CEMEX Violates Clean Air Laws Again

The CEMEX cement plant in Lyons, Colorado has violated clean air laws again, putting clean air and public health at risk again, and once again proving that the company couldn't operate a cement plant responsibly if it tried.

Last week, the State of Colorado put CEMEX on notice of a multitude of clean air violations and even issued a press release over the action. It's a sign that the state may be waking up to the fact the Lyons cement plant poses a serious risk to clean air and public health in north Boulder County. Late last year, the state gave CEMEX the green light to keep violating clean air laws, a move that Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action has challenged. The latest notice issued to CEMEX is a refreshing change in direction from the state.

But these recent violations are merely the latest in a long history of violations. Since 2000, CEMEX has been cited by the State of Colorado six times for violating clean air laws. Last year, both Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency put CEMEX on notice of the most serious clean air violations--failing to install the best air pollution controls.

And as if CEMEX's track record wasn't bad enough, yesterday the company reported that a coal silo at its Lyons cement plant "spontaneously" caught fire. The fire, which smoldered for hours on end, spewed coal smoke into the air totally unchecked. We seriously doubt whether the fire was "spontaneous," and it's telling that of this morning, CEMEX had yet to file a required report with the State of Colorado verifying the cause of the fire. The picture below, taken by CEMEX neighbor Ken Dobbs, shows the coal fire.

You can learn more about CEMEX and efforts to clean up its aging, dirty cement plant in Lyons, Colorado at www.ourcleanair.org/cemex.html.

"Collector" Cars a Real Problem

The picture above captures it all, but the Rocky Mountain News today elaborates on the details of an emerging problem in the Denver metro area: drivers using the "collector car" exemption to avoid complying with clean air standards for tailpipes.

Under Colorado law, any car 25 years or older can be registered as a "collector car" and avoid regular tailpipe testing. Because state law considers any car 25 years or older to be a "collector car," it means that trucks like the one above qualify for the exemption from tailpipe testing.

Case in point is the truck above, which was spotted driving near Cherry Creek in Denver with collector plates. It may be more than 25 years old, but we're hard pressed to call it a "collector."

In the meantime, while "collector cars" like the one above avoid tailpipe testing, the Denver metro area is struggling to clean up harmful ground-level ozone pollution, the key ingredient of smog.

So what needs to be done? While there may be a need for true "collector" cars to be exempt from emissions testing, the exemption needs to be tempered significantly. The limit should be pushed back to at least 1975 or earlier, and motorists must show that the car is only used for "collector" purposes (e.g., shows, tours, etc.), not regular driving.