Burnin' rubber (JULY 25,2002 BOULDER WEEKLY) Enviromentalists face off over plants plan to use old tires as fuel by Pamela White Lyons–A local cement plant’s proposed plan to burn scrap tires instead of coal has turned environmental allies into opponents. One group supports the concept of burning tires, pointing out that tires contain precious fossil fuels that have already been taken from the Earth. Burning tires would maximize our use of those fuels, they claim. Because emissions from burned tires are similar to those from coal, they view burning tires as a healthier option than coal, as coal mining causes significant, long-term environmental damage. Another group vehemently opposes the use of tires as fuel, claiming the cement plant’s record with other pollutants–namely cement kiln dust–is flawed and that the company should therefore not be trusted with burning tires. Concerned about the emissions burned tires will produce, they have demanded further studies and hope to prevent the plant from testing the process. Cemex, located east of Lyons, announced in June a plan to perform a test burn using tire-derived fuel instead of coal. While the company has had the necessary permit to burn tires at its Lyons plant for 12 years, it has not found using tires as fuel to be economically viable until recently. While other Cemex plants have been burning tires for some time, with reportedly positive results both in emissions and production, the Lyon’s plant must gain permission of the Boulder County Commissioners before it can test the process. Tires vs. coal Cemex, formerly Southdown, consumes 100,000 tons of coal each year at its Lyons plant alone. The bulk of that coal comes from mines located on the Western Slope near Paonia, Colo. Environmentalists have long been concerned about coal combustion. Burning coal produces sulfur dioxides which, when combined with moisture, produce nitric and sulfuric acids. These chemicals fall back to the Earth as acid rain, damaging forests and polluting lakes and streams. Of equal, or perhaps greater, concern is the impact of coal mining on the landscape and on communities. "You have millions of acres of land that have been strip-mined that will never be productive again," says Dr. Tom Abbott, an environmental engineer and toxicologist. Abbott, who chairs the North Boulder County Environmental Health Task Force, spent 20 years working on strip-mining problems, monitoring acid rain and acid mine drainage. Abbott is one of the people working on the Cemex issue who believes using old tires as fuel in place of coal is preferable to remaining solely reliant on coal. The benefits of burning tires could be substantial, he says. Currently, Larimer County is home to a massive pile estimated to include 7 million scrap tires. There are many such piles around the state, and they’re getting larger as the state works to find ways to recycle the valuable mater ials in tires. These include fossil fuels like those that make up coal. As a fuel source, old tires are powerful. Coal produces 11,000 to 12,000 BTUs per pound, whereas tire-based fuel produces 15,000 BTUs per pound. Abbott says that converting plants so they can use old tires for fuel will make efficient use of resources already extracted from the environment, as well as eliminate tires from the waste stream. Because tires don’t biodegrade, they become permanent residents of landfills if not diverted through recycling. "How can Boulder County generate 300,000 scrap tires a year and not look at a legitimate solution?" Abbott says. "We may as well pour all our oil in the landfill and not try to recycle it." Further, burning tires will reduce demand for coal and could lead to a decrease in acres being mined, Abbott says. "People who continue to hurl insults about scrap tires and not strip-mining of coal are either mislead or are trying to mislead us," Abbott says. "They are looking at one tiny piece of the puzzle, and that’s not what’ s best for Boulder County, the country or the world." A matter of trust The people to whom Abbott refers include Richard Cargill, executive director of the St. Vrain Valley Watchdogs and a fellow member of the North Boulder County Environmental Health Task Force. "They think this is a wonderful project, but we are extremely skeptical," Cargill says. For Cargill, the issue comes down to trust. As a member of the Watchdogs, Cargill has been working with Cemex for four years in an effort to reduce airborne pollution from the plant’s cement kiln dust pit. During that period, dust has been reduced by 80 percent, he says. But Cargill says there was a time when people living near the plant could not open their windows because of high levels of dust. Cement kiln dust is known to contain arsenic and silicon. While people can open their windows nowadays, there are still periodic dust storms, including two this month, Cargill says. "So we’ve got a problem again with their management practices and housekeeping practices," he says. "Now they say they want to burn tires. This raises red flags." Cargill believes Cemex should not be given permission for a test burn while the company still has problems controlling cement kiln dust emissions. Further, he would like to see additional information about burning tire-based fuels and more public discussion. The Watchdogs have asked