Cement Kilns in the United States of America

This page is a work in progress. Any additional information that can be supplied regarding the cement kilns, what they are burning and the organisations that are opposing them would be gratefully received. Please e-mail with any information, ideas, suggestions, etc. that you might have. We're keen to complete the list at the bottom of the page, so if you know anything about these kilns and any organisation that might be opposing them, please let us know.

There are over a hundred kilns in the United States of America.

Downwinders At Risk


Downwinders at Risk is a diverse grassroots citizens dedicated to reducing toxic industrial air pollution in North Texas.
* They actively work to end cement kiln incineration of hazardous waste at the Midlothian industrial complex near Dallas-Ft. Worth.
* They document and expose the dangers of cement kiln incineration and other hazardous industrial practices.
* They educate the public and provide concerned citizens the means to help reduce toxic industrial air pollution.
* They promote public policy designed to improve the quality of air for children, the elderly, and all at-risk individuals.
They are currently working on a green cement campaign with local cities, school boards and counties to only purchase cement from the cleanest cement companies. They are also working with Earthjustice in Washington D.C. on mercury regulations for cement kilns.

Earthjustice


Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth, and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. They aim to bring about far-reaching change by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws on behalf of hundreds of organizations, coalitions and communities.
Over 100 cement kilns release at least 12,000 pounds of mercury pollution annually, yet the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still has failed to issue strong protections limiting cement kiln mercury emissions. Earthjustice is challenging EPA's failure to protect the environment and our health.

Huron Environmental Activist League (HEAL)

In 1985, the cement plant in Alpena, Michigan, was taken over in a leveraged buy-out by Lafarge, part of the French conglomerate Lafarge Coppe. It was taken over with one aim; to become the largest hazardous waste burning facility in North America. The waste was, of course, named alternative fuel, and Lafarge was permitted to burn 17 million gallons of hazardous waste per year.
Initially, most eople were unaware of the consequences. They had not anticipated that the waste would come in by tanker truck and by rail, resulting in hundreds of tanker trucks per week, laden with dangerous hazardous waste, trundling through residential areas, past schools, over bridges and past the hospital.
While elected officials were paid for their silence, the citizens of Alpena became increasingly concerned and formed HEAL in 1991. They have been fighting Lafarge ever since.
For many years the cement kiln emitted millions of pounds of toxic substances into the air of Alpena county. Pollution from Lafarge placed the county in the top 10% of the dirtiest counties in the United States. Although they stopped burning hazardous waste in 2001, the plant is still emitting over one million pounds of toxic substances every year.
Lafarge is now using fly ash from a Canadian power plant, and has become the emitter of the most dangerous and toxic form of merdury - ionized mercury vapour. They are emitting in the region of 580 pounds of mercury per annum. There are 453.6 grams in a pound. One gram, which is about 1/2 teaspoon, will pollute a 20 acre lake to the extent that a fish eating advisory would be warranted. At their current rate, Lafarge is emitting at least 250 000 grams each year. Because the plant stands right on the shore of Thunder Bay of Lake Huron, the entire watershed is contaminated with mercury.

