Company files environmental impact statement on plant modernization
A state Department of Health report on the Lafarge cement plant in Ravena has shed little light on whether that factory’s emissions are having any effect on residents’ health.
The report states that while the public could be exposed to chemicals from the plant by air and settled dust, health data collected in the ZIP codes around the plant appear to be similar to rates across New York State. The plant has been in operation for almost 50 years.
The Community Advocates for Safe Emissions (CASE) group pressed the DOH for the study in 2009, but at the release of the findings said they were unhappy with the scope.
`I’m not sure that our questions are completely answered by what we have here,` said CASE’s Elyse Kunz, who noted the five ZIP codes covered by the study do not completely cover the area surrounding the factory, or the entire Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District. The RCS high school is located across the road from the Lafarge plant.
But the DOH will be launching another phase of study narrowing in on the potential effects of the plant’s emissions, which includes mercury, and also focusing on areas where contamination could be the highest. The Lafarge cement plant is one of the most substantial emitters of mercury in the state.
According to the report, `Although available health risk assessments suggest that air emissions from the cement plant are not likely to increase the risk for adverse health effects, they are an incomplete basis for drawing conclusions about the risk from cement plant air emissions.`
Lafarge Ravena Plant Environmental Manager John Reagan said the company is still studying the report. He added the plant operates well within state and federal guidelines, and the company has reduced many emissions since taking over the facility.
`Protecting the environment and enhancing the quality of life in Ravena are issues that we’ve been focused on for years, and is why we’re focused on making significant improvements to our plant,` Reagan said.
A study out of Harvard University that includes the Ravena area is also due to be released in coming months, said Kunz, and it’s one CASE has high hopes for. Researchers gathered blood samples and other data straight from residents for the study.
`It’s taken [the DOH] so long to do this. I hope the next phase will be productive, but we’re also very interested with seeing what happens with the folks at Harvard,` Kunz said.
The Department of Health will be hosting a public meeting on its study on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. in the RCS High School Auditorium. DOH staff will summarize the report and take comments.
Additionally, comments may be submitted in writing to [email protected] or faxed to 402-7539. A copy of the report is available at www.nyhealth.gov/environmental/investigations/lafarge. The comment period is open through Feb. 15, 2011, at which time a final report will be compiled taking into consideration public comments.
In another significant development for the Lafarge cement plant, the Department of Environmental Conservation recently accepted the company’s draft environmental impact statement for its modernization project, opening up a 90-day public comment period on the document.
Lafarge is aiming to undertake a massive construction project at the facility that will fundamentally change the way it makes concrete. The upgrade is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $400 million and would replace the current `wet` kiln with a dry process that promises to save energy and reduce many emissions. The company has been working on the required environmental impact statement for some time.
`It’s a big step in the permitting process. Its a big milestone,` Reagan said.
If the approval process goes well, Lafarge hopes to start construction at the end of 2011 and finish up in 2014.
Kunz said CASE is still studying the substantial document, but is generally in favor of the modernization. They just want to make sure what’s built is the best option out there, because it’s going to be a long-term fixture in the community, she added.
`Anything that’s going to reduce the toxins coming out of the cement plant is a step in the right direction,` Kunz said.
An informal public information session on the environmental impact statement will be held Wednesday, Dec. 8, at RCS High School at 6 p.m. A formal public hearing will be held Jan. 21. The DEIS document can be viewed at lafargeravenafacts.com.“
