Grannis Hails Clean Air Settlement with Cement Manufacturer

ALBANY, NY (01/21/2010)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today hailed a comprehensive Clean Air Act settlement with Lafarge North America, Inc. and two of its subsidiaries that is expected to reduce harmful air emissions by more than 35,000 tons per year from 13 cement plants in 13 states, including the company's facility in Ravena (Albany County).

A consent decree, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, will require Lafarge and its affiliates to install and implement control technologies to reduce emissions at their cement plants at an expected cost of up to $170 million. Lafarge's actions under this agreement are expected to reduce annual emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by more than 9,000 tons and sulfur dioxide (SO2) by more than 26,000 tons per year.

"This is a landmark settlement in New York's fight to reduce air pollution," Commissioner Grannis said. "Cement plants are the nation's third-largest source of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions and the Lafarge settlement is the first system-wide settlement in the cement industry. As a result, Lafarge must eliminate thousands of tons of pollution it otherwise would release annually into New York's air."

The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York and 12 other states (Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington) joined in the settlement.

To meet their obligations under EPA's New Source Review program under the consent decree, Lafarge and its affiliates will significantly cut emissions from cement kilns within their system by installing modern emission controls on a number of kilns that previously had little or no controls for NOx and SO2.

The facilities included in the settlement are located in or near Ravena, New York; Whitehall, Pennsylvania; Calera, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; Harleyville, South Carolina; Paulding, Ohio; Alpena, Michigan; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Sugar Creek, Missouri; Buffalo, Iowa; Fredonia, Kansas; Grand Chain, Illinois; and Seattle, Washington.

At Lafarge's Ravena plant, the emissions reductions will be significant. For the years 2004-06, the plant annually emitted an average of 5,218 tons of NOx and 11,792 tons of SO2. Under the settlement, the Ravena plant will have to further control emissions or have to be rebuilt as a modern, lower-emitting plant. After implementation of the settlement, Lafarge's annual emissions will be approximately 3,250 for NOx and 2,000 for SO2.

Lafarge and its affiliates will pay a $5,075,000 civil penalty, with approximately two-thirds going to the federal government and one-third to the states. New York's share is approximately $490,000.

The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period.