Resident organization hopes to stop Titan Cement plant

Hopefully it will be a beautiful day with only a small chance for a spot of rain. Many of us are going to be there with shirts and signs. Friday makes a great day to do this because it gives a lot of us students a chance to socialize, share and get to know everyone. Looking forward to being there.

p.s. We need more poster materials Megan!

.."Students who want to socialize and chit-chat under the guise of some environmental issue we heard something-or-other about?"

That concreat plant has been there as long as i can remember. My Husban and I had fathers and grandfathers that worked at that plant. When the jobs were gone things got hard and our families had to deal without our father because they then had to travel to support our families. This company can put jobs back into a needed comunity. You are not thinking if you dont believe this company just may have a plan in place to be more green. And as for the lady who says to buy expensive things to be more green. GET A GRIP> Witout the jobs and working pay check to pay check. YOU CANT AFFORD IT ! Look at the larger pic people not just your quick complaints is going to help lower income families.

This will be a different company, different process, many more concerns and pollutants in and around here. This will be nothing like your family once knew. Please feel free to read some more about what this company is and what it can do to the environment. Even if you don't live nearby, those that work there will be directly breathing hundreds of times more dust, fly ash, cancer causing compounds and toxins than just tens of miles away.

There isn't enough money for me to risk my health to work in a place like this or let my kids play out in the yard when they are sucking in toxic compounds and cement dust with every breath.

Parents working there will be bringing home the mercury instead of the bacon to the family. How can you want this at the costs to the future generations of children in the area?

The profits go overseas and the toxins stay here in southeastern NC for thousands of years.

NC just doesn't have regulations that would make this a safer industry to operate here, that's why they want to open the plant here instead of a dirt cheap labor country like Mexico. All the countries in the European Union have outlawed industry like this.

Why does NC have to be the backwater state that didn't get the word that this is a environmental problem that will scar the lives of future generations far into the future?

You environmental whackos crack me up! You can never get together on anything, which is why most people ignore you. Your DIS-united front proves that you're nothing more than anarchists and Socialists, dedicated to destroying the American way of life.

Just today a lawsuit was filed to stop a wind farm in WV. Didn't you know that wind turbines kill endagered birds, bats, and squirrels?

Water? You mean like the tidal vanes in the East River off Queens, that cannot be expanded and may be ordered removed because a lawsuit claims that they're interfering with fish spawning and migration?

Let's see....you can't burn wood.....nukes are bad.....oil, natural gas and coal are, of course, the mark of the beast and anyone who uses them is an evildoer.

So it looks like the only thing we can do to make you guys happy is to heat our water with $olar panel$, heat our homes with geothermal heat pipe$, and sit around singing to each other in the dark because if we dare generate any electricity, the UN and Al Gore might get ticked off.

Hey, maybe you can snatch a candle from somewhere and study an economics textbook.....because if you think spending $45k to avoid a monthly electric bill is a great idea, I have a solar panel in Seattle I want to sell you! I just looked at my average electric bill for 2007 and guess what - I could have a thirty year mortgage paid off before I broke even on that up-front charge!

And yes, sweetie, it really IS all about the money. No one is going to live like an Ecuadorian shepherd unless they have to. If alternative energy cannot compete price-wise with existing sources of energy, it's doomed to failure.

You responded and went on your rant. Too bad you didn't make any sense... Babble really...

What does YOUR vehicle run on?
How do YOU power your home?

The problem with solar and wind is that neither produces ENOUGH energy at this point and time. HOWEVER, the solar technology is changing as they have figured out a way to increase energy storage while decreasing cell size...we will see what happens...You can just about RULE OUT using water and wind for much...neither are reliable enough. Solar is just about as free and good as it gets.

The issue is that there is ALWAYS a by product of using fuel to get energy...until we can do it with solar efficiently...it's all we have.

While there are some promising technologies coming along, and the committment of some major puplic utilities to fund R&D is a big help, solar is about the least practical at this point.

The sad fact is that until we reach some dramatic discovery or breakthrough, alternative energy is 90% pipe dreams.

SOME of that might change in the not so distant future...but you can bet that the oil companies will rake in AS MUCH as they can before that happens and hold up any technology like that they can...

...you will find that the oil companies are up to their eyeballs in some forms of alternative energy. Shell, for example, is actually producing automotive fuel that burns no dirtier than gasoline....from coal. BP has partnered with D1 Oils PLC to produce biodiesel using a plant that is inedible and grows like a weed.

Chevron actually gone a separate route, and created an entire division dedicated to alternative energy. Most of their projects are unrelated to oil, and are centered on solar, geothermal, and fixed-plant fuel cells. They are involved in providing alternative energy solutions to major corporate and municipal customers. They now market themselves as an "Energy Company," not just an oil company.