List of Kilns

City / Company / AFR? / Opposition
Alabama
Calera / Blue Circle Inc. / ? / ?
Demopolis / Medusa Cement Co. / ? / ?
Leeds / Lehigh Portland Cement / ? / ?
Ragland / Natl. Cement Co. of Alabama / ? / ?
Theodore / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
Arizona
Clarkdale / Phoenix Cement Co. / ? / ?
Rillito / California Portland Cement / ? / ?
Arkansas
Foreman / Ash Grove Cement Co. / ? / ?
California
Colton / California Portland Cement / ? / ?
Cupertino / Kaiser Cement Group / ? / ?
Davenport / RMC Lonestar / ? / ?
Lebec / Natl. Cement Co. of California / ? / ?
Lucerne Valley / Mitsubishi Cement Corp. / ? / ?
Mojave / California Portland Cement / ? / ?
Oro Grande / Texas Industries / ? / ?
Redding / Calaveras Cement Co. / ? / ?
Tehachapi / Calavaras Cement Co. / ? / ?
Victorville / Southdown Inc. / ? / ?
Colorado
Florence / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
Fort Collins / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
Lyons / Southdown Inc. / ? / ?
Florida
Alachua / Florida Rock Inds. Inc. / ? / ?
Brooksville / Florida Crushed Stone / ? / ?
Brooksville / Southdown Inc. / ? / ?
Jacksonville / US Gypsum Co. / ? / ?
Medley / Pennsuco Cement Co. / ? / ?
Miami / Rinker Portland Cement Corp. / ? / ?
Port Manatee / Florida Cement Inc. / ? / ?
Georgia
Atlanta / Blue Circle Inc. / ? / ?
Clinchfield / Medusa Cement Co. / ? / ?
Hawaii
Ewa Beach / Hawaiian Cement Co. / ? / ?
Idaho
Inkom / Ash Grove Cement Co. / ? / ?
Seattle / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
Illinois
Dixon / Dixon-Marquette / ? / ?
Grand Chain / Lafarge Corporation / ? / ?
LaSalle / Centex / ? / ?
Oglesby / Lone Star Industries / ? / ?
Indiana
Greencastle / Lone Star Industries / ? / ?
Logansport / Essroc Materials / ? / ?
Mitchell / Lehigh Portland Cement / ? / ?
Speed / Essroc Cement Corp. / ? / ?
Iowa
Buffalo / Lafarge Corporation / ? / ?
Davenport / Linwood Mining & Minerals / ? / ?
Fort Dodge / US Gypsum Fort Dodge Plant / ? / ?
Mason City / Holnam Inc. (Holcim) / ? / ?
Mason City / Lehigh Portland Cement / ? / ?
Sperry / USG Sperry / ? / ?
Kansas
Chanute / Ash Grove Cement Co. / ? / ?
Fredonia / Lafarge Corporation / ? / ?
Humboldt / Monarch Cement Co. / ? / ?
Independence / RC Cement Co. Inc. / ? / ?
Kentucky
Kosmosdale / Kosmos Cement Co. / ? / ?
Maine
Thomaston / Dragon Products Co. / ? / ?
Maryland
Hagerstown / Independent Cement Corp. / ? / ?
Union Bridge / Lehigh Portland Cement / ? / ?
Michigan
Alpena / Lafarge Midwest Inc. / Ceased / HEAL
Charlevoix / Medusa Cement Co. (Cemex) / ? / ?
Detroit / Carmeuse Lime Inc. / ? / ?
Detroit / US Gypsum Co. / ? / ?
Dundee / Holnam Inc. (Holcim) / ? / ?
River Rouge / Carmeuse Lime Inc. / ? / ?
Mississippi
Artesia / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
Missouri
Cape Girardeau / Lone Star Industries / ? / ?
Clarksville / Holnam Inc. (Holcim) / ? / ?
Festus / RC Cement Co. Inc. / ? / ?
Frederick / Essroc Materials / ? / ?
Hannibal / Continental Cement Co. Inc. / ? / ?
St Genevieve / Chemical Lime Co. / ? / ?
St Genevieve / Mississippi Lime Co. / ? / ?
Sugar Creek / Lafarge Corporation / ? / ?
Montana
Three Forks / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
Montana City / Ash Grove Cement Co. / ? / ?
Nebraska
Louisville / Ash Grove Cement Co. / ? / ?
Nevada
Fernley / Centex / ? / ?
Logandale / Royal Cement Co. Inc. / ? / ?
New Mexico
Tijeras / Rio Grande Cement Corp. / ? / ?
New York
Catskill / Independent Cement Corp. / ? / ?
Glen Falls / Glan Falls Cement Co. Inc. / ? / ?
Ravena / Blue Circle Inc. / ? / ?
Ohio
Bettsville / Carmeuse Lime Inc. / ? / ?
Fairborn / Southdown Inc. / ? / ?
Genoa / Graymont Dolime / ? / ?
Logan / GE Co. Logan Glass Plant / ? / ?
Millersville / Carmeuse Lime Inc. / ? / ?
Paulding / Lafarge Corporation / ? / ?
Rossford / Pilkington N.A. Inc. / ? / ?
Stow / St Gobain Norpor Corp. / ? / ?
Sugar Creek / Belden Brick Co. Plant 2 / ? / ?
Sugar Creek / Belden Brick Co. Plant 3 / ? / ?
Sugar Creek / Belden Brick Co. Plant 6 / ? / ?
Sugar Creek / Belden Brick Co. Plant 8 / ? / ?
Woodville / Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialities / ? / ?
Xenia / Cemex Inc. Fairborn Cement Plant / ? / ?
Oklahoma
Ada / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
Pryor / Lone Star Industries / ? / ?
Tulsa / Blue Circle Inc. / ? / ?
Oregon
Durkee / Ash Grove Cement Co. / ? / ?
Pennsylvania
Aliquippa / US Gypsum Co. / ? / ?
Bath / Giant Cement Holding Inc. (Keystone) / ? / ?
Bellefonte / Con-Lime / ? / ?
Bellefonte / Graymont / ? / ?
Bessemer / Essroc Materials / ? / ?
Blandon / Allentown Cement Co. Inc. / ? / ?
Cabot / Armstrong Cement & Sup. Corp. / ? / ?
Fleetwood / Lehigh Cement Co. / ? / ?
Lebanon / Carmeuse Lime Inc. / ? / ?
Nazareth / Essroc Cement Corp. / ? / ?
Nazareth / Essroc Materials / ? / ?
Pittsburgh / Kosmos Cement Co. / ? / ?
Pleasant Gap / Graymont Inc. / ? / ?
Slippery Rock / Mercer Lime & Stone Co. / ? / ?
Stockerton / RC Cement Co. Inc. (Hercules Cement) / ? / ?
Wampum / Medusa Cement Co. (Cemex) / ? / ?
Whitehall / Lafarge Corporation / ? / ?
York / LWB Refractories / ? / ?
South Carolina
Harleyville / Blue Circle Inc. / ? / ?
Harleyville / Giant Cement Holding Inc. / ? / ?
Holly Hill / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
South Dakota
Rapid City / Dacotah Cement / ? / ?
Tennessee
Chattanooga / RC Cement Co. Inc. / ? / ?
Knoxville / Southdown Inc. / ? / ?
Texas
Buda / Texas-Lehigh Cement Co. / ? / ?
Midlothian / Holnam Inc. / ? / Downwinders at Risk
Midlothian / North Texas Cement / ? / Downwinders at Risk
Midlothian / Texas Industries / ? / Downwinders at Risk
New Braunfels / Sunbelt Cenent Corp. / ? / ?
New Braunfels / Texas Industries / ? / ?
Odessa / Southdown Inc. / ? / ?
San Antonio / Alamo Cement Co. / ? / ?
San Antonio / Capitol Aggregates Inc. / ? / ?
Sweetwater / Lone Star Industries / ? / ?
Virginia
Cloverdale / Roanoke Cement Co. / ? / ?
Washington
Seattle / Ash Grove Cement Co. / ? / ?
Seattle / Holnam Inc. / ? / ?
West Virginia
Martinsburg / Capitol Cement Corp. / ? / ?
Wyoming
Laramie / Centex / ? / ?