Citing dramatic public health and environmental benefits, federal authorities on Monday sharply cut back the volume of mercury and particle emissions allowed from cement plants.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that its new rules to cut air pollution would reduce respiratory problems and prevent 960 to 2,500 premature deaths a year.
The rules apply to new and existing kilns, and will take effect in 2013. They represent a victory for environmentalists who have gone to court repeatedly since the late 1990s to force the EPA to slash mercury emissions from Portland cement producers, only to see the agency in 2006 issue a rule that addressed new kilns, but not existing ones.
According to the EPA, widely used Portland cement is the nation’s third-largest source of mercury emissions.
“For years, the cement industry has gotten a free pass to pollute our air and water,” said Earthjustice attorney James Pew, whose group joined the Sierra Club in suing the EPA to curb mercury emissions. “Previous administrations ignored the law and turned a blind eye towards the cost of pollution on our health and environment.”
But the Portland Cement Association said the new rules will force companies to spend “several billion dollars” to install pollution scrubbers at existing kilns, potentially leading to U.S. plant closures, The Miami Herald reports.
“More cement will need to be imported to make up for shrinking domestic supply,” said Brian McCarthy, the association’s chief executive and president. “We fear this could constrain the U.S. government’s efforts to stimulate the economy, create jobs and rehabilitate the nation’s infrastructure.”
According to the EPA, the law will cut 16,600 pounds, or 92 percent, of mercury emissions annually when it goes into effect in 2013. The agency estimates that the reduction will yield public health and environmental benefits valued in the range of $6.7 billion to $18 billion, versus compliance costs of up to $950 million.
Mercury in the air can reach freshwater, where it builds up in fish, putting consumers, especially children, at risk for brain damage.
