New air rules could affect cement plants
Federal regulators are proposing tougher new air quality standards for Portland cement plants, just as a federal stimulus package creates a greater demand for concrete.
Existing plants, including the Clinchfield Cemex plant in Houston County — Georgia’s only major cement plant — would face limits on their mercury emissions for the first time.
The cement industry contends that the proposal could put more than half of American cement plants out of business just as the demand for cement is likely to skyrocket. Congress’s $787 billion economic stimulus package is expected to create a building boom for roads, bridges and schools, all of which rely on concrete.