Petition
Please sign your name if you don't want Titan to build a cement manufacturing plant in Castle Hayne.
After you have added your name to this petition an e-mail will be sent to the given address to confirm your signature. Please make sure that your e-mail address is correct or you will not receive this e-mail and your name will not be counted.
Last 15 of 2002 signatories
Alison LopezLuke Jones, "I hope to God we actually can stop it..."
Robert M Thompson, "Stop Titan!!!"
Robert Hulick, "The Titan corporation is posed to cause significant disruption to our environmentally valuable wetlands, watersheds, and wildlife. VIVA STOP TITAN!!!"
Andrea TempletonMike Barnhart
Mike Yawn, "This plant could impact the whole region, not just New Hanover county. I live in Onslow County and I say NO NO NO."
Erin McDonaldSidney Corn
Shari Corn, "As an adjoining property owner, to the proposed Titan Cement boundry, I am very concerned with the ramifications of such an industry in my backyard."
Lacy R. QuehlWiliam W. Russell
Vicki B. Russell, "This must STOP!"
Drew R. Quehl, "We need to save our wetlands and our environment that this is going to affect!"
Marie Bossut
[...] for Action Skip to content HomeCommissioners E-Letter (Letter to Titan avail. next Tues.)PetitionSubscribe to [...]
Titan is defined as a person or thing of enormous size, strength, power, influence. Sounds like our star-struck Commissioners sold us out. Titan’s economic benefits do not outweigh the long-term health risks it poses. Stop this Titan from descending upon Wilmington now!
I am a Physician Assistant and am very aware of the link between the environmental pollutants produced by a plant like Titan and morbidity. I also was an business major and understand the need to bring jobs. The long term health problems outweigh the few jobs produced.
I am disspointed that this commisison would try and sneak this through affecting WIlmington’s environmental future and its citizen’s health. Are others getting paid besides Titan? This is a horrible abuse of power. what was the big secret?
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NORTH CAROLINA; SAVE OUR WET LANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Growth is the enemy of progress. The price of titans growth will come at the expense of the environment, human health and taxpayers wallets. For those in this business of “growth”, it just merely equates to greed.
There are enough cement businesses already. We’re good on cement. Find something else to do somewhere else please.
As an MPH and public health professional, I take a firm stand against bringing this carcinogenic project to our community. We know too much about how manufacturing plants like this negatively impact health to allow this to be built and operate. Is there a more sustainable method of producing concrete? If there is, produce it, and we’ll stand behind it. If not, we need to develop it. But it can’t be pollution business as usual. We know too much . . .
Let’s attract new employers to the area that will not just add jobs but will improve our community, not damage it. Let’s not compromise the health of our community, and allow pollutants to damage our local environment just to create 160 new jobs.
NO, NO,No!
The amount of jobs Titan will bring to the area pales in comparison to the potential health problems and environmental problems we face.
The money handed over to Titan could have been better used to aid other companies, agencies, etc in the area. What about giving the schools the four million?
Wow… my petition message dropped a few characters… namely the dollar signs and a few numbers. The taxes paid by Titan (estimated between 1.2 and 1.9 million dollars per year, depending on the year) represent less than ten dollars per individual living in the county. I can feel THOSE savings in my lungs.
“STOP TITAN” If at all possible, Regardless of what it cost, The people will have to
do it because we don’t have Commissioners that are interested in the people that put them in office, they are “Developers” that’s all they are.
Maybe the Commissioners thought the residents of SE North Carolina would be pleased to share our tax dollars with an industry like Titan. The Commissioners obviously did not consider the costs to our communities from pollution and loss of resource use. This was such a bad decision on their part that they can’t possibly be qualified to retain their trusted positions (with the exception of Nancy Pritchett who made a motion to table the decision until the next meeting in order to gather more information).
Why would this project even be proposed when it is so harmful to the well-being of all in this area?
STOP THE TITAN PROJECT.
This threat to the health of human beings is abominable. Shame on you guys. Would you want this plant being built in your area where your family would be so threatened?
STOP TITAN
Has anyone of you been to the Roanoke plant that Titan owns? I visited this plant last year during a community open house event and was very suprised at the facility and it’s operation. Furthermore , I spoke with several of the local residents and heard very few complaints about the plant. I also understand that Titan opened the doors to the Roanoke plant to us but nobody would go. It would probably have been a waste of time anyway…it appears that most of you here have already made your minds up. I would encourage you to educate yourselves on some of the statements made in these posts. Thay are very inaccurate and incomplete.
