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EPA Sets First U.S. Emissions Rules for Cement Plants (Update2)
2010-08-09 21:58:51.556 GMT
(Updates with possible plant closings in first paragraph.)
By Kim Chipman
Aug. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration issued the
first U.S. limits on mercury air pollution from cement
factories, rules that an industry group said may lead to the
closing of more than two dozen factories.
The Environmental Protection Agency's regulations will cut
mercury emissions and particulate matter by 92 percent a year
starting in 2013, the agency said today in a statement. The rule
will yield $6.7 billion to $18 billion in environmental and
health benefits and cost companies as much as $950 million a
year, according to agency estimates.
The regulations may force as many as 30 factories to close,
said Andy O'Hare, vice president for regulatory affairs for the
Portland Cement Association, which represents companies such as
Texas Industries Inc. After reviewing the rule, O'Hare revised
his initial estimate that 5 to 10 plants may be forced to shut.
The U.S. has about 100 cement factories, the group said.
"Although the standards in the final rule are not quite as
stringent as those originally proposed in May 2009, the emission
limits are still very low and will not be achievable by some
facilities," Brian McCarthy, president of the cement
association, said in a statement.
Manufacture of Portland cement, the most widely used type
of the product, is the third-biggest source of mercury air
pollution in the U.S., the EPA said. Mercury, which can harm
development of children's brains, is released when cement
components such as clay, limestone and shale are heated in a
kiln, according to EPA documents.
Premature Deaths
Particle pollution is linked to adverse health effects
including aggravated asthma, heart attacks and premature deaths,
the agency said.
"This administration is committed to reducing pollution
that is hurting the health of our communities," EPA
Administrator Lisa Jackson said today in a statement. "With
this historic step, we are going a long way in accomplishing
that goal."
The EPA's proposed rules a year ago and the final
regulations today achieve "significant reductions in mercury
and other toxics as well as significant reductions of
particulate matter," the agency said in the e-mail statement.
Companies to be covered by the regulations include
Monterrey, Mexico-based Cemex SAB, the largest cement producer
in the Americas, and Dallas-based Texas Industries, the state's
largest cement producer. Spokesmen for the companies didn't
immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Natural Resources Defense Council said it was studying
the EPA's 450-page rule. The New York-based environmental group
said it wants to make sure the agency has "done everything it
should" to protect the public.
"Prenatal exposure to even low doses of mercury is
associated with childhood deficits in IQ, attention span and
physical coordination," the group said in a statement. "Even
tiny amounts of mercury can pollute water bodies and contaminate
fish we later eat."
For Related News and Information:
More on the U.S. cement industry: TNI US CEM <GO>
Top environmental news: GREEN <GO>
--Editors: Steve Geimann, Steve Walsh
To contact the reporters on this story:
Kim Chipman in Washington at +1-202-624-1927 or
Kchipman@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Larry Liebert at +1-202-624-1936 or
LLiebert@bloomberg.net.
