NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - Carolinas Cement Company has responded to the state of North Carolina regarding a cement plant proposed for the Castle Hayne area of New Hanover County. The report was issued in December by Patrick E. Butler, the Hearing Officer for the NC Division of Air Quality, and listed nine recommendations for review as the company pursues an Air Quality Permit for its project.
[Read Butler's recommendations (PDF)]
Butler's recommendations cover several issues, including DAQ seeking a legal evaluation on whether it can issue the new permit to Carolinas Cement before an environmental review is done under the National Environmental Protection Act. Another centers on whether the company properly followed guidelines in applying for a special use permit from New Hanover County.
Carolinas Cement, a subsidiary of Titan America, responds with a letter dated January 17, 2012 providing what the company calls "discussion and clarification" of Butler's recommendations, and comments made by the public during hearings held in September of 2011.
[Read the letter from Carolinas Cement (PDF)]
The letter is sent by James S. Willis, the Corporate Environmental Manager for Carolinas Cement. It is addressed to two officials the NC Division of Air Quality, including Director Sheila Holman, who will make the final decision on whether to award CCC with the air quality permit needed for the plant.
In the letter, Willis alleges that one of Butler's recommendations is related to assertions that are "incorrect", specifically whether the federal National Environmental Policy Act would prevent the state from issuing a final air quality permit in this case.
Willis also addresses other concerns raised by the public during the September hearings, including potential mercury emissions from the proposed plant. "Opponents of the CCC project have focused on potential mercury emissions from the CCC plant," Willis writes. "And CCC has devoted substantial resources and attention to this issue to address concerns articulated by members of the public."
Tom Mather, a spokesman with the DAQ, said in December that no timetable had been set for when a final decision would come on CCC's permit request.
Opponents have spoken out against the proposed plant since the plans were first announced. They claim the operation has too many potential health and environmental dangers. Supporters say Carolinas Cement, a subsidiary of Titan America, will provide much-needed jobs to the local economy.
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