Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff

A consent decree with the EPA calls for Lafarge North America to implement nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide pollution-control measures at 13 U.S. cement plants, some of which will see deployment of selective catalytic reduction or selective non-catalytic reduction technology new to the industry. A settlement filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois proposes the producer invest up to $170 million in capital upgrades and cover civil penalties of $3.4 million to the U.S., and $1.7 million to 13 states or state environmental agencies.

EPA alleges Clean Air Act violations at the cement plants under Lafarge NA or predecessors’ management. The consent decree, fines and big-ticket compliance measures parallel settlements EPA has reached during the past year with ready mixed and aggregate producers, including Aggregate Industries-Northeast Region Inc.; Wamego Sand Co. of Kansas; Iowa’s Knife River Midwest; and Rhode Island’s Consolidated Concrete.