You are here: EPA Home Compliance and Enforcement Enforcement Civil Enforcement

Information Resources Civil Cases and Settlements Lafarge North America, Inc. Clean Air

Act Settlement Lafarge North America, Inc. Clean Air Act Settlement Information Sheet 

Lafarge North America, Inc. Clean Air Act 

Settlement Information Sheet 

Overview of Company and Location of Facilities 

Violations 

Injunctive Relief 

Pollutant Reductions 

Health and Environmental Effects 

Civil Penalty 

State Partners 

Comment Period 

Overview of Company and Location of Facilities 

Violations 

The complaint alleged the following violations: 

Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD), Part C of the Title I, at §§ 7661a-f; and 

Clean Air Act (CAA) 42 U.S.C. §§ 7470-7492

Lafarge North America, Inc. 

Settlement Resources 

Settlement Summary 

Consent Decree (PDF) (152 

pp, 561 KB, About PDF)

Lafarge is a French industrial company 

specializing in four major products: 

cement 

construction aggregates 

concrete 

gypsum wallboard 

Lafarge North America is the largest 

diversified supplier of construction 

materials in the U.S. and Canada and is 

currently the world’s largest cement 

manufacturer by mass of product 

shipped. Headquartered in Herndon, Va., 

Lafarge North America employs more 

than 16,600 people who work at more 

than 1,000 locations across the U.S. and 

Canada. 

Lafarge owns 13 cement manufacturing 

facilities in the United States, making it 

one of the largest cement manufacturers 

in the country. The table to the right lists

the facilities owned and operated by 

Lafarge in the U.S. and the number of 

kilns at each facility. 

Plant Location Number of Kilns

Alpena, Mich. 5

Atlanta, Ga. 1

Davenport, Iowa 1

Fredonia, Kan. 2

Harleyville, S.C. 1

Joppa, Ill. 2

Paulding, Ohio 2

Ravena, N.Y. 2

Roberta, Ala. 1

Seattle, Wash. 1

Sugar Creek, Mo. 1

Tulsa, Okla. 2

Whitehall, Pa 2

Civil Enforcement

ile:///N:/Projects/0210426-EPA_SPPD_(Opt4)/0210426.004.012-Cement/Technical_Record/Docket%20Final%

20Additions/0877/4_SUPPORTING_DOCS/21_Lafarge%20Settlement%20Information%20Sheet.htm Last updated on Thursday, March 18, 2010

Lafarge North America, Inc. Settlement | Compliance and Enforcement | US EPA Page 1 of 4

file://N:\Projects\0210426-EPA_SPPD_(Opt4)\0210426.004.012-Cement\Technical_Record... 8/5/2010
Nonattainment New Source Review (nonattainment NSR), 42 U.S.C. §§ 7501-7515 

The federally-approved and enforceable state implementation plans (SIPs) in each of 

the states where a Lafarge facility is located, that incorporate and/or implement the 

above-listed federal PSD and/or nonattainment NSR requirements 

Title V of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. §§ 7661-7661f, and Title V’s implementing federal and 

state regulations 

Injunctive Relief 

The consent decree secures injunctive relief from all 13 cement facilities. When all controls 

required under the consent decree are fully implemented, by 2014, the settlement will reduce 

emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by more than 9,900 tons per year and sulfur dioxide 

(SO2) by more than 26,000 tons per year. 

