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The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (“ADEM”) and Holcim Inc. (“Holcim”) entered into a Consent Order (“CO”) addressing an alleged violation of an air permit.

The CO provides that Holcim operates a cement manufacturing facility (“Facility”) in Mobile County, Alabama.

The Facility is stated to include Finish Mills No. 1 and 2 which are authorized pursuant to a Major Source Operating Permit (“Permit”). Each mill high efficiency separator is stated to be controlled by a baghouse.

The relevant section of the Permit states:

Particulate matter (PM) emissions from P-41-02 and P-41-06 shall not exceed 8.239 lb/hr and 0.009 gr/dscf.

Holcim is stated to have conducted an engineering stack test for particulate matter on the finish mill separator baghouses on July 26-August 1, 2018. The test results are referenced and stated to exceed the emission limits of the Permit.

A follow-up stack test was stated to have been conducted on November 7-8, 2018 for particulate matter on the two separator baghouses. The results for P-41-02 and the results for P-41-06 are referenced and stated to exceed the emission limits of the Permit.

An additional stack test was conducted on November 14-16, 2018 and the results are stated to have exceeded the emission limits of the Permit. Further, a fourth test was conducted on November 28-29, 2018 and such results indicated that the emission limits of the Permit were met.

ADEM is stated to have conducted a stack test for particulate matter on the Finish Mill No. 2 Separator baghouse on May 22, 2019 and the referenced results are stated to exceed the emission limits of the Permit.

Holcim neither admits nor denies ADEM’s contentions.

A civil penalty of $90,000 is assessed.

A copy of the CO can be downloaded here.