To Dave:
The Roanoke plant is half the size of Titan’s Castle Hayne proposed cement plant. If built today, this plant would be the fourth largest in the US. Roanoke is 24th. The estimated mercury emissions from Roanoke are under 10 lbs a year, we get over 260 lbs. a year plus up to 600 acres of wetland loss. I don’t see how you can compare plants, in terms of size or location. A more applicable comparison would be Titan’s Florida plant and mining operation, which has been suspected of contaminating the primary drinking water for Miami-Dade county. Not sure what posts you are referring to, but any inaccurate statements you see posted on this website, we will gladly correct, just send us your source.
IF THIS FACILITY IS NEEDED SO BADLY, IT COULD BE
LOCATED FURTHER FROM THE COAST.THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS LOCATING HERE.ONCE THIS AREA HAS BEEN COVERED WITH THE VARIOUS POLLUTANTS ISSUED FROM THIS PLANT, THERE WILL BE NO TURNING BACK AND THE DAMAGE
WILL CONTINUE FROM THE SKY,RUNOFF,WATER CONTAMINATION, AND AIR QUALITY PROBLEMS THAT WILL BE TOO COMPLICATED TO ADDRESS AT THAT TIME.
PLEASE RECONSIDER LOCATING AT MANY OTHER AREAS NOT
POPULATED WHERE THE EFFLUENT COULD BE CONTAINED AND POSSIBLY CLEANED WITHOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE IF POSSIBLE.
DEATH VALLEY COMES TO MIND. JUST KIDDING.
THE ONLY WAY TO NEGATE THE EFFECTS ON THE AIR AND WATER WOULD BE TO BUILD THE ENTIRE PLANT IN A SEALED DOME AND OPERATE IT REMOTELY,BUT PLEASE BUILD IT SOMEWHERE FAR FROM HERE. MY GRANDKIDS ENJOY THE WATERS SO MUCH.
Stop Titan.
The New Hanover County Commissioners need to come forward and oppose Titan and withdraW THE INCENTIVE OFFER.
My name is Brian Berger, and I am now a candidate for the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners. One of my reasons for running is the incentives deal for Titan America, which I strongly oppose. I did not see anyone on the ballot who shares this perspective and is willing to press this issue.
I’ll fight to withdraw the incentives deal, but that is not enough. We need to overhaul the abused incentives and business recruitment processes that paved the way for Titan America LLC to land this deal, and ensure it never happens again.
If the same people remain in office we’re going to get more of the same, because they clearly do not care about the environment’s role in our economy, future economic growth, and quality of life.
It’s time to make a change in New Hanover County. Visit my campaign Web site at http://www.electberger.org, contact me, pepper me with questions, send me information, and consider supporting me in this fight. Brian
That web address is: http://www.electberger.com
Hi Brian–Thanks for your post. Good to know more folks are taking note of this issue on the political front and even better that more candidates are jumping into the County Commissioners race in November. Very glad to hear of your public opposition to the Titan cement plant, but would like to know if you would oppose this plant if no incentives were on the table. Obviously, as one of the organizers of Stoptitan.org, I am against it on many fronts, namely the health and environmental impacts. We’ve spent a lot of time researching these reasons and would encourage all to do the same (not just front this site). But to Brian, would you like to elaborate on your own opposition a bit more, esp. outside of your dislike for tax incentives?
Kelly,
The incentives deal for Titan America is one of the big reasons why I am a candidate on the ballot for New Hanover County Commissioner. The simple answer to your question is, yes, even in the absence of incentives, Titan should not have been invited into the Cape Fear region. The preponderance of evidence suggests that Titan’s plans involve major implications for the region’s environment, transportation and emergency services infrastructure, as well as risks for the area’s most important economic drivers (tourism, retirement, real estate) exceeding the purported economic benefits.
All of these implications should have been carefully vetted and studied during the past couple years, and should have given officials pause. Instead, our elected officials never even asked these questions and wrote a taxpayer check made out to “Titan America LLC.”
My vision of “economic development” for the Cape Fear region is based on attracting businesses and individuals with an eye toward long-term, sustainable growth, and protecting the environment and quality of life for residents is an inherent part of this model. That’s why I was a vocal opponent of Hugo Neu when I ran for Wilmington City Council (when the company was offering the incentives) in 2005.
