Environmental Leader

Ash Grove Cement near Baker City in Oregon, the largest source of mercury pollution in the state, has reached a voluntary deal with regulators to cut its mercury emissions by 75 percent within 3 years. AP reports. The cement plant will be the first in the U.S. with a specific deal to cut emissions of mercury.

“There’s no regulation mandating it, and nobody threatened them with litigation,” said Mark Riskedahl, director of the Northwest Environmental Defense Center. “It was of their own accord.”

The agreement, with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, requires the company to install controls within two years for a cost estimated at $15 million to $20 million.

Advertisers