Displaying items by tag: US
Ecocem US plant faces possible planning setback
04 December 2015US: Irish cement maker Ecocem's proposed manufacturing plant in San Francisco Bay faces a potential planning setback after receiving almost 500 submissions challenging its environmental impact report.
Ecocem is seeking permission for a US$50m grinding plant in Vallejo, close to San Francisco, in the group's first venture in the US, but the town's residents are objecting to the proposal on environmental grounds. According to local reports, some 400 - 500 people and organisations have questioned the company's assessment of the plant's likely impact on the environment, which could force Vallejo's council to delay a decision on planning permission until 2016. The council was hoping to have cleared all planning hurdles by December 2015, but local sources have said that the volume of questions posed during a 60-day public consultation period means the deadline could be pushed back to March 2016.
California law requires Ecocem's subsidiary, Orcem Americas, which is directly responsible for the project, to answer the questions before preparing a final environmental impact report. The city's Architectural Heritage and Landmarks Commission will have to decide whether the buildings that would be knocked to make way for the plant are historic, which is likely to happen in December 2015. The proposal will then have to pass both the Vallejo Planning Commission and then get the support of a majority of councillors before it can get the go ahead.
According to local activist Peter Brooks, a group of citizens recently began a petition to remove four council members said to favour Ecocem's project. He also said that influential US environmental group, the Sierra Club, wrote to the city's authorities expressing concerns about the plans.
Ecocem wants to build the plant on the site of an old flour mill in the city's harbour. It would grind furnace slag from iron smelting that is then used as a component in cement. The process cuts greenhouse gas emissions from normal cement manufacture by 90%.
Ash Grove Cement donates US$20,000 to Nebraska conservatory
27 November 2015US: Ash Grove Cement has donated US$20,000 to a Nebraska conservatory to help fund a workshop and laboratory and support conservation efforts.
"Ash Grove Cement is delighted to support The Nature Conservancy of Nebraska and its important project, Niobrara Valley Preserve," said the Plant Manager of Ash Grove Cement in Louisville, John Dale. "We believe that conservation is vital to the future of the state, which is why we've contributed to The Nature Conservancy throughout the Plains states for the past 20 years."
The donation will go building a new workshop and laboratory for a research facility as well as conservation and ranching support. At 60,000 acres, the Niobrara Valley Preserve is one of the largest and most visited preserves in the US. Donations like the one from Ash Grove Cement help to keep the conservatory open for research and teaching purposes.
"The Nature Conservancy is grateful for the support of the Ash Grove Charitable Foundation to help build a new workshop / laboratory at our Niobrara Valley Preserve," said Conservation Director Mace Hack. "This is a part of a comprehensive plan to transform this special place into the world-class home for teaching and learning that today's conservation challenges demand."
Agreement reached over clean-up of historic Holcim cement plant
26 November 2015US: An agreement has been reached to clean up the site of the former Holcim cement plant in Spokane Valley, Washington, where Holcim operated a cement factory until 1967. The site was then used for cement distribution for a number of years before shutting down. In 2006, storage silos were torn down, leaving behind cement kiln dust with contaminates including arsenic, lead and cadmium, as well as benzene and gasoline associated with train activity and fuel storage on the site. Neighbouring lots owned by the city of Spokane Valley and Neighborhood Inc were also contaminated.
Because the contamination was deemed a threat to human health, the Department of Ecology got involved in working out a clean-up plan. Jeremy Schmidt, Ecology's site manager, said that a consent decree has been signed by all parties and clean-up is scheduled for the summer and autumn 2016. "Work may be delayed for one year if we can't get contractors out there at the right time," said Schmidt. The work has to done when the groundwater level is low so as not to increase contamination. The kiln dust has now turned to cement and must be scraped off, piled in one place and capped with cement to stop contaminants from leaking into soil and groundwater.