I am certain that I’m the only candidate on the ballot who truly intends to use the weight of public office and my full energy to fight Titan’s proposed project (based on available information). That was my evaluation based on other candidates’ actions as political officials and influencers, and that’s why I decided to run at the last minute. Each of you will have to make up your own minds on all candidates based on your own values and priorities.
I am in the process of developing a detailed position statement on Titan’s project, and as you know there are a lot of “what if” scenarios which could impact the potential remedies on the political, regulatory and legal fronts. I attended the scoping meeting earlier this month to raise some of my concerns, and more information should help shed light on the impacts for the region.
As a final note for now, I am not only opposed to Titan’s deal, but seek to change the process that brought us to this point. This “economic development” process is flawed, outdated, and secretive and unless it changes, there will continue to be similar environmentally hazardous projects proposed and the same reactionary responses required.
The process won’t change until the people in office change, and this certainly sets me apart from any other candidate. I invite you to take a look at http://www.electberger.com, review my position statement on Titan and other issues as they become available, and encourage anyone with information to send it to me (I’m always trying to become better educated since I don’t have all the answers). I also welcome the support of anyone interested in helping out.
Thank you, Brian, for your very thorough and informative response. I am glad to hear your opposition to this cement plant transcends the tax incentives. Couldn’t agree more with you that we need a better system in place than what is currently being implemented by our Commissioners. Best of luck in your bid for County Commissioner and thank you again for clarifying your position and your willingness to make public your opposition on this very important issue .
I work for this company Titan America, for three years and all they did to me was LIE, LIE, LIE, The Tampa plant always lose flyash and cement products wich blow all over the place. As far as getting hired by this company, make sure you record every conversation or they will burn you. They are very write up happy so drivers are always on edge. as far as west coast of Florida, we have horrible leaders.
If elected officials are so short sighted on issues that directly affect our quality of life and our health, they should prepare for two inevitabilities; 1) they will not be re-elected and 2) they will see a dramatic decrease in the number of people moving their families and their tax dollars to New Hanover County. When my husband and I were looking for a coastal community in which to raise our two small children ( a move from Washington, DC which included my DC salary and the transfer of that income tax to NC and NHC) we would not have chosen Wilmington had Titan been here. This seems to me to be a very simple question for the citizens to answer, and we have done so in great numbers.
North Carolina (in most counties including New Handover) already has emission inspections in place for citizens who drive vehicles. Which are high cost inspections with high fines if you can not pass in there time frame. Which are paid by individual citizens . So what is the point if we allow a company to come in and create large amounts of pollution(emission). If we do allow refunds should be in place for all NC citizens for emission fines and inspections.
As far as job creation I do not see it. Most jobs will be given to out of state and out of country people. As well as the company will be given unfair tax breaks and unneeded grants at the cost of NC citizens standard of living.
the first flood will spread poison all over eastern north carolina,and maybe more! the concreat plants should be at higher ground,and kept to a smaller size! thank you Kerr family
Knowing the impact of mercury emissions on our environment and public health, it is absolutely deplorable that our county government would allow (much less invite) this kind of hazardous industry to our beautiful coastal community. As a Wilmington native, I am shocked that the community which I grew up in could be one I would want to leave, due to negligence on the part of our county govt. Having just lost my mother to cancer and watching friends lose family members to cancer, it is unimaginable that we would allow ANY amount of hazardous chemical creating plants to build in our area. We should certainly be able to trust our govt. to keep our community safe, not to allow dangerous carcinogens and harmful chemicals to penetrate our soil, water, and air.
Is anyone out there paying attention……..We only get one chance. I hope that the commissioners will reconsider, and admit that they have made a mistake in asking the Titan plant to reside in our community. What an amazing example that could be.
Listen to the people of your community and those who voted you into office.
Joe and Kelly, Thank you for the enormous amount of time, energy and research you have put into this for the citizens of New Hanover County. Without your knowledge, voice and grass root efforts, this project could have slipped into Castle Hayne before we could prevent it.
Thanks for all you do!!!
We should certainly be able to trust our govt. to keep our community safe, not to allow dangerous carcinogens and harmful chemicals to penetrate our soil, water, and air. (YEAH RIGHT!!!)
