Air Permit for Titan

The study and recommendations by Patrick Butler on the issuing of an air permit to Carolinas Cement Company LLC aka Titan is somewhat confusing. Listed below are questions to some of the issues.

1- When considering adding pollution to the second most polluted county (New Hanover) in the state, adding pollution to an already polluted river (the Northeast Cape Fear), why isn't a study by the National Environmental Protection Agency standard operating procedure? I don't feel lawyers need to be asked, just do it. Titan must have something to hide, or this study would not be a problem.

2- Titan refused to accept 4.2 million dollars in incentives they once said were necessary for them come to this area, when they found out they would have to furnish a State Environmental Impact Statement? Why isn't this statement a requirement regardless of whether public funds are involved or not? Does pollution not cause any problems if it is not funded by tax payers? Laws that circumvent these requirements are the reason pollution is out of control in this country. If Titan is going to be such an asset to this community, why don't they volunteer to have this study done? It is insulting that Titan thinks a name change and large “GREEN” buttons can fool people into thinking they care about pollution or the communities they ruin.

3- Local zoning issue. Since Titan has not done what is required, the permit should be rejected.

4- Destruction of wetlands. With all the hoops citizens of this country have to jump through to build docks on their own property, dredge existing waterways, etc., this plant is going to be allowed to completely destroy these wetlands? Since when do Foreign Corporations get rights citizens don't? What about the health concerns for children at nearby schools? What about existing wells going dry? What about the Castle Hayne aquifer becoming polluted? How about just sending these people back to Greece?

5- Titan often fails to comply with existing environmental regulations at plants already in operation. The response by Mr. Butler was: “Comments of this nature are based on the supposition that since there have been compliance issues at other facilities under Titan's control in other states that there will be compliance issues in North Carolina as well. Although the DAQ cannot speculate on future compliance issues at a proposed facility, the Division does have in place a Compliance Operating Plan (COP). The COP specifies in part that major facilities (those classified as Title V) are to be inspected no less than once per year. If a deficiency is discovered, the DAQ addresses the issue in a timely and appropriate manner.”

Do the companies know when these inspections are going to happen?

Do the actual inspectors change, are they always the same people? Once a year is a not so funny joke. For this company to stay compliant, they would need to be inspected once a week, and the fines for noncompliance would have to be 10 times the amount they saved by cheating. Titan also challenges these findings in court, thus delaying having to comply even longer.

Since when does past history or performance not count when considering whether or not to hire someone, or in this case allow a plant to open? Would you hire Jerry Sandusky to run a boys school? Bernie Madoff to be in charge of a pension fund? How about Jack the Ripper to manage your brothel? Do you want BP to operate an oil rig near you? Past history should have everything to do with whether to issue this permit, and if you research Titan's record, the answer would be an easy NO!

6- Mercury added to the Northeast Cape Fear River. I personally can not figure out how you start the cleaning process of an already polluted river by allowing more pollution to be added. The argument that more will not hurt, well prove to me how it helps. The plants and factories already in operation on the river that pollute need to be required to start changing how they do business, not add a foreign company that has proven time after time that they couldn't care less about this country or our rules and regulations.

7- All facts and studies need to come from or be verified from people or companies that have no association with Titan or any of their sub corporations. If this is done, there will be no question that this plant should not be allowed to open. Titan's country (Greece) is bankrupt. Let them build their plants there, they can let their government deal with them, because this is a mess that Castle Hayne, North Carolina, and the United States of America does not need or can afford. Enough is enough!