Oil companies aren't stupid. They realize that a shrinking supply of oil means that they find alternative product to sell (sucah as biodiesel), find diverse business unrelated directly to oil....or become extinct in fifty years.

I can't say there isn't corruption in our local government and I can't even say that I know of a local, state or federal government where corruption doesn't exist, but I believe the driver for increasing the industry in our area is well beyond that. Sure there's greed. The deeper the pockets the greedier they get, but we do have a nice place to live with the means to continue living here. Coastal areas are generally undesireable for industry due to severe limitations for establishing a shipping network. We have one way in and one way out of this town for shipping within our country and that's I-40. If you look at Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit just to name a few, they all have a "spider" network of rail and highway systems with them as the hub. If you go to Hatteras, Beaufort, Morehead, Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, Charleston, there is nothing there to sustain growth or a personal lifestyle other than tourism, a little fishing and small business. It is very difficult to make money in any of those towns. It is not easy here either, but much better than most. I for one, am happy to see incentives given to GE, Corning and other potential businesses to encourage their growth and contribution to our economy and the stability for our citizens employment. I am not willing to sacrifice the beauty or integrity of our environment for any sloppy, pollution generating cesspool industries for a few local jobs, but I do believe that all in all, our leaders are in the right direction and will make the right decision after all of the "true facts", not propaganda are spread out on the table for a good analysis.

The plans haven't even been finalzed.

I'd suggest that everyone simply do a web search on "Roanoke Titan cement." You'll find that their kiln operation there is viewed as one of the cleanest, greenest corporate citizens in the area. They burn coal and have still won awards for keeping the air and area clean.

Are you people so simplistic and naive as to think this area can grow and thrive without attracting some heavy, blue-collar industries?

No matter how "state of the art" they are or are built, they will never be clean enough for an already over-polluted environment like the Northeast Cape Fear River and the surrounding counties.

If you have well water on your property, from Lumberton to Jacksonville to Southport, you water WILL be affected. First the saltwater intrusion will happen and that can't be turned back no matter what. Then the chemical compounds will get to you. And then your children.

Someone else talking about things they don't know anything about...salt water intrusion happens from a LOT of different things....irrigation wells from Landfall watering the golf course are just as bad.

As far as chemical compounds in the ground...LOL every time someone puts a herbicide on their lawn...guess where it goes...every time a farmer sprays insecticide on his crops...guess where it goes...when you splash a few drops of gas from your gas container while filling your lawn mower...guess where it goes....

You guys are so fixated on this thing because someone got you all riled up...for no reason

If you're worried about the Castle Hayne aquifer, you should be far more concerned with the county planning on sucking out eight million gallons every day. That will do far more damage than anything Titan can do.

Knee jerk reactions...reaction without rational thinking and knowing what you are talking about...that is ALL this is.

Drive down 421 some day...If you need to know where it is, it's across the Cape Fear Bridge....make a list of all the business from Eagle Island Market to where BASF is...write down the name of the business and what they produce...heck...look at what GE does...Everyone wants to cry about the economy and how horrible their lives are, but they don't want knew business in THEIR town...One company on 421 has had a few releases at the plant...heck MOST of them have...I would rather have the cement plant in place with scrubbers taking care of the HCL than to have...A sulfuric acid PLANT less than 500 yards from the river.

At this time no scrubbers are required for cement plants like this kiln. It would actually be able to burn tires and other heavy pollutants like "used oil" with little or no regulation. At this time the EPA would only require that they report quarterly summaries of the estimated toxic output.

This would be a case of the fox guarding the hen house. We already have enough of that with the local county government abuses.

Do we have to wait until we trash every single acre of the land here in southeastern NC before we stop and realize that we might want to save some of it?

the EPA sets amounts of what can be released into the atmosphere...I can assure you it is monitored and if they have to clean up what is released a scrubber of some sort will be used...this is no different than the smoke stacks going across the river.

Since you are the pro then show the rest of us where the information and regs are that require a kiln operation like this to do anything more than self report?

Obviously you either work for them or want to get one of those 'high paying' jobs that they will be providing for the community. Well, hate to burst your bubble, but those jobs will not come from this community. These are not truck drivers and loaders, they will be highly skilled mechanical engineers that will be brought in by the company.

And if you already work for them like I suspect, you are a bought and paid for mouthpiece. Nobody should give a second thought about what you have to say.

