Displaying items by tag: Environmental Protection Agency

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has received the 2021 Energy Star Partner of the Year award from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. It is the second year in a row the association has been recognised in this way. Each year, the Energy Star program recognises a group of businesses and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements.

“The PCA and its members are proud to be recognised for continuously improving energy efficiency to reduce emissions,” said PCA President and chief executive officer Michael Ireland. “The cement and concrete industry is leading the way towards a more sustainable future as PCA and its members are developing an industry roadmap across the entire value chain to reach carbon neutrality by 2050."

In addition to PCA’s Partner of the Year recognition, two PCA member companies, CalPortland and Cemex USA, earned corporate Partner of the Year awards and 13 US cement plants earned Energy Star certification for superior energy performance in 2020.

US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded CalPortland’s Rillito cement plant in Arizona with its ninth consecutive Energy Star. Efforts towards energy intensity reduction at the plant included: replacing two preheater tower cyclones, installing 11km of new belting to a quarry belt conveyor, replacing the kiln baghouse fan and dust collector bags, increasing the plant’s focus on energy efficiency by expanding its energy team, conducting more frequent energy meetings and communicating energy efficiency best practices throughout the plant.

President and chief executive officer (CEO) Allen Hamblen said “CalPortland is pleased to accept the EPA’s Energy Star 2020 certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts at the Rillito plant. We continue to demonstrate our commitment to environmental stewardship and Energy Star while also reducing our energy costs through the hard work of our employees and our corporate energy management culture.”

US: Grupo Argos subsidiary Cementos Argos has said that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Energy Stars to its 1.1Mt/yr Harleyville, South Carolina cement plant and its 1.7Mt/yr Roberta, Alabama cement plant. This signifies that both plants are in the top 25% of US integrated cement plants for energy efficiency.

Legal and sustainability vice president María Isabel Echeverri said, “We are delighted to be granted again these certifications, which reaffirm our commitment to sustainability and to give value to our society. The responsible use of energy is an essential pillar of our company and we work every day in the development and implementation of technologies that enable efficient use and strategic management of this resource.”

US: Cemex has announced that its De Zavala and Tyler cement terminals, both in Texas, have received the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star certification for energy efficiency. The De Zavala terminal reduced its energy intensity by 53% between June 2015 and June 2020, while the Tyler terminal reduced its intensity by 39% over the same period, both exceeding their five-year targets of a 10% reduction.

US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared Cemex USA an Energy Star Partner of the Year, the highest award for energy-efficient production in the US. Cemex USA President Jaime Muguiro said, “Sustainability is embedded in our day-to-day operations and is an integral part of our core business strategy. Energy conservation is part of our vision as we are building a better future and believe it’s our responsibility to vigorously practice energy management through on-going initiatives and the use of alternative fuels.”

Cemex USA has earned more than 50 Energy Stars since 2007.

Ireland: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has postponed a four-day hearing over Irish Cement’s alternative fuel (AF) licence application, scheduled for May 2020, to an as yet unspecified date due to the coronavirus. Under the terms of the proposed licence, Irish Cement will be able co-process a maximum of 90,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), including tyres, in the single dry line of its 1.0Mt/yr Mungret plant in County Limerick. The EPA said that emissions from operations under the terms of the licence ‘will meet all required environmental protection standards.’

Irish Cement received its preliminary licence to burn refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in September 2019. The move attracted local resistance, with 4500 people participating in a protest on 5 October 2019.

The EPA has said that it will give all relevant parties notice ‘well in advance’ of the date of the rescheduled hearing, which will take place after the government lifts the country’s coronavirus lockdown. On 14 April 2020 County Limerick had 234 coronavirus cases out of an Irish total of 10,647.

US: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared the Portland Cement Association its 2020 Energy Star Partner of the Year. The appointment recognises the PCA’s ‘leadership, innovation and commitment to environmental protection through energy efficiency. PCA president and CEO Mike Ireland said, “PCA and its members have greatly benefited from participation in the Energy Star programme. Cement plants have total annual source energy savings of 6.38bn mega joules and have reduced energy-related CO2 emissions by 1.5Mt/yr.”

Ireland: The Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has won its case against Quinn Cement over the latter’s violation of emissions laws. The Impartial Reporter newspaper has reported that an EPA monitor recorded 36 breaches at Quinn Cement’s Ballyconnell plant between 5 October 2018 and 7 October 2018. The plant was also emitting four times the legal hydrogen chloride on 5 February 2019. Following its subsidiary company’s guilty plea, Quinn Industrial Holdings said via a spokesperson, “Though independent assessment confirmed there were no material environmental impacts arising, best practice environmental safety procedures were followed and production ceased on each occasion. Since then significant work and expenditure has been completed to prevent a recurrence.” The Cavan district court fined Quinn Cement Euro2000.

Australia: The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued a US$9800 fine and a clean-up order to Boral for damage caused by a discharge of slurry from its Maclean concrete plant. The Daily Examiner newspaper has reported that a member of the public alerted the body to the spill, which issued from a storm drain into the Clarence River, on 15 October 2019. EPA north regulatory operations director Karen Marler said that the slurry ‘appeared to have been discharging from the Boral plant for some time prior.’ She said, “Subsequent EPA inspections confirm the clean-up and actions taken to improve plant operation were effective.”

US: Cemex USA’s Miami and Brooksville South cement plants in Florida have been awarded Energy Star certification for 2019 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for work on energy efficiency and sustainability. The current year’s recognition marks nine consecutive years of Energy Star certification for the Miami plant and the Brooksville South plant has achieved the certification seven out of the last eight years.

“Cemex is committed to delivering world-class products and services to its clients across the US and the globe while maintaining the highest sustainability standards in our industry,” said Cemex USA president Jaime Muguiro.
To earn the recognition, operations at each plant followed energy-efficiency principles established by the EPA’s Energy Star guidelines and implemented energy conservation technologies along with energy-reduction projects. The recognised facilities were among the top 25% of similar US facilities for energy conservation and met the Energy Star Plant Energy Performance Indicators.