July 9th, 2008
Editorial by Julie Smith, Lyons resident, member of Mother’s Against Burning Tires
A protest march has never appealed to me. It seems a throw back to the sixties, or somehow cliché, not something with power or importance in our current culture. Yet I encourage each and every one of you to March for Clean Air on Saturday July 12 at 2:30, starting at the Stone Cup in Lyons. If you don’t feel comfortable marching, at least show up at the Stone Cup and listen to the speakers. I promise you, you will learn something.
Cemex seems like a complicated issue, but it’s actually very simple. True, it’s not easy for those of us without prior experience in air quality control or the cement industry to understand the daily operations at Cemex, nor is it particularly interesting or pretty. Isn’t this something better left to the professionals-- the county health department and the state inspectors? Why bother to meddle in a local business’s affairs, especially when they make donations to our community? Doesn’t this just amount to being a trouble maker? The answer to the above three questions is NO. Cemex is the troublemaker, and members of the Colorado State Air Quality Control Commission have said so. With a pending law suit by the Environmental Protection Agency, the second largest fine in Colorado history, and an endless string of violating clean air laws, Cemex does not have a history of responsible operation. They are not looked upon favorably by Boulder County Health Department and they are an embarrassment to the cement industry. There is nothing redeeming about Cemex. We don’t stand to gain anything from their pollution but damage to our health and the environment. Cemex may make donations to our county, but the hand that feeds us doesn’t have to bite us. That would be defined as an abusive relationship. Calling Cemex on its blunders does not implicate its employees below the management level. The employees of Cemex are not responsible for the decisions made by its CEO’s.
To give you an idea of Cemex’s air pollution, here is an interesting fact: Cemex is permitted to release 2,649 tons of NOx per year, which is equivalent to the amount of NOx released by 138,691 cars driven 12,500 miles in a year. NOx includes potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. NOx also react with sunlight to form smog. Many probably don’t know that the entire Denver metro region, including Boulder County, is in violation of smog limits meant to protect our health. Cemex also emits dioxin. No amount of dioxin has been deemed safe by the EPA. During an upset, of which there are many, what exactly is Cemex emitting?
I began paying attention to Cemex when they started threatening to burn tires. After many hours of research I realized that cement plants are not Wonderbread factories. Cement is toxic stuff and must be handled accordingly. Over the years I have become all too well acquainted with notices of violation, clean air permits, upsets, the baghouse, jake breaks, NOx emissions, cement kiln dust, and the workings of the Environmental Protection Agency. I can’t say I’m an expert on any of these subjects, but I know enough to know that Cemex is dangerous, irresponsible and must be stopped. As a community we are fortunate to have so many intelligent and hardworking people on this issue. These people, Richard Cargill and Jeremy Nichols, in particular, have devoted hundreds perhaps thousands of hours to researching Cemex, the law, and taking the necessary steps to bring Cemex’s failings to the attention of the appropriate government officials. Unfortunately, neither informed citizens nor the government can do it alone. It’s going to take all of us or most of us to put the pressure on Cemex to really clean up. What has been most frustrating and unbelievable to me is how little the State can actually do in this situation. Cemex can and will pollute, the State will fine them, and Cemex can and will pollute again. And so the saga continues…….
So take a couple hours out of your busy schedule on Saturday to show Cemex that you want them to clean up now, not in twelve years when the quarry is hollowed and we’re left with a superfund site. Let Boulder County keep its reputation as a pristine place not the victim of an unlawful polluter. This is a local and global issue you can do something about. As the Once-ler in The Lorax said, ” UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Be there! Saturday, July 12th, 2:30 at the Stone Cup in Lyons……….
Julie Smith lives is Lyons with her husband and two children. She is a health care practitioner, and a member of Mother’s Against Burning Tires.