Is anyone out there paying attention……..STOP THEM
After about a million alarmist theories have been proven dead wrong simply by the passing of time, I caution hasty easy judgments because they sound so sound! Before you completely decide everything is going to be destroyed, altered or polluted to death(because you can simply look in a few text books from the 70’s & 80’s and see how sicience makes so, so many errors) I urge you to check both sides of the story first. You can go to many websites by using google, but one is http://www.mercuryfacts.org and see some equally credible science that disqualifies the problems with mercury suggested by many other websites. Please do always, always listen and give equal time and effort to hearing both sides of any argument prior to making choices that affect your neighbor and the future of this country. With that being said though, I agree this plant presents so many risks and they will not be held accountable when they emit or contribute to the increase of mercury into our waterways. This company should be responsible for creating their own solutions to the pollution they create; some say maybe they could really go to the middle of nowhere, dig a lake, close it off to the public, recycle and use their own toxic water as much as they like. I’m sure there are solutions to the toxins produced, but it would cut into the almighty $$$. There are already so many potential contaminates in this area to our water, such as the ever failing sewer system and the sewer system and the sewer system!! Can we fix that sewer system already!! That is my spill ; )
Our children need clean air and a healthy environment. Let’s try to find a workable substitute for a company that will not pollute the environment.
Anyone who takes the time go to the mercury facts (?) website listed above owes it to themselves to also google: sourcewatch center for consumer freedom. The mercury facts (?) website is the brainchild of Richard Berman. The sad story of how Richard Berman and Philip Morris tobacco formed the front group “Guest Choice” which mutated into the “Center for Consumer Freedom” is detailed in great detail by Sourewatch.
Berman got his start with Philip Morris and Big Tobacco arguing against smoking bans in restaurants. In addition, his front groups oppose lowering the legal blood-alcohol level, pesticide restrictions, and now are claiming that fish contaminated with mercury are no real problem. They have referred to groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving as the “Nanny Culture”.
The truth is that over twenty years of peer reviewed scientific research has shown that:
mercury in seafood is dangerous to local children and adults, mercury in seafood is dangerous to local wildlife populations, the majority of mercury in local seafood comes from local sources, and when these local sources of mercury are shut down mercury levels in the environment decline. In addition, as little as one gram of mercury has been shown to contaminate the fish in a twenty acre lake. It takes a calculator to figure out how many grams of mercury are in the amount of mercury that Titan America says it may release on an annual basis. Do the math and it will astound you. Times this amount by 30 to 50 years - the proposed life time of the Castle Hayne plant and this is the amount of mercury that Titan has asked the State of North Carolina to be allowed to emit over the life of the plant.
Titan America, in it’s air quality permit, has stated that it’s Castle Hayne plant may release 260 lbs of mercury every year. This means that Titan America’s cement plant has the potential, in the company’s own assessment calculations, to become a long lasting, new mercury hotspot, one of the largest in North Carolina.
We need our seafood to be as safe as possible. We need to be cleaning up our existing mercury emissions - not creating new ones that vastly overshadow what already exist. We already have mercury concerns with our seafood, but the science shows that by eliminating hotspots we can make our seafood safer to consume. We do not need a new mercury hotspot on our coast. We do not need Titan America’s mercury in our environment.
Thanks Alexander for that response and the facts about mercury which none of us can afford to be fooled about. They are going about things in a very underhanded manner, and this is a scary thing. We have to voice our opinions, and continue spreading the facts to keep this from happening.
I’m with Jonathan Barfield who is running for Commisioner ……..he said Sat. “no way, no how, no Titan”!
Kim Beller
Kim,
As a candidate for County Commissioner, this past Thursday night (Sept 18) at the Cape Fear Homebuilders Association political shindig, Barfield did not express any interest in fighting Titan, he did say we should give homebuilders four million dollars, too. On a real estate radio program a couple weeks ago, Barfield said he had mixed feelings about Titan and was “60-40″ on the issue. Not exactly a strong position indicative of a leader who really wants to fight this…
At the same time, he said he wanted to build “affordable” housing adjacent to the cement plant, while he can’t make up his mind about whether the cement plant would be good or bad, which also suggests he doesn’t see this as a very important issue…and is little moved by its potential consequences.
There seems to be a lot of preachy soundbytes offered by some politicians about Titan’s cement plant since there is an election coming up, but we don’t need more politicians who change their tune depending on the audience or “express concern” but won’t commit to an action plan to back up that rhetoric.
If Jonathan is serious, will he join me in promising ACTION. Not just words?