Holcim still owns the site and both Schmidt and Spokane Valley Attorney Cary Driskell said that the company has been responsive and responsible. "They have been very easy to work with," said Driskell. He added that there was a range of options for the cleanup, with costs ranging from US$1.6 – 10m. "It will not cost Spokane Valley anything."
US Cement white cement plant project moving ahead in Texas
23 November 2015US: The Brady City Council has voted to authorise two proposed sales tax rebate incentives for a US Cement proposed white cement plant and quarry that would be built in McCulloch, Texas.
The city sales tax rebate economic development incentive for the proposed plant would not exceed US$297,000 over nine years, or up to US$33,000/yr. The Brady Economic Development Corporation incentive would be a one-time payment of US$250,000, plus US$34,000 up to nine years, which would be a total package of US$556,000 over 10 years. The vote passed 4-1.
The council has authorised the city's Director of Community Services and EDC Director Peter Lamont to pursue negotiations with US Cement before it goes back to the city council for final approval. "I'm sure that there will be some back and forth on some of the qualifications," said Lamont. "Once we get all the language, terms and conditions and all the attorneys agree, it will be brought to the council for final approval."
Some of the qualifications are that US Cement generates a plant and quarry that improves the property value of its location by US$175m and provides 200 permanent, full-time jobs. There will have to be a 100ft buffer zone away from anything it doesn't own and the plant will have to purchase all of its natural gas from the city.
Those opposed to the cement plant are not against the plant itself, but where it will be located. There are 37 homes within 3000ft of the proposed plant and residents are worried about strobe lighting, blasting in the quarry, noise and dust pollution, truck traffic, emissions and a decrease in property values.
"We still have hope that Royal White Cement (the parent company of US Cement) will look for another piece of property," said Dale Matthews, an Austin-based attorney who is helping the opposition. "That there will be no approval of the incentive package if they insist on this location and find one that isn't disruptive to the people living here." Lamont said that finding another location will be up to US Cement and at present, there are no active offers of other properties on the table.
McInnis Cement seeks tax stabilisation agreement to improve Providence Port building
12 November 2015Canada/USA: McInnis Cement's plan to import cement through the Port of Providence, Rhode Island is scheduled for a hearing on 12 November 2015 at Providence City Hall on its request for tax incentives to improve its local facility.
McInnis USA, a subsidiary of Montreal-based McInnis Cement, has requested a 12-year tax stabilisation agreement for the property taxes it will pay on planned improvements to an industrial building at ProvPort. The company has requested a similar tax stabilisation agreement for tangible property taxes.
The site would be turned over to McInnis under a long-term lease, which would restore the facility as a taxable location. Under the property tax stabilisation agreement, the company would pay taxes of US$50,000 for the first three years. Full taxes would begin to be phased in in the fourth year, based on a projected assessment of US$5m. The full value of its Providence facility would be determined in the seventh year, after which full taxes would begin to be phased in.
McInnis Cement operates a limestone quarry in southern Quebec and is building a 2.2Mt/yr cement plant, as well as a maritime terminal, in Gaspesie, a town in Quebec, Canada.
Stefan Frank joins Blasch as sales representative in Europe
28 October 2015US: Blasch Precision Ceramics, a ceramic technology manufacturer, has announced the appointment of Stefan Frank as Sales Representative for molten metal, process heating, power and wear applications in Europe.
Frank is a global sales engineer with over twenty years of refractory application and business development experience working closely with customers throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East, often specialising in cement and lime applications. In his position with Blasch he will be working with customers throughout Europe and reporting to Werner Steinheimer, the Director of Market Development for Europe. Frank will serve customers in the non-ferrous and specialty alloy markets as well as those with wear and abrasion issues in mining, power generation and cement production.
US: Lehigh Cement Company, part of Heidelbergcement Group, has ordered a semi-mobile limestone crushing plant from Hazemag for its Union Bridge cement plant.
The plant will process up to 2500t/hour of limestone with a feed size of up to 2000mm. The material is discharged by means of a Hazemag apron feeder HAF 25160 from a 400t feed hopper. The fines in the feed material are screened at 100mm on a Hazemag roller screen HRS 2638.
