26/08/2005 - Tonight
the Environment Agency updated the members
of the Rugby Cement Community Forum on a
number of issues concerning the operation
of the site and our ongoing work to ensure
the plant does not impact on the environment
and human health.
Area Environment Manager, Paul Quinn, informed
the Community Forum:
That Cemex has made significant progress
in meeting the Environmental Improvement
Plan agreed with the Environment Agency.
They have responded positively to our concerns
and the performance of the plant has improved
significantly. This has allowed us to authorise
the re-start of the trial use of tyres as
a partial substitute fuel.
That the consultation on the Cemex application
to vary the emission limit value relating
to Total Organic Carbon releases, as set
out in their permit, ended on 8 August 2005.
We intend to issue a decision document before
the end of September.
That we have responded to four complaints
about odours and dust between 1 April to
30 June 2005. In each case, we investigated
and responded to the complainant.
The outcome of two investigations relating
to issues around the end of 2004 and beginning
of 2005.
With regard to these two investigations,
the first related to the findings of our
audit of the environmental monitoring data
provided by Cemex predecessors, Rugby Ltd
during the period from September 2004 and
February 2005. The audit, carried out by
independent contractors on behalf of the
Environment Agency showed that in general
the company provided us with accurate monitoring
results. However, the audit team did find
that the company failed to report to us
two instances when emission limits for particulates
(dust) may have been exceeded. Although
the company had corrected their procedures
prior to our investigation, we have issued
the company with a formal warning letter.
The second investigation was of an incident
in December 2004 when the company discharged
water containing high levels of suspended
solids into the Sow Brook. This turned the
Sow Brook and the River Avon white for a
number of kilometres. Although the company
had already taken corrective action to reduce
the risk of a recurrence, we issued a Formal
Caution for this offence, which has been
accepted by the company.
Mr Quinn told the Forum that although we
are pleased with the progress that Cemex
have made in improving the performance of
the plant, the issue of the warning letter
and Formal Caution makes it clear that any
further offences will have very serious
consequences for the company. The issue
of the Formal Caution means that the company
has accepted that an offence has been committed
and that should there be any further offences
in the future then, subject to evidence,
the most likely outcome is that the company
will be prosecuted.
