Displaying items by tag: St Marys Cement

Canada: St Marys Cement has reported breaching its limits for air emissions on five occasions in 2015. Environmental manager Ruben Plaza presented the findings to Clarington council on 13 June 2016, according to the Durham Region newspaper.

Plaza said the first two breaches occurred in January 2015 and were caused by plant and quarry activities. They measured values of 53mg/m³ and 72mg/m³. The other three breaches were not related to the plant’s activity, according to Plaza. He blamed them on, ”…activities close to samplers or could have been construction on Highway 401.” These occurred twice in May and again in July 2015. They were 51mg/m³, 51mg/m³ and 54mg/m³ respectively. Plaza added that it is not ‘abnormal’ for an industrial plant to exceed its air emissions limits on occasions, provided they do not happen constantly. The local 24-hour average limit for emissions is 53mg/m³.

It was also revealed that St Marys Cement’s operations released 4096t of SO₂ between in 2015. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change allows for 3511t. However, the cement producer is allowed to transfer the difference between its plants to obtain clearance.

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."

US: The Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners has approved the proposal by St Marys Cement to expand its cement plant in Michigan State. St Marys Cement, part of Votorantim Group, is planning a US$130m upgrade to the Charlevoix plant, which would increase its production capacity from 1.3Mt/yr to nearly 2Mt/yr.

According to local press reports, in a 5:1 vote that followed the hearing, the county board approved the upgrade plan. Commissioner George Lasater provided the lone vote in opposition. He said that he simply wanted to do more research on the proposal. Other commissioners described their votes in support as important to sustaining the economy in Charlevoix County.

The proposal now moves to the state Department of Environmental Quality for final approval. If the Charlevoix plans were rejected, St Marys officials have said they will seek to reopen the Illinois plant.

US: The mayor of Dixon, Illinois says that he is 'optimistic' that the mothballed St. Marys cement plant in the city will reopen. Mayor Jim Burke told local press that representatives from St. Marys Cement approached him in mid-2014 to discuss the possibility of restarting operations at the plant. The mayor says that the city government is working with the company to see if there are incentives 'to make it all work.'

The plant has been idle since December 2008. When it closed about 90 people lost their jobs. At the same time the Environment Protection Agency fined the company and a co-owner for violations of the Clean Air Act. St. Marys Cement is owned by Brazilian-based cement producer Votorantim.