Citizens Against Titan Will Rally at Hanover County Courthouse.

Today the grassroots group, Citizens Against Titan will present Hanover County Commissioners with a petition signed by over 5,000 concerned citizens. The proposed cement plant to be built in Castle Hayne, north of Wilmington, would likely emit hundreds of pounds of mercury annually, along with a number of other greenhouse gases. Much like the coal used to power the plant, limestone the main ingredient in cement, also contains mercury. This makes the cement industry one of the nations top mercury polluters.

In a diverse ecosystem like the one found on the Cape Fear (where the plant is expected to be built), an increase in mercury levels will lead to higher levels of mercury in the surrounding fish populations. If the fish is consumed, the mercury can be hazardous to both pregnant women and small children. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 8% of women that are of childbearing age have enough mercury in their system to put an infant at risk of cognitive and developmental damage. Studies have also shown that higher concentrations of mercury in adults can lead to an increase in the chance of heart disease.

In a letter dated October 2009, EPA officials raised doubts that the plant would be able to meet the new federal air standards. EPA engineers estimated that the plant would emit 263 pounds of mercury annually, that's 230 pounds over the new federal standard. Without proper scrubbing technology the EPA also estimates that the facility will continually emit levels of sulfur dioxide over the federal guidelines. The corporation also has a record of polluting the environment. In 2007, a federal judge shut down a Titan subsidiary's quarry after it was linked to contaminating water sources in the Miami-Dade area.

Without a grassroots movement, the Titan Corporation will profit off the destruction of our environment and health of our citizens. If you would like to lend your support please attend tonight's rally. The specifics are below.

When: MONDAY, February 1st, 4:45 pm to 6:30 pm

Where: 3rd and Princess St. Wilmington, NC in front of the County Courthouse

CORRECTION: The post originally stated the plant would be built on the Neuse; it is proposed for the NE Cape Fear River.

Last day to comment on Titan Cement

Along the banks of the mercury impaired Northeast Cape Fear River, Titan America plans to build the fourth-largest cement plant and limestone mine in the country. Proposed emissions: over 140 hazardous and toxic air pollutants including mercury, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and sulfur dioxide.

That's all in the draft air permit, over which the public comment period ends today. Inextricably linked with the public health and water quality issues is the rapid pace the state has taken with the permitting process.

As our Cape Fear group chair wrote back in September, normally a project of similar size and scope would trigger the NC Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). SEPA is triggered when the following conditions are met: (1) state permitting is needed for the project (2) the project will have significant environmental impact, and (3) public money has been accepted by the company. All conditions seem to apply to the proposed cement kiln in Wilmington. Titan has claimed that though they accepted $4,000,000 in public money, it doesn't apply to Point 3 because the funds are technically a reduction in taxes after the project is completed. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) originally determined that SEPA applied, but subsequently rescinded.

And there's more, of course. The US EPA currently has draft rules w/r/t emissions from cement kilns, and the maximum limit laid out in those rules would be exceeded by the permit granted to Titan America by the state of North Carolina. As the Charlotte Observer put it: "The state has put the cart ahead of the horse..."

Update: In a letter dated November 18, 2009, Joe Sinsheimer asked Governor Perdue for "a 90-day freeze on the Titan Cement environmental permitting process," among other things. You can read the letter and analysis at the News & Observer. In an interview, the Governor stated in response that she would look into Sinsheimer's concerns, and said specifically regarding Titan Cement: “I have asked the attorney general’s office, the SBI, to see if there was any kind of — I don’t know the word, I’m not a lawyer — if there was anything that wasn’t aboveboard in the decision making, and I believe they will.”

On Behalf of the Cape Fear Group

SEPA is the State Environmental Policy Act and it is rarely triggered, but it needs to be for Titan Cement. It ensures that permits are not granted piecemeal, but that all relevant agencies will have their concerns heard before any permits are granted.

SEPA is triggered when the following conditions are met: (1) state permitting is needed for the project (2) the project will have significant environmental impact, and (3) public money has been accepted by the company. All of these conditions apply to Titan.

Titan doesn't want SEPA and is saying that even though they accepted $4,000,000 in public money, it doesn't apply because technically it is a reduction in taxes after the project is completed. DENR originally determined that SEPA applied, but has since decided that it does not. Titan has at least eight lobbyists in Raleigh working to get their air permit , and we need people from across the state to call Governor Perdue and insist that this project must still be subject to SEPA review. No air permit should be granted until all state agencies have had an opportunity to state their concerns.

Her number in Raleigh is 919-733-5811.

But she needs to hear from citizens across the state. Regional Governor's office numbers are:

New Bern: 252-514-4825

Asheville: 828-251-6160

Charlotte: 704-330-5290

Thank you for your help -- if you have any questions, please email me or call me 910-313-0498.

Janice Wilson

Chair, Cape Fear Group