Displaying items by tag: California

US: Cemex has settled a lawsuit that accused it of discharging polluted storm water runoff from its West Sacramento cement terminal in California into the Sacramento River. The cement producer has agreed to implement an infiltration basin to treat runoff from its unit, according to the Sacramento Business Journal newspaper. It will also make a donation of US$40,000 in grants to environmental projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and pay the legal fees of the plaintiff, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. The alliance had originally sought US$88m from Cemex.

US: Two CalPortland cement plants have earned the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star certification for 2017. The Rillito plant in Arizona has achieved certification for the sixth time and the Oro Grande plant in California has earned its first certification since recently being acquired by CalPortland in 2015.

“CalPortland is proud to accept EPA’s Energy Star certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Allen Hamblen, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CalPortland. “CalPortland takes great pride in our partnership with Energy Star which is proven through the dedication of our employees who are proud to participate in programs that improve our energy efficiency, reduce emissions and contribute to protecting our environment.”

US: Four Cemex USA cement plants have achieved the US Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star certification for 2017. The Clinchfield plant in Georgia has achieved certification for the 11th consecutive year, the Miami plant in Florida for the 7th consecutive year, the Victorville plant in California for the 6th consecutive year and the Brooksville plant in Florida for the 5th time.

"These plants follow initiatives each day to ensure they operate with sustainability in mind and lead the way in our industry. They serve as models for others to follow with their repeated recognition for their efforts. We are very proud of the work they've done to achieve Energy Star certification this year by maintaining these high standards," said Hugo Bolio, Executive Vice President, Cement Operations and Technology for Cemex USA.

US: Two Cemex USA terminals in California have achieved the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star Challenge for Industry status by reducing their energy consumption by more than 10% each. The San Diego terminal achieved a 12.2% reduction in 2016, compared to the prior year. The La Mirada terminal achieved a 23.2% reduction year-on-year. The Energy Star Challenge for Industry is a national call-to-action to improve energy efficiency by 10% within five years.

The La Mirada and San Diego terminals reduced their energy consumption by completing projects and executing strategies to improve their onsite energy intensity. Workers were educated on energy-management practices and procedures for the proper operation of plant equipment. Out-dated light bulbs at the terminals were replaced with more energy-efficient LED lighting. The process of enhancing lighting at the terminals continues in 2017, and workers at the terminals are focused on looking for more ways to save energy in the future. Cemex also plans to roll out programme to all of its logistics operations.

US: Orcem Americas, a subsidiary of Ireland’s Ecocem, has been refused planning permission to build a slag cement plant in Vallejo, California. The cement producer was hoping to build a US$50m grinding plant but it faced opposition from local residents on environmental grounds, according to the Irish Times. The issues for the planners was an anticipated increase in the number of trucks on local roads and pollution from the plant. Orcem Americas can now appeal the decision to Vallejo’s City Council if it chooses.

US: The Center for Biological Diversity, a non-government agency, has described plans to give Mitsubishi Cement a 120-year permit to mine limestone from a new quarry in San Bernardino National Forest in southern California as ‘unreasonable.’ Ileene Anderson, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, made the comment on the basis that local flora and fauna would be adversely affected by the decision, according to the San Bernardino Sun newspaper. The US Forest Service and the County of San Bernardino are seeking comment on the proposal until 1 February 2017.

The new quarry will be located on public land abutting Mitsubishi Cement’s existing quarries at the site. It will serve the nearby Lucerne Valley cement plant.

US: Cemex USA’s Victorville cement plant in California has been awarded Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Conservation Certification for work towards sustainability, environmental-protection and land-stewardship. The WHC presented the Victorville plant with the certification on 3 November 2016 during a ceremony at the 2016 WHC Conservation Conference in Baltimore. The designation means that all Cemex USA’s cement plants are now WHC-certified. WHC focuses on healthy ecosystems and connected communities. Cemex now has 18 WHC-certified sites in North America, of which fifteen are in the US

Cemex’s WHC Conservation Certification programs are mainly focused on habitat restoration and sustainability. In 2013, two wind turbines were commissioned at the Victorville plant. The plant also earned its fifth Energy Star certification earlier in 2016 for reducing its energy use and environmental impact and the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District awarded Cemex USA’s Victorville plant operation the 2015/2016 Exemplar Award.

"This plant has persevered through good times and bad: two world wars, three different owners and countless upgrades to its facilities and equipment. Through all of the changes, two things have remained constant: a commitment to safety and a commitment to producing a high-quality product," said Hugo Bolio, Cemex USA’s Executive Vice President of Cement Operations and Technology. The Victorville Cement Plant was established in 1916 and was upgraded in 1997 and 2001. It has a production capacity of 3Mt/yr.

US: The Lehigh Southwest Cement Company has ordered a cement mill upgrade from FLSmdith for its Tehachapi cement plant in California. The upgrade is planned to increase cement-grinding capacity at the plant by 23% by installing and using the hydraulic roller press for pre-grinding.

The scope of contract for the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) project including engineering, a new clinker bin, heavy duty roller press HRP-C 1.25 with its auxiliaries, weigh feeder, set of belt conveyors, nuisance filters, bucket elevators and new electrical room for this circuit. The project will also use the new FLSmidth Tribomax wear surface. H&M Construction will provide the civil/structural engineering and construction portion of the work, working for FLSmidth. This will be the first roller press supplied in North America for FLSmidth in the last two decades.

"Our customers focus on productivity. They want high utilisation rates and minimum downtime. Wear parts are one of the key components when it comes to reducing overall maintenance cost and wear solutions like Tribomax reduce the total cost of ownership of the equipment considerably," said FLSmidth Executive Vice President for the Cement Division, Per Mejnert Kristensen.

Deliveries for the project will begin in the third quarter of 2016 and the roller press is expected to be in operation by April 2017.