the Boulder County Health Department for additional information, including a complete health risk assessment. Key for Watchdog members is a reconciliation of different research on tire-burning emissions. Studies of emissions produced by burning tires show similar results in most cases. In some situations, emissions were lower. In some, they were unchanged, and in others they were slightly higher. A report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1997 showed little difference between emissions from coal combustion and those from burning tires. While Abbott believes a test burn at Cemex will reveal slightly cleaner emissions than those currently being produced by the plant through coal combustion, Cargill is doubtful. "We’re citizens here, and we have to police the cement plant," he says. "And after four years, we’re a little weary." Neighbors John Lohr, plant manager for Cemex, says the company hopes to gather substantial data on emissions during a test burn currently slated for the end of September. "(Results are) unique to each plant," Lohr says. "Each individual kiln needs to be evaluated on its own. Each is constructed differently." Cemex burned tires occasionally from 1989 to 1992, but stopped because tires were not an economically viable fuel source, Lohr says. The process has changed since then, and a decade of data exists on burning tires, he says. "If our experience is similar to that of other plants, we expect it will be very successful," he says. Cemex’s facility in Clinchfield, Ga., has been burning tires for almost four years, and emissions there are lower than at the Lyons plant, he says. Under Cemex’s current plan, the company would use old tires from piles in Colorado before turning to other states for their supply. Consumers currently pay a small recycling fee each time they purchase tires. The bulk of that money goes to pay for transporting tires to storage facilities. Cemex would likely see a portion of that fee, although the financial benefit will likely be small. Refitting the Lyons’ plant for tire-burning is expected to cost about $1.5 million. In the end, however, the company hopes to reduce its dependency on coal by 10 to 20 percent, using an estimated 700,000 tires each year. "It will be a good thing," Lohr says. "To the extent that we can reduce our consumption rate, we can extend our resources." Lohr says that if the test burn shows higher emissions, the company will not burn tires in Lyons. "It has to be good for the environment and the community," he says. "It has to be good for the company at the end of the day." As to the vocal opposition of some members of the community, Lohr says some people are simply opposed to burning tires and won’t change their minds. "Their questions are good questions as long as we ask questions expecting factual answers," Lohr says. "If the questions are asked merely to raise fears, I think there’s a disservice done to the community." Lohr says renewed controversy over cement kiln dust seemed to coincide with the plant’s announcement that it was considering tires as a fuel source. "We make dust for a living," he says. "That’s what we do out here. Sometimes it’s hard to control, but that’s not to say we won’t try to do better." As most of the plant’s employees live nearby, cement kiln dust is of concern to them, as well. "We are our own neighbors," Lohr says.

FROM: Richard Cargill, Executive Director of the St. Vrain Valley Community Watchdogs TO: Pamela White Pamela, I thought you did a fine job of organizing this story. It is well written. I felt a little uncomfortable being in the middle of the story. I felt sandwiched by opposing viewpoints. When the Task Force was formed in 1999, it had two co-chairmen--one from industry and one from the private sector. Both chairmen had a tough job ahead of them-- getting issues worked out by the parties, etc, but I never once heard them take sides in a public or private meeting. I was honored to be a member of that Task Force. It's disturbing to me now that the present chair has adopted such an adamant perspective on the question of tire burning. It does not seem appropriate for a chairperson to accuse members of the Task Force and the community of looking at one tiny piece of the puzzle. It is also presumptous to imply that citizens in this area are not looking at "what's best for Boulder County, the country, or the world." I'd glad you got a note in about the Watchdogs' requests to the Boulder County Health Department. The personnel from the Health Department have been most helpful and supportive, and fair to all parties. Mr. Jeff Zayach, stated at the public meeting in Hygiene on the 17th of July, that the Health Department was thrilled and pleased with the level of public participation, as participation leads to a transformation from indifference to active citizen involvement in making a healthy and a better environment. Thanks again for the coverage. Please let your readers know that their input is being sought by the Boulder County Board of Health. The hotline number is 303 678 6154. EMail: pmilmoe@co.boulder.co.us Post: Boulder County Health Department, Environmental Health, Air Quality Coordinator, 3305 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304 Sincerely, Richard Cargill, Executive Director, St.Vrain Valley Community Watchdogs