Maybe you saw the headlines today from the News and Observer: The Southern Environmental Law Center sent Governor Perdue a letter yesterday requesting that she freeze any and all Titan permits. The request was made because of recent news reports in Raleigh's N & O and Wilmington's Star News that reveal Titan's possible role in the "pay-to-play" politics of  former Gov. Mike Easley's administration--particularly DENR's abrupt removal of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) from the Titan cement project.

And the story keeps growing: In the same issue of the News & Observer, there's an opinion piece about what a good idea it would be to apply SEPA at this point:

Cement site - Opinion - NewsObserver

We've got the links in our Local News area as well. 

We've got the letter (as a PDF) in our Documents area here:

Letter from Southern Environment Law Center (SELC) to Gov. Bev Perdue (January 26th, 2010) (PDF)

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CC   |2010-02-02 03:52:18 look i dont know what all the big fuss is abt!! i have 2 kids and they support titan coming in here to CREATE JOBS. the only ones that i see fighting this is yall rich people who have your nice fancy jobs. you dont stop to think abt all of the people who work hard for their money until they lost their jobs! titan has done everything like they are supposed to do. i just dont understand why yall wont LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!!! Reply | Quote 1 2

James Smith  - The odd local support for Titan's jobs   |2010-05-19 22:10:09 Had the fellas at WID been doing their job the past decade, they would have joined forces with the NEW drivers of the Wilmington economy and been focused on attracting more of the types of businesses that have settled here in recent years. Sure, they provide jobs to educated people. And the big knock from the Smokestack Crowd is that we have to provide jobs for EVERYONE. Well, there were hundreds upon hundreds of people in good paying, non-knowledge oriented jobs until the economy blew up in '08. Because our economy was growing, as was our population, there was plenty of work to go around for everyone. We should be positioning the local economy then for high-growth industries, which would fuel lots and lots of jobs. That said, I also think people have to get out of the mindset that the local politicians and/or land barons will dole out jobs like they did in the old days...sorry, but those days are gone. Get educated, get technical training via wonderful programs for adults at CFCC and other community colleges, and stop letting the old-school "leaders" pander to you with their promise of jobs in a lousy industry like cement mining and mftg. It is awful. It will repel high growth market makers, and it will speak volumes about how ineffective WID has been for the past decade plus. Reply | Quote 0 0

Sw0rdf1sh   |2010-02-05 05:44:11 Obviously, the point can be made that it's educational and not wealth related regarding who is in opposition. There are no jobs worth ruining our environment, our existing tourism base which we so heavily rely on, and most importantly our childrens health. Those who take the time to be educated on the subject, see the red flags from the political misteps of an already proven corrupt administration, and lack of a proven SEPA review will understand that this was almost swept under a rug in front of all of our eyes. I'm glad this is an election year, those County Commissioners who are up are about to feel a lot of pain unless they start doing the right thing soon. Otherwise I'm pretty sure each of them should just go ahead and not seek re-election. Reply | Quote 0 0

Davis  - Center Thinker   |2010-05-20 17:04:13 I agree that Titan should have to follow safety standards to protect our environment, but this website is completely one-sided. I also agree that 250 jobs is not worth the complete destruction of our land, but everyone on here leaves out two main points: 1. If standards are followed, environmental impact can be marginal and 2. the tax incentives. I have no idea what this plant would pay in taxes, but I bet it is a tremendous amount of money. Also, how is this not a classic NIMBY(not in my backyard) case? The state of NC is a top 10 consumer of cement. Should we not pay the repercussions of our vast consumption? How can anyone say "its alright for your land to potentially be destroyed for our homes, but don't mess with our land" and then live in a home or apartment that sits upon a concrete foundation? Concrete is quite literally the foundation of advanced civilization. The most pivotal integral of concrete is cement. Therefore, it needs to be produced somewhere. We can't continue to consume and consume and then not ante-up when we are asked to pay our fair share. I am for a cement plant, if it is done properly. Reply | Quote 0 0