Barfield’s record of opposing environmental protections as head of the Realtors Association and his inability to offer more than words on both sides of the Titan debate, just within the past few days, depending on the audience, creates room for cynicism.
We don’t need more deception in New Hanover County. So I’d like to ask point blank, if Barfield has finally decided he opposes Titan, what specifically is he pledging to do to oppose it, on the record, once he’s elected?
Will he join my pledge to withdraw the $4.2 million incentives deal and vigorously advocate to state and Federal legislative and regulatory bodies opposition to Titan’s project?
What specific reforms is he proposing to change the priorities and processes that led to rolling out the red carpet for Titan? What is his plan to ensure that environmental concerns receive greater attention in local decisionmaking? Will he reverse his record of fighting to ensure that Realtors and developers, exclusively, are appointed to advisory boards?
Excuse my cynicism, but saying one thing Thursday night and delivering another soundbyte just two days later suggests Barfield is not serious about this but simply offering a flowery soundbyte, backed up by no commitment to action, to pander for votes.
If Barfield has finally decided he’s serious, had an epiphany Friday night, I’d like to sit down with him and talk about specific actions to reverse the County Commission’s lapse of judgement. I’ve got some specific ideas, and I’d like to hear his ideas, and see if we can come up with a feasible plan of action.
So will Barfield commit to action, or keep offering empty slogans with no intention to fight this once he’s got his seat on the Board?
Please visit http://www.electberger.com to review some of the actions I have proposed, and I’d be very interested in knowing if Jonathan Barfield is serious or just playing games and deceiving the public. He would not be the first to offer empty words during an election, providing hope to the concerned, only to return to the status quo after the votes have been counted.
Thank you Brian, for keeping it honest! And thank you, Kim, and everybody, for speaking out on this issue, time and time again. I hope Brian’s challenge to Johnathan Barfield brings more specific discussion from ALL candidates. We have three seats to fill on the New Hanover County Commissioners election in November. Three seats, five candidates. Put three candidates in office who will start making better decisions for our county. Send the other two packing; those who still think–after all that’s come out about the pollution, the mercury, the bullying and inaccurate statements by Titan representatives—-that this is a good thing for us. Contact the websites and offices of those running (Brian Berger, Johnathan Barfield, Jr, Jason Thompson, Comm. Ted Davis, Comm. Bill Kopp) and give them the same scrutiny Brian has expressed here. This has to be transparent. Voters need to know who they can trust on this issue. Press them hard……they’ll be making decisions for us for the next four years….a very long time to pollute and degrade our environment. And a promise from Stoptitan: We will put up a Political Corner soon so we can help force the candidates to come “clean” on their position on Titan. Thanks again to all for staying on this important issue.
Your wish is Chris Mazzolini’s command, Kelly.
The front page of today’s Star News has the article “Most candidates oppose cement plant.” Though I can’t find an online version, there’s a related article online here:
Candidates reveal their thoughts on proposed Titan plant
brian
thanks for the info. and your challenge to the others running in the election.
with 3 seats open, hopefully all who are voted in will agree that this is one of the most important issues facing our community.
after speaking with mr. barfield on the titan issue, i am hoping that he will stand strong against it if elected.
i’ll look forward to the political corner on this site, and hope that everyone involved will be honest and “come clean”!!
thanks for your dedication to stop titan.
kim
Let me set the record straight I have repeatedly said that I am against Titan coming to our community and I will do all that I can to stop the County from going forward with this initiative once I am elected. I have read the comments of Mr. Brian Berger and I am very diaappointed with how he has misrepresented me. While he and I were at the same home builders dinner he indicated that I said nothing about the Titan issue while speaking. If I remember correct no one did, that includes Mr. Berger. For those that read the Star News last week my commment was “No way, no how no Titan”. I have done my homework on this issue. I have taken a tour of the Northeast Cape Fear River with Mr. Doug Springer the riverkeeper for Cape Fear River Watch, I have met with the Stop Titan members at rallys, and I have met with Titan officials. My goal was to have an informed decision by looking at all of the facts and opinions. I feel that as your County Commissioner I owe it to you the citizens of New Hanover County to educate myself on both sides of and issue so that I can make an informed decision. I also owe it to myself to do my due diligence so that after I have made a decision I can sleep well and my integrity is intact, and as a Pastor I know that this is the right approach to take. Mr. Berger if you would like to know where I stand on any issue feel free to call me at 910-233-8780 and I will tell you where I stand. In the future please do not take out of context what I have said, or assume you know what is in my mind and heart without speaking with me first. I had hoped that this race would not stoop to dirty politics and name calling.
