Midlothian residents deserve to have their say about health effects from cement plant

Public concerns about the impacts on air quality from the production of cement in Midlothian have again taken center stage.

In a recent page one story, the Star-Telegram described a year-long fight by the local organization known as Midlothian Breathe opposing a permit request from one of the plants in the “cement capital of Texas” to increase its output of carbon monoxide.

So, we have the latest skirmish in a battle, over more than three decades, to protect public health from the production of the most widely used material in existence, behind only water as the planet’s most consumed resource.

Dealing with the effects that three big cement plants just south of the Dallas-Fort Worth area had on air quality was among my assignments during my service as EPA regional administrator in the George W. Bush administration.

In that role, it became my responsibility to consider adding Ellis County to the DFW non-attainment area. That would bring stronger state and federal regulatory controls aimed at reducing emissions effecting human health.

In the face of opposition from local leaders and former U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, all concerned about the impact on economic development opportunities for the growing county, we proceeded to make the designation in favor of public safety.

That brought about the implementation of emissions control technologies on the plants that are among the strongest in the country.

The result has been to see the air monitors nearest the plants and immediately downwind from them in full compliance with EPA’s air quality standards in recent years.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has determined that the permit application in question meets the requirements of applicable law. Further, officials with Holcim US, the plant seeking the increase in carbon monoxide levels, have said they do not plan to release more pollution.

All of that, however, has not assuaged concerns and fears of residents who remain unconvinced that granting the permit will not result in harmful exposure to them and their children.

The state commission should accommodate those concerns and allow citizens full participation in public hearings to consider their apprehensions and respond with explanations of how the “applicable law,” designed to protect them, will produce the desired level of safety.

The commission should also welcome data from individual and affordable PurpleAir monitors calibrated to detect the presence of emissions harmful to human health. There are a few such monitors currently in place in the vicinity, but more are needed.

These recently developed instruments could be a companion to the federal and state monitors that have been in place for the past 20 or so years.

The foundational issue of the operation of these cement plants and others throughout the country is this: regardless of their production running virtually nonstop, they cannot meet our nation’s demand for their product.

According to recent statistics, the U.S. is importing from other countries 10 percent of the cement needed to manufacture concrete worth about $50 billion annually.

Environmental science journalist Marcello Rossi based in Italy, describes the international reality: “A mundane combination of sand and gravel glued together by cement, this man-made stone is so ubiquitous that it is part of nearly every structure of our modern built environment.”

The folks in Midlothian are dealing with a big challenge to have their voices heard and considered in the production of cement in the community where they live.

They deserve every opportunity to fully engage with decision makers ensuring public confidence that the permitting process is fair and open, regardless of the outcome.