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EPA ORDERS CONSTRUCTION HALT AT LEHIGH PORTLAND CEMENT CO. FOR AIR VIOLATIONS

Release Date: 9/30/1999
Contact Information: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548

David Sternberg (215) 814-5548

UNION BRIDGE, Md. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a stop work order to Lehigh Portland Cement Co. (LPCC), halting construction of a new kiln to replace the company’s existing kiln in Union Bridge, Md. EPA issued the order because of the company’s failure to apply for the proper permit which would require the best available pollution control equipment at the new facility. EPA’s order requires LPCC to halt construction until the company obtains a valid permit.

According to EPA’s Sept. 29 order, the company failed to comply with regulations requiring factories and other major sources of air pollution to have up-to-date pollution control equipment. The Clean Air Act requires that these plants obtain a state-issued permit -- requiring the best available pollution control technology -- before constructing or substantially modifying their facilities.

LPCC obtained a construction permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment in April 1999. However, in the 1997 permit application, LPCC did not include information necessary to determine the best available control technology for three significant air pollutants: carbon monoxide, a respiratory health threat; soot or particulate matter, which causes respiratory ailments and reduced visibility; and sulfur dioxide, a contributor to smog and acid rain.

LPCC, the owner of several cement plants in the U.S. and overseas, produces between 800,000 and 1,000,000 tons of portland cement annually at its Union Bridge plant. If the company had implemented the required pollution control technology, they would have significantly reduced emissions of soot, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. LPCC is currently constructing a new kiln, to open in 2002, with double the capacity of the existing kiln.

The order halting construction of the new kiln will be in effect until the company complies with all the applicable requirements of the Clean Air Act.