Continental Cement Company of Hannibal, Mo., Agrees to Complete Environmental Project Valued at $300,000

Press release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

Continental Cement Company of Hannibal, Mo., Agrees to Complete Environmental Project Valued at $300,000

Contact Information: Ben Washburn, 913-551-7364, washburn.ben@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Sept. 25, 2012) - Continental Cement Company, LLC, has agreed to complete a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) valued at $300,000 at its facility in Hannibal, Mo. The SEP is part of a consent agreement with EPA Region 7 in which Continental Cement has also agreed to pay a $22,025 civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act in 2007 and 2008.

The SEP will eliminate Continental Cement’s outside clinker storage pile along with the associated material handling system and will replace it with enclosed conveyors and a dust controlled truck load-out. The SEP will reduce the generation of particulate matter emissions at the facility by 15 tons per year.

“Reducing the amount of particulate matter generated at the facility will result in cleaner air for the employees working on site and for the surrounding community,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks. “This Supplemental Environmental Project sets an example for similar companies to follow to protect the quality of our air.”

Continental Cement exceeded the nitrogen oxide emission limit during 2007 and 2008, in violation of the federally approved Missouri State Implementation Plan and the Clean Air Act. Continental Cement did not meet the limit nor did it install or operate any approved alternatives during 2007 and 2008.

Nitrogen oxide emissions contribute to the formation of ground level ozone and acid rain. Children, the elderly, people with lung diseases, and people who work or exercise outside are at risk for adverse effects from ozone. When deposited on land and in water bodies, nitrogen oxide can result in a wide variety of indirect harmful effects on plants, soils, wildlife, water quality and fish.

By agreeing to the settlement, Continental Cement has certified that it is in compliance with the Clean Air Act.

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