Mr. Barfield,
There is absolutely nothing in my post that is factually inaccurate and what name you’ve been called I’ve missed? Nobody has called you names. Being asked specific policy questions requiring a substantive answer is not name calling.
By your own admission your position on Titan has been “changing.” Fluid. Here. There. You have repeatedly stated things FOR, AGAINST, and MIXED on Titan coming to our community. Therefore, asking where you stand and if that stance could change again is a reflection of your own record.
Kim mentioned your six word soundbyte, and I asked publicly in the same forum if there is any substance behind it. Is there?
Are you really coming around, or just reciting slogans without making any specific pledges to take specific action after Nov. 4 that you might be somewhat obligated to pursue.
Some of us who actually care would like to know where you stand today, and what reassurances you might provide to assuage cynicism that your position could switch back at any moment, again, to some other position you’ve expressed in recent weeks.
I’m cautiously optimistic that you might be coming around, but I’m not sold on slogans alone, and as I acknowledged in my post, I am a bit cynical. (I put that right out there so any readers would peruse my questions and comments in that post with that grain of salt). I’ve watched how things work around here for too long not to be cynical. Others make up their own minds, as each and every voter should.
Soundbytes might sell most voters, but actions and specific commitments matter most to me, and I’ve posed some specific, direct questions for you. You have not answered them so I’ll ask again:
Will you sponsor a resolution to withdraw the $4.2 million incentives package offered to Titan?
Did you tell the Star-News “yes” and then switch to “no” when a reporter informed you that the contract signed by the County could be construed as legally-binding and put the County at-risk of potential legal action for “breach of contract” initiated by Titan?
Now that a reporter informed you of that, I’ll ask again, would you sponsor and vote for a resolution to rescind the incentives deal?
Would you use your position as County Commissioner to put your full energy into advocating and commenting before every applicable regulatory agency and leslative body the interests of the people of New Hanover County in opposing Titan locating in Castle Hayne?
What if any exact actions do you plan to embark upon other than six words to oppose Titan’s plans?
Can you cite one specific instance in the past three years when you have bucked the Realtor/Homebuilding associations and publicly supported any environmental legislation or regulation opposed by those groups?
I will call you on Monday Jonathan to talk specifically, in person, about your positions and how we might work together toward a common goal of reversing this mistake that was years in the making. I hope we can find some common ground, and agree on heading in the same direction, even if we might disagree on how to get there.
However, I also hope you will answer my questions above with specifics and in writing, in this same forum, so that I don’t misrepresent you. And please do not infer or insinuate that these specific questions are in any way an attack on your integrity or character. Voters have a RIGHT to ask what your positions are, and mine, to question us, and every elected official and candidate should never forget that.
Respectfully,
Brian
If I ask where you stand today, it’s because I care deeply about this and other issues, not because I hold anything against you personally. Slogans are
Please refrain from the victim routine that is so commonplace among politicians whenever concerned citizens express concern about the decisions being made in this community. The old cliche of politicians playing the victim is tired, being asked specific questions about where one stands is not “name calling” and the public showing up at meetings is not “bullying.”
“No way, no how no Titan”.
Mr. Barfield,
There is absolutely nothing in my post that is factually inaccurate and what name you’ve been called I’ve missed? Nobody has called you names. Being asked specific policy questions requiring a substantive answer is not name calling.
By your own admission your position on Titan has been “changing.” Fluid. Here. There. You have repeatedly stated things FOR, AGAINST, and MIXED on Titan coming to our community. Therefore, asking where you stand and if that stance could change again is a reflection of your own record.
Kim mentioned your six word soundbyte, and I asked publicly in the same forum if there is any substance behind it. Is there?
Are you really coming around, or just reciting slogans without making any specific pledges to take specific action after Nov. 4 that you might be somewhat obligated to pursue.
Some of us who actually care would like to know where you stand today, and what reassurances you might provide to assuage cynicism that your position could switch back at any moment, again, to some other position you’ve expressed in recent weeks.
I’m cautiously optimistic that you might be coming around, but I’m not sold on slogans alone, and as I acknowledged in my post, I am a bit cynical. (I put that right out there so any readers would peruse my questions and comments in that post with that grain of salt). I’ve watched how things work around here for too long not to be cynical. Others make up their own minds, as each and every voter should.
