Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.
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GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS CP STAFF ASH GROVE UPGRADE AMPLIFIES EPA MERCURY RULE'S HIGH COST Following board approval of a $125 million capital outlay, Overland Park, Kan.-based Ash Grove Cement will incorporate a new preheater, precalciner production system at its Midlothian mill outside the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. The equipment will posi- tion the facility among Texas' lowest emit- ting cement producers and become the biggest ticket investment to date tied to the Environmental Protection Agency's portland cement National Emissions Stan- dards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NE- SHAP) rule, effective September 2015. After considering a range of options stemming from the rule, notes Ash Grove Chairman Charles Sunderland, "We con- cluded that we wanted to continue to pro- vide Texans with locally-made cement from our Midlothian facility for the foreseeable future, and therefore, approved the mod- ernization project." The Midlothian plant employs more than 110, has a payroll exceeding $7 million, and indirectly creates 1,200 local jobs. "We have generations of employees working here, many with decades of service, and this decision demonstrates that Ash Grove will maintain its strong north Texas pres- ence for our families, community and cus- tomers," adds Midlothian Plant Manager Kevin Blankenship. PHOTO: Concrete Products The Midlothian mill will remain a key Texas pow- der source for decades. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality granted Ash Grove a one-year ex- tension to comply with the NESHAP rule, whose original compliance target of Sep- tember 2013 has now been moved back two years. The Midlothian mill will run while new equipment is installed. "By investing in this key technology up- grade, our Ash Grove plant will remain vi- able, competitive and environmentally friendly for many years to come. That's im- portant not just to Midlothian, but the DFW region as a whole," affirms Midlothian Mayor Bill Houston. "From a business perspective, Ash Grove's decision to approve the Midlothian plant modernization project ensures that as our economy in the Dallas Ft. Worth region con- tinues to grow, there will be a great supply of locally made cement," according to Dallas Regional Chamber President Jim Oberwetter. "For years, I've seen these companies scru- tinized by groups who would rather shut them down and force Texans to rely on im- ported cement. In spite of that, in a bad economy, Ash Grove has chosen to continue to operate in Texas and further improve on its record of reducing air emissions," says U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-6). 12 | JULY 2012 WWW.CONCRETEPRODUCTS.COM