Should the state approve the air permit for a cement plant in New Hanover County?

It seems to me our community does not want Titan here. Our citizens have stated this, testified to this and continue to mount a campaign against the company. The environmental hazards which come about as a result of this industry are unwelcome and would be a danger to the health and safety of our citizens, our tourist industry and the biodiversity of our environment ( wild life, ocean, lakes, plants, etc.) .

There is one of these plants off I26 Holly Hill exit in SC, bout 45 minutes above Charleston. Go experience one of these environmental monsters. See if you like passing hords of 18 wheeler and dump trucks everywhere you go by car. It is an industrial blite where they are found with railroad tracks, box cars, towering industrial structures, dust, dust and many diesel trucks. There is nothing good in a NHC economy for this type of industry. Put these plants far far away from civilization, and that is not far enough.

No, no, no! Our most resouce is a pristine environment, clean air and clean water. Titan has promised to have a minimal environmental impact in our area but has violated similar promises in their other plants. They have also tried to stifle the dissent against them and used punitive lawsuits to frighten citizens and local physicians who stand opposed. Does this sound like they would be responsive to the needs of this community beyond cement? It does not and the few jobs they promise are not worth the further pollution their plant would cause.

Not unless it seems like a good idea to you to add into our air over New Hanover County:

* 6792 pounds of Benzene / year
* 636 tons of particulate Matter /year
* 438 tons of Sulfur Dioxide / year
* 1,645 tons of Nitrogen Oxides / Year
* 21,900 pounds of Ammonia / year
* 46 pounds of Mercury / year
* 170 pounds of Lead / year
* Equally horrifying amounts of 14 other known pollutants
(Source: http://tinyurl.com/3qagghl and http://tinyurl.com/3udhaqa)

It's your air, your water, you make the call. If you want to stop this horror show, we must all speak out. Special interests have bought and paid for our federal government, don't let it happen here at the local level too. Please let any elected official who doesn't support the will of the people (as clearly demonstrated in this poll) that they will be out of a job after the next election.

I agree with other comments regarding the complete indifference of corporate America for the environment and the individual working class American. In the broader scope, individual people and the environment are completely overshadowed by the pursuit of profit. While Titan may bring a couple jobs as well as industry to the area it will not improve the Wilmington area as a whole.

I live in Castle Hayne and DO NOT want a cement plant here or anywhere in this area. This is a tourist area to begin with and no tourist will want to visit where the air quality is bad, which it is going to be with Titan - no matter what they say, all their plants operating in different parts of the country are in violation of pollution limits and still operating. There will not be enough jobs available at this plant to justify polluting our air, our water ( which is not great now) and our rivers. And from what I have seen of Titan's actions, trying to bully people, doing everything they can to get these permits in very suspicious ways, there is no guarantee they would even hire local people. Also, there is a public school with many shcool children attending it almost across the street from this proposed plant. I don't think all the mercury, etc. coming from this plant is going to stay in the boundaries of Titan's property - lets get real here. Lets think about the people, animals, living in this area and keep it safe for them - don't push this down our throats to make a profit elsewhere - this is suppose to be a democracy and people are suppose to vote on something as important as this - plus, this was all kept HUSH HUSH to begin with so the people did not have a chance to voice their opinion until later in the process when Titan had gotten the upper hand.

The proposed cement plant will sit on the site of a cement plant that was shut down years ago. The notion that this is virgin forest is utter nonsense. Their still is a non functioning plant there right now. It will employ many tempory jobs and probably at least a couple hundred full time jobs, not counting the spin off jobs such as outside contracting and engineering and many others.

Re: Titan...NO!...possible short term gain...probable long term loss

I have followed this a long time and find that the few jobs and great risk are not worth it. Let's start a policy looking for sustainable industry in Wilmington. That is where the future is.

absolutley no to titan. we should focus on movie industry and beach tourism if we want to bring new jobs we need a new vision. We need to be a green coastal community

When my pediatrician, along with 200+ area physicians, declares that Titan will create serious and irreversible health issues, I listen. The affects of this cement plant will be far more destructive than beneficial.

Really?? Most of yall fighting Titan are not even from around here. You are rich, flip flop wearing yankee tree-huggers that rooted yourself in here and took over. I truly understand your concern but REALLY?!?!? We can get cancer from EVERYTHING; food, air, water, plastic, lawn fertilizer...you name it! Everything, EVERYWHERE can cause cancer. Including the power lines that run through our yards Did anyone fight getting electricity? Oh, and does anyone have a house with a dirt foundation?? or is it maybe...CONCRETE?? I can eat a strawberry and die from e-coli! What the heck, bring commerce! It's not only jobs (60 is better than zero) but it's taxes coming into town too. I googled the plant in Roanoke (thanks for mentioning it) and the place does not look as bad as some of you make it out to be. They seem to work hard on not to harming the environment. You can always move back to wherever it is you came from.

