Titan America has been spending a lot of time and money over the past two months trying to convince us we have little to fear and much to gain by their plans to build a cement plant in Castle Hayne, comparing it to their cement plant in Roanoke, Virginia. But what Titan officials are not telling you is that, according to the Portland Cement Association, the Titan cement plant slated for Castle Hayne will be the fourth largest producing cement plant in the United States. That’s right, the fourth largest cement producing plant in the United States. Their Roanoke plant is 24th. Think about that for a moment. And while you do, here’s some more sobering information:

1. The largest cement producer in the US (Texas Industries, Inc.) is also the # 1 polluter in the county where it operates (Ellis County, Texas)
2. The second and third largest US cement producers (CEMEX, USA and LaFarge North America) are also the single largest polluters in their respective counties of San Bernardino, CA and Alpena, Michigan
3. LaFarge Cement (the third largest producer) has a clinker production rate of just over 2.2 million tons per year (from a Portland Cement Association 2006 report) and emits up to 580 lbs of mercury per year. According to Titan’s draft air permit under review with NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), Titan plans to produce 2.19 million tons of clinker per year. Oddly, Titan estimates their mercury emissions will be 263 lbs. per year even though the production rate is almost the same as LaFarge’s. Remember, mercury emissions are reported as estimates and are highly sensitive to the mercury content not only of limestone but also the type of coal and fly ash used (fly ash is a by-product of coal combustion). LaFarge used to report their mercury around 40 lbs. per year until it was discovered they were vastly underreporting their emissions, primarily because of the high mercury content of the fly ash they were using. Titan says they will burn coal and use fly ash from Progress Energy. The type of coal that comes from the Appalachian and Gulf Coast regions of the US is known to have a high mercury content as does the fly ash from burning this type of coal. We should demand a more thorough investigation of the testing methods and exact mercury emissions from Titan’s Castle Hayne plant. Otherwise we can assume, like at the LaFarge plant, that Titan’s mercury estimates might not be completely accurate
4. New Hanover county already ranks 6th highest in the state for mercury emissions. Titan’s proposed plant will move us up to 4th in the state. It will be the # 1 mercury emitter in New Hanover county. This number could be even higher if Titan’s mercury estimates are not accurate
5. An even more sobering fact is that when the local regulatory authorities in Michigan discovered the Lafarge plant was emitting close to 600 lbs. of mercury a year–ten times more than previous estimates–they sued to try and force the cement plant to reduce their mercury to comply with the state of Michigan’s mercury limits. Guess what? They lost. The courts said the Michigan regulatory authorities charged with keeping industries like cement plants in compliance with state and federal regulations had no authority to demand LaFarge to lower their emissions because there was no state law on record specific to cement plants. North Carolina, with no operating cement plants, will likely be just as vulnerable and just as incapable to regulate a heavy polluter like Titan Cement
6. If this is not maddening enough, EPA scientists estimate that 1 in 6 American women of childbearing age has enough mercury in her body to put her child at risk, should she become pregnant.

North Carolina, specifically, New Hanover county, does not need any more mercury sources and most certainly does not need to offer incentives to bring a heavy polluting industry into our community. Besides, there is no shortage of cement plants in our area. Every state that borders NC has at least one operating cement plant. There are 7 plants within 400 miles (including one plant in SC within 250 miles). No matter what savings Titan and other’s say will be gained by having a cement plant in our area, the increased pollution and degradation of our natural resources is not worth it. –Kelly Stryker