The settlement requires Lafarge to: 

Install and operate a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to control NOx at its 

Joppa, Ill. Kiln 1 

Install and operate selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) systems to control NOx on 17 of their 23 kilns 

Install and operate wet gas scrubbers (WGS) to control SO2 at 4 of their 23 kilns 

Install and operate dry absorbent addition (DAA) systems to control SO2 at 13 of the 

23 kilns 

Operate continuous emission monitors (CEMs) on all U.S. operating kilns 

The facility-specific NOx and SO2 controls and limits required by the consent decree are as 

follows: 

Plant Kiln 

ID 

Consent Decree 

Required SO2 Controls 

Consent Decree 

Required NOx Controls 

Alpena 19 DAA SNCR

20 DAA SNCR

21 DAA SNCR

22 WGS SNCR

23 WGS SNCR

Atlanta 1 kiln shutdown kiln shutdown 

Davenport 1 DAA none (compliance with 

existing BACT limit) 

Fredonia 1 DAA SNCR

2 DAA SNCR

Harleyville 1 none (compliance with 

existing BACT limit) 

none (compliance with 

existing BACT limit) 

Joppa 1 none SCR

2 kiln shutdown kiln shutdown 

Paulding 1 DAA SNCR

2 DAA SNCR

Ravena 1 WGS SNCR

2 WGS SNCR

Roberta 5 none (emission limit 

2.2lb/ton) 

none (emission limit 

2.4lb/ton) 

Seattle 1 DAA SNCR

Sugar 1 none SNCR (run year-round) 

Lafarge North America, Inc. Settlement | Compliance and Enforcement | US EPA Page 2 of 4

file://N:\Projects\0210426-EPA_SPPD_(Opt4)\0210426.004.012-Cement\Technical_Record... 8/5/2010
1 Tulsa will submit data and EPA will determine whether it can meet 2.5 lb/ton SO2, if it cannot, it will be 

required to install DAA 

DAA - Dry Absorbent Addition 

SNCR - Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction 

SCR - Selective Catalytic Reduction 

WGS - Wet Gas Scrubber 

IF/LNB - Indirect Firing/Low NOx Burner 

Pollutant Reductions 

Upon complete implementation, the projects required by this settlement are expected to 

reduce annual emissions from the 13 Lafarge facilities by more than 26,000 tons of SO2 and 

9,900 tons of NOx. 

Health and Environmental Effects 

The pollutants reduced under this settlement are known to have numerous adverse, 

significant environmental and health effects. These reductions will benefit the environment 

and the health of persons living near the Lafarge facilities as well as in downwind areas. 

Nitrogen Oxides – Nitrogen oxides can cause ground-level ozone, acid rain, 

particulate matter, global warming, water quality deterioration, and visual 

impairment. Nitrogen oxides play a major role, with volatile organic chemicals, in the 

atmospheric reactions that produce ozone. Children, people with lung diseases such 

as asthma, and people who work or exercise outside are susceptible to adverse 

effects such as damage to lung tissue and reduction in lung function. 

Sulfur Dioxide – Sulfur dioxides affect breathing and may aggravate existing 

respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Sensitive populations include asthmatics, 

individuals with bronchitis or emphysema, children and the elderly. Sulfur dioxide is 

also a primary contributor to acid deposition, or acid rain. 

Civil Penalty 

Lafarge has also agreed to pay a civil penalty of $5,075,000 within 30 days of entry of the 

consent decree. $3,383,000 will be paid to the United States, and the remainder will be paid 

to the state and local agencies participating in the settlement. 

State Partners 

The states of Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, 

Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency 

Creek 

Tulsa 1 DAA1 SNCR

2 DAA1 SNCR

Whitehall 2 DAA SNCR

3 DAA SNCR

Lafarge North America, Inc. Settlement | Compliance and Enforcement | US EPA Page 3 of 4

file://N:\Projects\0210426-EPA_SPPD_(Opt4)\0210426.004.012-Cement\Technical_Record... 8/5/2010
participated in settlement negotiations and are signatories to the agreement. 

Comment Period 

The proposed settlement lodged in the Southern District of Illinois is subject to a 30-day 

comment period and final court approval. Information on submitting comment is available at 

the Department of Justice website. 

 

 

Lafarge North America, Inc. Settlement | Compliance and Enforcement | US EPA Page 4 of 4

file://N:\Projects\0210426-EPA_SPPD_(Opt4)\0210426.004.012-Cement\Technical_Record... 8/5/2010