Why does everyone look on the negative side? The pollution from this plant could help create lots of work in the medical field, the mortuary business would benefit, we wouldn't be over-run by all those green types who love the environment. Heck as far as I'm concerned bring it on, I just wish that I was a County Commissioner , I could use a little under the table retirement money myself!

I understand the emotions and concerns of adding manufacturing in our community that will contribute to an already high concentration of pollutants. However, when you research Titan as a company, they have improved the environmental impact around their Virginia plant with community actions (creek cleanups, lead their industry with energy efficiency, and they research/investment in sustainable alternatives). This is confirmed by state and national environmental awards. The tax revenues and employment investments provide a financial base to improve local government services and improve the living standards in the community. The science and permiting process required to build a cement plant in America is the strictest process in the world. I saw something the other night on a resort beach in China that was filled with Algie from the poor air quality in that country. Titan operates a cement plant near the Miami beaches and those beaches are one of the world's cleanest resort areas. What many of us don't understand is if we don't make products in this country, they (China) will be made in countries with irresponsible environmental standards and yet, the atmospher will dump these polluntants in America's air and water. Let us build in this country under our strict environmental laws with companies that have demonstrated their environmental stewardship. The emotions are carrying the negative reporting on Titan - be informed and research the science and strict requirements that will be placed on Titan and embrace the positives with tax revenues necessary to improve local water treatment, roads, and lessen the tax burden on local residences. America can't just be a service industry and promote high technology jobs. We need to balance our employment base to include quality manufacturing employment (160 local jobs) to guarantee our economic strength in this country and standing in the world.

This plant will not do anythig to enhance this area.I bet the jobs it will bring will be menial ones and will not be worth the damage and trouble it will cause.

lets not sell our quality of life short for this polluting employer.

We have been put in jeopardy by the NH county commissioners and the carpetbagging good ol boys both locally and in Raleigh who don't think that TITAN's pollution will affect them. TITAN is a Greek Company who doesn't give a Greek rat’s ass about anybody here in the USA and they should be run out of NC and every other state they are pillaging such as Virginia and Florida.

The notion that this is about jobs is the stupidest bullcrap on earth.
TITAN will condemn an area equal to the entire Wilmington City Limits and the shadow this will cast will ruin job opportunities in the future of this currently undeveloped land...clearly more than 46 jobs could be found in such a large tract.

The NC DENR sulphur dioxide study is flawed because they are not sampling the Holly Shelter Road corridor and they should sample ALL of the existing pollution sources, some of which are ALREADY in this corridor! Stop TITAN and stop the shell game they are playing with our future!

I would like the water I drink, the fish I eat and the air I breath to be free of mercury and other toxics that will be spewed from Titan. This is a foreign company, taking money away from our local economy. Be smart and support companies that keep local economies strong and clean!!

the very few jobs (less than 50) that this plant will provide doesn't even begin to out weigh the negative effects. plus how many of those jobs will be filled by current titan employees from other places. so yeah lets ruin our enviroment for five jobs. we also can't forget how this pollution can really hurt the fish population in the area and with less fish we need less fisherman, so really we are losing jobs.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.
for the sake of our children... NO.
for the sake of our ocean... NO.
for the sake of our own health... NO.

I really don't understand the comment "Titan will bring pollution and waste to our area." The EPA has designated our area as "non- attainable"; meaning we wont be able to meet healthly emission guidelines. Pollution and waste are obviously already here! Hello! Titan is not here yet! Seems to me the environmental concerns should be directed towards potential dangers that CURRENTLY exist and not the projected ones. Titan is proposing to come into the game better than any existing industry in this area, what more do you people want?

Air quality and water quality are what make this area such a special place to live. If you sacrifice it for a job boost we will lose our character and we will not be any different from any other over industrialized east coast town. What good are these jobs if they raise rates of environmental illness and detract from overall quality of life. Vote no for giving Titan an air permit.

How no one has ever protested the power plant and the amount of mercury it has been putting out all these years. Do your homework people and quit being a bunch of uninformed nimby's

How many jobs will justify ruining this precious patch of SE North Carolina. Our representatives need to get busy, do some research, and bring in more businesses like SAS (in Cary). Why ruin this wonderful area so a few can make a profit. I am not a tree-hugger, but I understand the concept of environmental externalities and the exploitation of "free" resources in order to make a few individuals rich. The free market system does not include exploiting the many to make a few better off (despite what that nut Ayn Rand wrote). Folks that blindly follow her philosophy are automatons and soul-less. I don't want this area to become another polluted west coast. My friends who surf there tell me that they can smell the pollution and see it, too. Stop the madness. Think about the future. Vote no on Titan and other similar projects. Work a little harder and develop this area as a model for how to keep paradise.

...the ignorant, uninformed and fanatical ney-sayers continue their heavily biased rant.