GLIN==> Mercury Surprise in Alpena

["Alex J. Sagady & Associates" <ajs@sagady.com>]

The Granholm Administration issued an air permit for an expansion
of the Lafarge Cement plant at Alpena on the shores of 
Lake Huron.   The expansion permit allows emissions
of 390 lbs/year of mercury.

This was after Michigan successfully argued to Ohio that
the Ohio EPA should limit the mercury emissions from a 
proposed coke oven on the shores of Lake Erie should be 
limited to about 50 lbs/year of mercury and that the permit 
should include continuous monitoring systems for mercury 
emissions.

No mercury emission control equipment or limitation for 
mercury in fuels or process inputs were required for Lafarge.   Lafarge is 
an uncontrolled mercury emission source.   This 
entire situation is arguably an abrogation of the Great Lakes
air permitting agreement....something that Michigan itself 
initiated among the Great Lakes states during the Blanchard
Administration.

It appears the MDEQ took the position that risk assessment review
indicated it is OK to site such an uncontrolled mercury 
source on the shores of the Great Lakes.

Now comes the Surprise!!!

When actually tested, the plant emits at the rate of 
580 lbs per year and now Lafarge is going to want a 
relaxation of their previously issued expansion permit to 
allow even more mercury emissions on the shores of 
Lake Huron.   But this is actually a baseline test....the 
plant will emit even more after it is expanded.

This result makes the Alpena Lafarge plant a larger mercury
result that another plant operated by Lafarge on the Hudson 
river in NY at less than 500 lbs/year.

See local news coverage of this today at 
http://www.thealpenanews.com



==========================================
Alex J. Sagady & Associates        http://www.sagady.com

Environmental Enforcement, Permit/Technical Review, Public Policy, 
Evidence Review and Litigation Investigation on Air, Water and 
Waste/Community Environmental and Resource Protection
Prospectus at:  http://www.sagady.com/sagady.pdf 

PO Box 39,  East Lansing, MI  48826-0039  
(517) 332-6971; (517) 332-8987 (fax); ajs@sagady.com
========================================== 


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