Sunday, September 17, 2006

SITE COMPLIANCE FAILURES

It comes as no surprise whatsover to Rugby residents to find that the Environment Agency, using the favoured "lighter touch" regarding the regulation of the Rugby Cement plant, has now discovered that the plant it rated "A" for operator performance (OPRA) has now, in reality, scored a "D" for compliance. Or should that read for non-compliance?

Poor management at industrial sites caused more than 1,700 incidents of non-compliance with permit conditions that may have led to serious harm in 2005, according to official figures. The figures are likely to have caused red faces at some sites hitherto classed as "well managed" by the Environemnt Agency.

The Health Protection Agency stated that "well-managed, well-maintained waste burning cement plants" should (hopefully) not cause any health problems for local residents. So far they have failed to give any opinion on "UNmanaged and poorly-maintained cement plants" which are very much the "norm", and that is what we seem to have here!

No surprise for guessing who tops the list of offenders! The "A" list, or should that read the "Z" list, includes:

# CEMEX Rugby and CEMEX in various locations and guises,

# Blue Circle Cement works at Aberthaw,

# Lafarge Cement Hope,

# Castle Cement.

Its about time the Authorities admitted the dangers that face the population of Rugby instead of trying to hide the facts, allay all fears, and falsely re-assure the residents with their "exaggerated" and "unsubstantiated" claims about air quality and health in Rugby.

It is the TIME for TRUTH!

1 comment:

Lilian said...

DUST..DUST.. THE SAME AT PADESWOOD!!

At the 8th May 2006 Liaison Committee Minutes:
"Mr Oakes (EA officer) advised that there is NOT an issue with the MAIN stack: ALL the DUST PROBLEMS are FUGITIVE and it must be borne in mind that the process involved the milling of 1.2 million tonnes of raw materials to a FINE DUST (cement) and that this material moved through the various processes and in storage and will INAVIABLY result in fugitive emissions. This is clearly recognised and is being addressed".

PITY POOR RUGBY RESIDENTS with over THREE million tonnes being processed here right in the town. How many HUNDRED TONNES of that is spread all over us, because "they can't help it?"

The complaints have not reduced, and the DUST goes on and on, so why did the EA and RBC work together with WCC and Rugby Cement to build the monstrous pollting plant right here in the town, and then try to claim that they have taken "all reasonable precautions?"

Even when the KILN is shut down for maintenance the Low Level Sources such as Mills and Sepols and bagging plants continue to spoo out HEALTH DAMAGING PARTICULATE - in spite of any other name the EA prefer to call it.