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._ St. Vrain Valley Communitdy Watchdogs neighbors unite for clean air P O Box 82/Hygiene/CO 80533-0082 online a! www.stvrainwmckdogs.org Are the risks really worth it? Lyons Boazd of Trustees Lyons, Colorado 80540 Dear Trustees, Backsround• M~14~~~Z~B ~lf'pru ~iUCf-/r~ Cb`~~ RECEIVE® OCT 3 0 2002 Oiuision of Minerals and Geology October 21, 2002 For the last five years, the Watchdogs have been working in concert with local and Stale agencies in an effort to seek a solution to fugitive dust problems at Cemex-Lyons (formerly Southdown). A priority of our efforts has been for Cemex-Lyons to adopt and maintain effective housekeeping practices. This is crucial to prevent episodes of fugitive Portland cement dust from blowing into the surrounding communities. In the years previous to our campaign, cement dust was saturating the St. Vrain Valley. Residents here had not been able to open their windows for nine years. Regardless, the white dust was still everywhere inside their homes. Although improvements have been made, the company still has episodic cement dust stones due to failures in housekeeping. Enclosed aze copies of two recent complaint investigation inspection reports performed by the Boulder County Health Department (09/30/02) and the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division (10/01/02). Cemex- Lyons'dustcontrol plan is still faz from adequate. The company's dust continues to pose a threat to the safety and health of people in the community. Trust• Still unable to contain its toxic dust, Cemex-Lyons is now launching a new project to increase corporate profits by burning 700,000 to 1,000,000 waste tires as fuel in the cement kiln. There are many resident in Lyons, Hygiene, and Longmont who are opposed to this potentially hazardous practice of using Gres as fuel. Cemex-Lyons, however, is scheduling a test bum in November. The EPA's position is that burning tires in a cement kiln may be an acceptable practice tovided that the kiln is appropriately designed operated, and maintained. However, the observations stated in the enclosed complaint investigation reports have raised a serious trust issue within the community that has lead us to believe that Cemex-Lyons may not be able to consistently meet the high EPA standards that tire burning requires in order to avoid toxic air emissions accidents. The Watchdogs aze wary of corporate rhetoric and suspicious of what might happen after the test bum when no reQUlators aze present •'Pmsecs what's cbsett so your lamb your fam(!q, friends and your (ungr."