The Lehigh Cement Co. in Union Bridge has agreed to pay a $202,500 penalty for past violations for emission standards of particulates.The plant also has entered a voluntary agreement with the Maryland Department of the Environment to modify operations and install pollution controls to achieve mercury emission limitations. The action will put the plant ahead of federal mercury emission standards that will go into effect in March 2013. "The big picture is, we're very pleased with this agreement, MDE and Lehigh taking proactive steps to reduce mercury ahead of federal requirements," said Dawn Stolzfus, director of the Office of Communications for MDE. "There are significant capital and operational costs associated with the new ACI technology we have committed to install at the Union Bridge facility by March 2012, however we feel this technology offers a good technical and economical solution for reducing mercury emissions from the Union Bridge cement kiln," said Martin Kent, plant manager. "We have committed several hundred thousand dollars of testing the week of Aug. 24. --We will learn much more as a result of this testing." Kent said the installation of equipment and testing would not mean a cutback in personnel nor affect operations at the plant. Stolzfus said the plant does not have to install new control equipment to meet the particulate matter standard, just increase inspections, do more frequent testing and make any repairs as quickly as possible. "Lehigh is not currently in violation of its PM (particulate matter) emission limits," Stolzfus said, the penalty was for past violations. Stolzfus said there is another Portland cement company in Maryland, Holcim, but that plant had lower mercury emissions than the Lehigh plant.
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