Soundbytes might sell most voters, but actions and specific commitments matter most to me, and I’ve posed some specific, direct questions for you. You have not answered them so I’ll ask again:
Will you sponsor a resolution to withdraw the $4.2 million incentives package offered to Titan?
Did you tell the Star-News “yes” and then switch to “no” when a reporter informed you that the contract signed by the County could be construed as legally-binding and put the County at-risk of potential legal action for “breach of contract” initiated by Titan?
Now that a reporter informed you of that, I’ll ask again, would you sponsor and vote for a resolution to rescind the incentives deal?
Would you use your position as County Commissioner to put your full energy into advocating and commenting before every applicable regulatory agency and leslative body the interests of the people of New Hanover County in opposing Titan locating in Castle Hayne?
What if any exact actions do you plan to embark upon other than six words to oppose Titan’s plans?
Can you cite one specific instance in the past three years when you have bucked the Realtor/Homebuilding associations and publicly supported any environmental legislation or regulation opposed by those groups?
I will call you on Monday Jonathan to talk specifically, in person, about your positions and how we might work together toward a common goal of reversing this mistake that was years in the making. I hope we can find some common ground, and agree on heading in the same direction, even if we might disagree on how to get there.
However, I also hope you will answer my questions above with specifics and in writing, in this same forum, so that I don’t misrepresent you. And please do not infer or insinuate that these specific questions are in any way an attack on your integrity or character. Voters have a RIGHT to ask what your positions are, and mine, to question us, and every elected official and candidate should never forget that.
Respectfully,
Brian
I’m interested in the impact of environmental toxins on human health. I’m finding a lot about mercury and power plants; I’m also looking for information about mercury from other industrial polluters, such as cement.
I got the following from the Southeastern Environmental Law Center
link http://www.southernenvironment.org/cases/mercury_nc/index.htm
The threat to the state is so great in fact, that in one part of southeastern North Carolina, residents have the highest mercury levels in their blood and hair in the country - three times higher than EPA’s safe threshold.
My question is, what part of southeastern North Carolina? Anybody know?
Thanks,
Jean
Hi Jean,
Someone from SELC confirmed this for me too. The area is near Lake Waccamaw. The stretch of river where Titan wants to build their cement plant is also currently listed as “impaired” for mercury and I believe there is another hotspot or at least high concentration of mercury were the mouth of the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, power plants in NC will now be required to lower criteria pollutants (NOx, SO2, PM, ozone, VOC) and as a result of this technology, their mercury emissions will come down. That is good, but what is bad, is that cement plants are exempt from this legislation (called NC Clean Smokestack Act). Big loophole, esp. since according to Titan Cement, their mercury emissions will be:
# 1 in New Hanover County
# 5 in the whole state of NC (beating out several power plants)
NC already ranks in the top 10 states for mercury emissions, and Titan’s emission will be the 10th highest emissions of any cement plant currently in operation in the US.
Southeastern NC has a big problem with mercury NOW. Because of the high rainfall and high-conversion rate to methylmercury (the most toxic form) we have some of the highest mercury deposition rates (the way mercury comes from a stack and settles nearby) in the US. And our elected officials and Titan America are still trying to tell all of us that mercury isn’t really a concern or, even better, that the Regulations will take care of it. Of course, there are no MACT standards for mercury emission, Titan has no technology for mercury reduction (like power plants) and mercury emissions are estimated to EPA and are usually lower (by half) than actual. Our areas coal and limestone is known to be higher in mercury than other parts of US, so when burned in the kiln, the emissions will be higher. But we won’t know exactly how high because Titan won’t install a CEM (a way to continously monitor mercury emissions). SELC and EarthJustice have great websites on this. EarthJustice has an online petition you can sign to ask EPA to better regulate mercury. You are deadright in your concerns about Titan’s mercury emissions………everybody should be.
Thank you for the reply Kelly.
I thought it was interesting that at the Titan openhouse 10/7, the Intertox people (paid by Titan to study the plant’s impact on human health ) quickly steered the conversation to the “dangers” of mercury lightbulbs in my home (which I never asked about) and away from the dangers of mercury from the proposed plant (which I did ask about).
please no…. speak for our environment, so we have some what of a world left for the next generations to follow… we’re all already in an environment crisis isn’t that enough…
mercury… bad for all living things!!!