EPA Public Hearing on Re-proposal of Cement Kiln Air Taxies Standards 

August 16, 2012 

Arlington, TX 

Testimony of Kemp Burdette of Wilmington, NC 

Good Afternoon, 

I am Kemp Burdette of Wilmington, North Carolina. I am the Cape Fear Riverkeeper and the Executive 

Director of Cape Fear River Watch, a grassroots organization that protects and improves the water 

quality of the Lower Cape Fear River in southeastern NC. I am also a leader of the Stop Titan Action 

Network, a broad coalition of seven citizen based groups who oppose a proposed Titan Cement plant in 

our community. Over 14,000 people, including over 200 physicians, have signed our petition opposing a 

new cement plant based on the clear negative impacts to our community's health, environment and 

economy. I am honored to speak on their behalf today. Most importantly though, I am here today as a 

father of two little girls who love to play outside. 

Titan's proposed plant would be the nation's 4 th largest, if built. Titan plans to burn coal to process 

limestone from its strip mine. The facility would be placed on a narrow piece of land between our state's 

largest river and the Atlantic Ocean. Our county, New Hanover County, is North Carolina's 2"d smallest 

and 2"d most densely populated so there would be no escaping the pollution emitted by the plant. 8,500 

school children attend school within 5 miles of Titan's proposed facility and those 8,500 tiny lungs and 

hearts will be especially endangered by emissions from the plant. 

Our community is deeply concerned with the EPA's proposed weakening of the cement kiln rules that 

were finalized in 2010. Without strong air taxies standards for cement kiln emissions, facilities like the 

proposed Titan plant will emit dangerous levels of mercury, lead, benzene, and particulate matter. 

These toxins, especially mercury, will wind up in our river and our coastal waters. Blackwater rivers like 

ours are especially good at converting elemental mercury to methyl-mercury, an especially dangerous 

form of mercury that is concentrated in fish tissue as it moves up the food chain. Many of the people 

who eat fish from our river, especially low income sustenance fishermen, are unaware that the fish 

contain dangerous amounts of mercury. Children who are fed this mercury laden fish by their wellmeaning parents can suffer from delayed development and lower IQs. 

Particulate matter from cement plants exacerbates respiratory problems, can cause asthma attacks, 

bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart attacks. Particulate matter is especially dangerous to our community's 

most vulnerable- children like mine and the elderly, like my father who suffered an almost fatal heart 

attack 3 years ago. 

Given the clear mandate of the Clean Air Act and in light of the imminent threat to public health and the 

environment presented by cement kiln pollution, our community is confused about why the EPA is 

proposing to weaken rules that would save up to 2,500 lives each year. We are baffled that the agency 

charged with protecting human health and the environment seems to be more concerned with 

providing cost savings for industry than saving up to 18 billion dollars a year in health care costs 
associated with pollution from cement plants. The Clean Air Act is not about providing cost savings to 

polluters-it is intended to remove pollution from the air we breathe. 

In closing, we strongly support the final 2010 Cement Kiln Air Toxics Standards and we want them 

implemented ON TIME. These rules are good for our community and good for the environment. We 

strongly oppose any weakening of emission limits, any backsliding on monitoring requirements, and any 

life threatening delay in the implementation of the 2010 rules. 

Thank you for the opportunity to speak here today.