chromium,” said Pete Shepherd, interim DEQ director. “We are making every effort to bring those levels down.” The DEQ has also required a nearby glass manufacturer to clean its exhaust stacks to tackle the problem.

US: A legal challenge to the cancelled Titan American Castle Hayne cement plant has ended following the termination of a challenged air pollution permit by the North Carolina Division of Air Quality. Titan rescinded the permit, following its announcement in March 2016 to cancel its cement plant project. It was originally issued in 2012.

"For years, Titan and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) tried to keep citizen groups from getting a hearing on significant and avoidable air pollution from this proposed plant," said Geoff Gisler, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center who represented the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Cape Fear River Watch, PenderWatch & Conservancy, and Sierra Club. "We have achieved the goal of this lawsuit - protecting citizens of New Hanover and Pender counties from Titan’s pollution when DEQ failed to do so."

Titan will continue to operate a cement terminal at the site. On 12 April 2016, the North Carolina Court of Appeals granted citizen groups’ request to dismiss the appeal because the approval of the plant had been withdrawn, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center.

US: Holcim US plans to invest US$100m to modernise its Ada cement plant in Oklahoma State, according to Robin DeCarlo, vice president of Holcim's corporate communications. The company submitted an application for a permit to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in June 2014 and expects to begin upgrading the plant between October and December 2014.

"We can't start without a permit from DEQ," DeCarlo said. She didn't release specific details about the modernisation but indicated that it would include upgrading the kiln line. DeCarlo noted that the modernisation of the kiln line will meet 'all known environmental regulations and reduce all major regulated emissions,' even with the increased plant capacity.

"We are expecting that there will be approximately 250 temporary jobs during the modernisation phase, which will have a direct and positive impact on the Ada economy," said DeCarlo. "The modernisation will increase our plant's capacity by about 20%." Holcim's plant in Ada currently employs about 120 people.