Carolinas Cement, a subsidiary of Titan America, has filed for an 18-month extension from a current permit construction commencement deadline of August 29, 2013, in part because of opposition to the company’s planned cement plant in Castle Hayne, N.C.
State regulations say construction of air pollution emissions sources and air control pollution devices must begin within 18 months after certain air quality permits are granted. In a letter to North Carolina’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Division of Air Quality, company officials state that in the two months after February 29, 2012, when the DAQ issued the permit for the project, “the terms and conditions of the permit, the designation of air control equipment, and the very issuance of the permit have been the subject of on-going litigation.”
Carolinas Cement officials also note that they “expect an Administrative Law judge to decide the case within the next nine months. Once the permit is no longer under review, the company plans to begin building the plant.”
The company is also making modifications to its permit application, in order to comply with new standards put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency since Carolinas Cement’s permit was awarded. State officials this is not the first time such a request and modification has been submitted to the Division of Air Quality. They did not specify how long it would be until a decision is reached on the extension and modification applications.