Surf the site, http://stoptitan.org/, and see what will really be the face of this dirty industry. NC doesn't need this polluting monster. It should stay in Greece and the European Union, wait, they are banning this kind of polluting industry there because it is so bad. So that should tell us here in the U.S. something. IT IS A HORRIBLY POLLUTING INDUSTRY THAT KILLS. Just the mercury alone causes defects and worse in children. How can you be for something that brings more mercury into the area that ranks number 6th in the nation for the worst levels of toxic mercury? You must rank yourself up there with baby killer!

We are working at UNCW to form an opposition group to get the word out and fight this thing to the end. Students do have a voice and a vote. We are working to prove it.

....this cement plant is minuscule...compared to the proposed..SULFURIC ACID plant to be built ON THE RIVER off of 421...

People Complain About Low Paying Jobs In This Area,I Would Love The Chance To Have A Job That Pays Good Wages.

It wouldn't be long before the left wing nut jobs came out against this one...

You say "...cement-making accounts for some 5% of the world's emissions of greenhouse gases—twice the amount attributed to aviation."...first the lefties like to throw around numbers...numbers, however, can be made to look one way when in fact they are another. Lets put that 5% up against the TOTAL of all greenhouse gasses that occur both man made and those that NATURE puts out and watch the percentage drop to a minuscule percentage.

HCL is listed as a 0.7...THATS A POINT SEVEN...on the environmental spectrum...three being a HIGH hazard to the environment, 0 being a negligible hazard...I guess you guys need to talk to those NASTY volcanoes that erupt every year and release HCL...fine em I guess?

People don't need to speak on things they have not educated themselves about. ANYTHING going into the air isn't exactly a GOOD thing...but until we find ways to have completely clean fuel sources, which isn't likely, we are stuck with doing things certain ways. We just have to do it as clean as we can.

BTW...what do you think the nuclear plant burns in this area to create your electricity.......answer...COAL...guess you might want to have your electricity disconnected...wouldn't want to contribute to HCL release...

Also...might want to do some research on scrubbers, where they are mandated and what they do...

I almost believed you knew what you were talking about until you mentioned the nuclear power plant burning coal.

You were almost sounding like you knew what you were talking about...then you said a nuclear plant burns coal? That's a new one to me. Look a little closer at where the coal burning facility is.

It's called coal combustion...they use coal dust...those huge train cars full of coal aren't for nothing.

The nuclear power plant DOES NOT BURN COAL.

In my haste I said Nuclear Power plant...which there is one in Brunswick county, where you are correct they do not use coal....the one I was talking about is the Sutton Plant...which DOES use coal to produce energy...which was my point...

FYI, the information is from the EPA, American Lung Association and the industry's own admission.

Left wing, right wing, no wing. Some people with lots of "book learning" have no common sense.

If I want information pertaining to chemicals in the atmosphere or released into the environment...I SURELY don't go to the American Lung Association website for that information. There is a STRICT government agency that has all of that information...THE EPA...I might be off base here, but I would think the ALA's knowledge of these sorts of things would be far less than the EPA's. Most of the ALA's articles seem to lean greeny weeny and are from organizations that are MOST CERTAINLY part of a movement that uses knee jerk reactions instead common sense.

The ALA used information provided by the EPA (as was stated) to inform us about the impact these chemicals have on our lungs. If the ALA seems to lean "greeny weeny", thats fine with me. I'll take green over toxic any day. Since you seem to "know it all", do you think this cement plant is a good thing for our coastal environment?

They didn't use ALL the information did they...like the part where HCL isn't that great of a concern based on the scale I presented above...so they skewed the article somewhat to begin with...

I bet you have NEVER let your kids stand beside the gas pump while you pump gas...better yet...since its for the children...lets talk about all of those parents driving around in cars with their windows rolled up smoking a pack of cigarettes....HMMMmm...should I list what is in second hand smoke.

If these chemicals are oh-so-dangerous, as you claim, what better place than on the East Coast where we have a prevailing Westerly wind to carry it offshore quickly?

Or do you think we can live without portland cement?

I thought this was going to be a ready mix plant and wondering what the fuss was all about. A cement kiln is a different story, I use to live near the Lehigh Cement plant outside of Birmingham AL. Big smoke stack belching smoke from coal 24/7, The dust from the cement covers everything within a 1 mile radius. If they build it I'm just glad I'm 10 miles up wind from it.

There is even a website dedicated to the stopping of this cement plant. Easley sounded as if it was a done deal. Is it a done deal? Go to the WSN titan forum and you can find out lots of info on what a terrible decision this would be for us to have a cement plant in Castle Hayne.

This is a done deal and the people you have to thank for it is not the local and state politicians. The people you can thank is the very citizens of this county who keep electing the same sorry people to office.