GLIN==> Canada Mercury Disposal in Michigan

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

In Ontario on the shores of Lake Erie, a very large 
Ontario Hydro electric power plant 
called the Nanticoke Plant burns coal containing 
mercury.   About 60% of the mercury in the Nanticoke
coal ends up in the coal combustion fly ash at the 
plant, because of the high unburned carbon in the 
ash collects the mercury in the flue gases.

Ontario Hydro pays Lafarge Corporation to take 
the Nanticoke fly ash and to bring it to Michigan for 
disposal in cement kilns in Alpena as a raw material.

Most of the mercury collected in the fly ash by air pollution controls at the Nanticoke 
plant in Canada is thus released in Alpena, Michigan at 
the Lafarge plant.   A recent stack test showed Lafarge could 
emitted as much as 581 pounds of mercury based on 
continuous 8760 hours of operation (they will operate less than 
8760 hours per year).

Michigan allowed use of coal fly ash at the Lafarge plant in 
the mid 1990s after Lafarge insisted that it would not increase 
emissions.   In 1990, one of the larger kilns was tested and 
the results indicated that annual mercury emissions would have 
been about 20 pounds per year.

As shown in 2006, on the order of 90% of the mercury released by the 
Lafarge plant in Alpena is the most toxic form that will 
be found in combustion stacks ... the oxidized, divalent and 
ionic form of mercury.   This form of mercury is much more 
likely to be deposited with wet and dry deposition close 
in to a plant.

Michigan DEQ is presently proposing to allow Lafarge
to continue to discharge such mercury without requiring best available 
control technology and without conformance to the 
Michigan Environmental Protection Act provisions of 
Michigan's codified environmental laws.  

Comments filed today on all of this by the law firm of 
Olson, Bzdok & Howard, P.C. can be found at:
http://www.sagady.com/workproduct/OlsonBzdokCommentOnLafarge1.pdf

[note...large 1.8 mb file]

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

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

657 Spartan Ave,  East Lansing, MI  48823  
(517) 332-6971; (517) 332-8987 (fax); ajs@sagady.com
========================================== 


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