Tom Looney  - Fighting the Smokestacker's NIMBY formula   |2010-05-26 12:14:58 Davis "Center Thinker" sounds more like a well-educated lobbyist for the cement industry, but whatever. It is absurd to make the case that our State (and by extension, our tiny oceanfront peninsula of a place that is NH County) needs to take the burden of a cement plant to "pay our fair share". If anything, the cement industry needs FEWER plants in the USA, and not MORE! It is an extremely fragmented industry, with most US operations owned by non-US multi-nationals...like Greece's Titan. Large polluters like Big Cement intentionally fragment their most offensive operations (like mining in wetlands and burning coal etc. in kilns huge smokestacks to produce cement), and prefer to locate such operations in as many STATES as possible to garner regulatory support from our always on-the-take politicians...the state of NC delivers two more senators to the Cement Lobby's PAC along with all the affected congress people. We have 34 states operating roughly 135 cement plants in the USA. Our US based cement plants couldn't compete in a fair and open market were it not for all the various deals they cut with Congress (including limits on imports). And this is the best WID can do f or Wilmington over the past several years, chasing the ghost of an industry like cement? While mature industries they pay no bother to continue to thrive (pharma, biotech, info tech, high-value manufacturing, etc.) and NEW industries appear poised to EXPLODE WITH GROWTH (CleanTech, Green, and others). Where is the effort visible that WID does anything but serve as a commercial site broker for the roughly 30 listings of land, and roughly 30 listings for buildings, that persist on the dismal WID web site. And we're to believe that THEIR WEB SITE, and WID officials, are the diverse, multi-faceted industry guys recently sold to us in the GWBJ's two puff pieces on them? Hardly! WID has taken input from all sorts of strategic thinkers and dismisses it completely, because they have a great GIG going on, which is heavily funded by TAX DOLLARS PLUS the PRIVATE FUNDS of all kinds of local businesspeople. I for the life of me cannot figure out WHO is getting value out of the WID economic development formula. So yes, Titan is awful. Because it represents everything backwards and antiquated and stubborn about WID, and the men who run it in public and the men who run it behind the scenes. I hope we're learning with BP, BIG OIL, and the Gulf of Mexico about how toxic the environment is with businesses and politicians and government agencies all colluding to prop up bad old business models at the expense of placing big bold bets that surely we can win, and surely cannot afford to lose to China and others. Figuring out alternatives to dirty carbon-based energy sources will be THE NEXT BIG THING, and if the USA doesn't figure it out we will be beholden to China...who is WAY AHEAD OF US in the Cleantech race. Shame on anyone in leadership here taking the time to HELP a dirty cement plant relocate on our river so close to the ocean. If Titan passed all the hoops legally, without special intervention by local/state/fed lobbyists trying to cut corners, strike deals etc.....then it would STILL be a BAD idea and NOT worthy of TAX INCENTIVES from our very broke county government. That whole crowd who awarded Titan their NH County $$$ and that turned a blind eye to the ABC fiasco for so many years...ALL of them should be shown the door for new leaders, who are innovative, brave, and who listen to their taxpayers. Reply | Quote 0 0

Kelly Stryker   |2010-05-21 04:49:54 Hi Davis, This website is "one-sided" because it was formed to stop Titan. We're not here to debate cement consumption..that apparently took place behind closed doors with a handful of local officials years back. So, we never had a seat at the table on that point. If you live here, you'll agree this area has grown significantly in past 15 years, and your stat on NC cement consumption really just makes the point that we are meeting the demand just fine w/o the Titan plant.... perhaps because there are 7 cement plants within 400 miles of us, including 1 less than 250 miles away (even so, we get majority of our local cement from South America..go figure). Anyway, many of those nearby US plants have cut their production and had to lay off employees because demand in US is so low. So, yeah we use it, but there's ample supply so don't need to build a super sized plant here. Real point is that the majority of our community opposes the Titan plant and is working hard to not only stop it, but help bring in industries better suited for our area, our workers and projected job growth in the future. I think you could spin the NIMBY point into a property rights point too. It's very appropriate to have a stake in the future of the area you live and work. Thanks for your comments. Reply | Quote 0 0