The HAZEMAG primary impact crusher HPI 2230 crushes the material down to D99 < 125mm. The impact crusher is fitted with hydraulically adjustable impact aprons and grinding path that both retract in a controlled manner under excessive load. The system of the retractable grinding path is patented. The impact crusher HPI 2230 is also fitted with the automatic gap width control HAZtronic.
US: Eagle Materials has reported its financial results for the second quarter of its 2016 fiscal year, which ended on 30 September 2015. Its revenue grew by 16% year-on-year to US$329m and its net earnings fell by 41% to US$29.8m, reduced by US$26.2m post-tax due to non-routine items related to the oil and gas proppants segment. Eagle Materials' adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 14% to US$110m.
Eagle's construction products and building materials businesses continued to perform well during the second quarter of 2016, with the Cement and Paperboard businesses reporting record quarterly operating earnings and the wallboard, concrete and aggregates businesses reporting year-on-year improvements. Demand for building materials and construction products remains strong in each of its regional markets. Cash flow from operations improved by 12% and was used to fund the Skyway acquisition, make capital improvements, pay dividends, reduce debt and repurchase shares.
The decline in oil prices during the summer adversely impacted US oil and gas drilling activity, leading to further reductions in demand and pricing for proppants. As a result, it recorded impairments to several intangible assets originally booked in connection with its acquisition of CRS Proppants and revalued downward certain raw sand inventory values. The impairments and inventory revaluation charges totalled approximately US$37.8m pre-tax.
Operating earnings from Cement for the second quarter of 2016 were a record US$48.6m, some 26% higher than the same quarter in its 2015 fiscal year. The earnings increase was driven by an 8% increase in average net cement sales prices and record quarterly cement sales volumes. Cement revenues for the second quarter, including joint venture and intersegment revenues, grew by 13% to US$165m. Cement sales volumes grew by 1% to a record 1.5Mt.
US: Residents living near Essroc's cement plant and quarry at the south end of Martinsburg, West Virginia have claimed that dust coming from the plant has coated their vehicles and made it difficult to keep them clean. "If I wanted my vehicle to stay clean, I would have to go to the car wash every day," said Thompson Street resident Melissa Kneisly.
According to local media, Essroc officials said that they have taken multiple steps to keep dust from becoming airborne and leaving their facilities after receiving multiple complaints from nearby residents. The increased number of trucks hauling clinker to Pennsylvania caused the extra dust to be kicked up from the loading of the trucks and transportation on the roads, according to Environmental Manager Bradley Blasé. In recent weeks, the number of trucks leaving the plant has nearly doubled to 50/day as a result of a special operation. Besides truck traffic, Blase also cited dry and unfavourable weather conditions for contributing to the dust problem. Plant Director Heinz Knopfel said that the plant has increased the sweeping of roads and watering as part of efforts to contain the dust.
Jake Glance, a spokesman for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), said that the agency is aware of the dust situation and has had an inspector from the Division of Air Quality looking into the issue for several days. "The situation is still under investigation and right now, the DEP cannot speculate on what the dust is or where it is coming from," said Glance.
Lehigh Hanson names new President and CEO
21 October 2015US: Lehigh Hanson has named Jon Morrish as its new President and Chief Executive Officer with effect from 15 October 2015 to replace Daniel Harrington after 20 years with the company.
Harrington had been the president and CEO of Lehigh Hanson since 1 January 2010. Lehigh Hanson said in a press release that Harrington had helped lead the company through the economic downturn in 2008.
"Harrington's many contributions and industry knowledge played a key role in positioning the company for future growth," said Lehigh Hanson's press release.
Morrish will join the company's managing board in February 2016 and was appointed to the top post at Lehigh Hanson after being the President of the South Region. He has been with the company since 2009. Before being President of the South Region, Morrish was the Managing Director of the company's UK cement business.