Officials of the Ash Grove Cement plant near Leamington say they are no longer seeking permission to burn hazardous waste-derived fuels. Instead they want to burn used motor oil and tires.
A local citizens council has been appointed to assist in monitoring and guiding the company as it proceeds with efforts to obtain permission to burn used oil and scrap tires at the Leamington plant. Named to head the council, which will meet periodically in Delta with plant officials, is Utah State Rep. Bill Wright, R-Elberta.The council is made up of county commissioners, economic development leaders, community officials, school board members and state legislators.
The policy change is being made at the urging of state Senate President Arnold Christensen, R-Sandy. Burning any type of fuel must be approved by the state.
In a letter to the cement plant's officials in April, Christensen said the re-use of many hazardous wastes is ecologically and economically sound but additional education and involvement of the public is needed. He therefore suggested that plant officials consider implementing "a program that would substitute non-hazardous wastes, such as used tires, used oils and other suitable wastes for part of your coal."
Christensen said he had been informed that nearly 2 million tires and more than 16.6 million gallons of used oil must be disposed of in the state. He said these products don't lend themselves well to land disposal but are examples of non-hazardous wastes that have a high heat content.
"Perhaps after you have demonstrated your ability to benefit everyone by using these difficult-to-dispose-of non-hazardous wastes safely we can consider adding other wastes to your fuel mixes."
In answer to Christensen's letter, Ash Grove plant manager Duane Crutchfield said the company was setting aside its request with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality to burn highly controversial hazardous waste fuels. They requested approval to begin an alternative fuels process substituting used oils and scrap tires.
Some officials and residents in western Millard County have long complained about Ash Grove's fuel policy in burning waste-derived fuels. Ken Ware, Ash Grove environmental director, denied rumors that the plant received prior approval to burn motor oil and scrap tires in its kiln.
Ware said, "As trust in the science of replacing coal with waste-derived fuels develops, we still hope to be able to add other such products to the fuel mix at Leamington as we have done successfully at other Ash Grove cement plants. We are still convinced that, for some of our country's industrial wastes, recycling them as fuels in such operations as cement kilns is the most productive and environmentally safe solution now known."