Andrea De Angelis  - Who knew "progress" could be so lethal?   |2010-06-03 06:49:06 It seems to me if Titan does come to our area, that there will be plenty of jobs in the future available for all of the doctors who will have to treat the victims (human and animal) due to living in a toxic environment. I am sure that lawyers will have an increase in caseloads due to defending their clients who will press for lawsuits (no doubt). Of course money will have to be spent on all of the schools to be restructured & teachers to be retrained. Accommodating the added burden of all the "special needs" children that will be the outcome of this Titan plant will take quite a bit of effort. Remember that weird genetic stuff that happened to the victims of Hiroshima???? Local farmers & those of us who have our own little organic garden patch in our back yards can kiss our crops goodbye. So much for trying to eat healthy when the produce you harvest is killing you one bite at a time! And of course real estate values will plummet because who would want to live in our once lovely coastal town knowing that this area has lost its air,water & soil quality? Too bad for those of us who love it here but will have to sell our now under valued homes and move our families out of harms way. Gosh, who knew "progress" could be so lethal - to every one and every thing in its wake? Reply | Quote 1 0

Brian Berger  - Another Chance to Send a Message     |2010-06-09 12:15:39 For anyone with the interest and desire, there is at the present time an opportunity to send a message to our elected officials that the policy New Hanover County adopted to welcome Titan Cement with $4.2 million in incentives and the promise of a smoother regulatory review process is NOT acceptable. Helping to defeat a long-time incumbent with a large campaign warchest who voted for the tax incentives and is adamantly Pro-Titan in every way, would send a profound statement of community disapproval of the County's handling of Titan Cement. Defeating Bill Caster in his own party's primary, would deliver a message, loud and clear: The decision to invite Titan Cement was flawed. If you share the view that giving Titan Cement $4.2 million in tax incentives was erroneous, and that the secretive process that went on for years in backrooms to pave the way for Titan to set up its plant on the banks of the Cape Fear must change, then consider joining with me in sending that message. We have an opportunity, with the defeat of Caster this month, to bring needed change to the County - moving us one step closer to a 21st Century strategy for economic development and job creation. I am committed to working to ensure that there are no future Titans, through a comprehensive overhaul of economic development in New Hanover County. I continue to support rescinding the $4.2 million incentives error, but know we must go beyond Titan, and enact a successful new approach to bringing businesses to the region and spurring job growth. Titan exposed the many flaws in the current system Caster supports. I hope you will join with me to bring about long-overdue reform: improving results in recruiting and retaining businesses, growing job opportunities, while recognizing that the environment is vital to the local economy and must not be sacrificed for 40 jobs! If you are a Republican or Unaffiliated voter who voted in the Republican Primary May 4th, or didn't vote at all, please consider voting for me in the Run-off between myself and Caster. If you cannot vote in the Run-off, there are many, many ways you can still help send a message and convey your disapproval of the decision to welcome Titan to the region. And help bring more jobs and more responsive, open government to the County. Contact me at Berger4Commissioner@gmail.com or visit www.voteberger.com and help make a real, noticeable difference in YOUR community! Reply | Quote 0 0

eli manners  - I agree-elect Brian Berger-reject Titan&Caster   |2010-06-13 12:53:38 Brian you have run a good campaign-and you are right on many issues-on the environment and economic development. For those of us who want to stop Titan- we should vote for BRian BERGER in the june 22 run-off. He is a good candidate and will be a viable choice in November. We must reject the failed record and slezy campaign of bill caster-and his duplcity in supporting Titan and so many other interests-please help fight Titan and Caster Reply | Quote 0 0

l manero  - Stop Titan-Vote for Berger in run offf   |2010-06-20 02:34:02 I HEARD BERGER AND HIS OPPONENT-BERGER WILL TRY TO STOP TITAN AND HAS BEEN AGAINST IT FROM BEGINNING.CASTER HELPED BRING TITAN HERE AND HAS GIVEN THEM A SWEETHEART DEAL. WE NEED TO STAND UP FOR PEOPLE LIKE BRIAN BERGER WHO HAVE STOOD UP TO STOP TITAN, PLEASE VOTE ON 22ND FOR BRIAN AND HELP A GIY WHO HAS STOOD WITH US! Reply | Quote 0 0

Anonymous   |2010-06-23 07:54:45 Caster is gone, Hoorah! Reply | Quote 0 0

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