Here’s a thorny situation in the Route 66 town of Seligman, Ariz.
According to the Arizona Republic, Cemex wants to build a big cement plant on the outskirts of town, thus creating jobs and boosting Seligman’s tax base.
But folks also are concerned that the plant will be a big-time polluter, fouling the air of nearby communities and messing with the views at the Grand Canyon.
Here’s some on the “pro” side:
Dee Dyers, manager at the Historic Route 66 General Store, is one of the townspeople looking forward to having Cemex as a neighbor.
“Anything that brings growth to this town is a good idea,” said Myers, whose family has lived in Seligman for decades and owns four local businesses. “People are excited about it.” […]
The state consumed roughly 5 million tons of cement in 2007 and is expected to need 6 million tons annually by the end of the next decade, despite the current construction downturn.
The Cemex plant would help reduce the need for imports because it would produce 1.9 million tons of cement each year, 90 percent of which would stay here, company officials said.
And here’s the “con” side:
Cement plants make their material by heating limestone in kilns at temperatures up to 2,700 degrees. The process commonly produces a variety of pollutants, most notably nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulates such as dust.
All three can aggravate respiratory problems in sensitive groups.
Cemex’s Borgen says the Seligman Crossing plant will use a variety of state-of-the-art materials, including high-tech fabric filters and storage systems to capture dust and new kilns that cut down on nitrogen oxide emissions. […]
In January, Cemex reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency, over alleged air quality rule violations at its cement plant in Victorville, Calif. […]
Cemex also faced a major pollution controversy last year after high levels of chromium 6, a known carcinogen, were found in the air near its 100-year-old cement plant in Davenport, Calif.
I’m on the “con” side until Cemex can persuasively show that emissions from the proposed plant will be low enough that they won’t dirty the air at the Grand Canyon. I’m skeptical it can. The Grand Canyon is too much of a tourism behemoth and a national treasure to be put at risk.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality hasn’t yet issued an air permit for the plant, and must conduct an environmental assessment before issuing one.
LISTEN . my opion. i own 2 nice acres off fort rock rd. 8yrs ago. wanting to semi retire there. but no growth has made it nearly impossissble. just recently some people have started put housing on a few lots out there.LOOK if you people don/t want to get in this centurty PLEASE buy me out. the plant is a great way to forge ahead.
Where is this Cement plant planning to be located?? I think before I start complaining about it I would like to know the location it plans to build. This could be a good thing for Seligman. Those people have to eat and live someplace while they make it. Growth is slow and difficult in small towns. I know because I grew up in a small town that did not want growth or new businesses or anything to do with progress. Now the town is still very small taxes are high, ulities are high, food is high. Kinda like Seligman. I say embrace progress and enjoy the prosperity it wont last for ever…….