Who cares in Rugby?

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Recent Comment:

Dear Lillian,

I can't tell you how much I admire you courage on this issue. You are a true hero to the citizens of Rugby. Unfortunately I believe, after speaking to officers like Sean Lawson, that the Borough Council can't actually do anything. The EA is at the whim of big business too.

The way forward must be the ballot box. I am so pleased you will be contesting Rugby at the next General Election. We need more Ind Cllrs on RBC, this may come about in the next few years because an "all out" system of electing our Cllrs may come into being. I have always believed this makes Ind Cllrs more likely.

Fight on and be strong,

Paul Holdsworth

Thank You Paul, you don't realise how much your comment means to me. I am more used to receiving comments of support through my email and letters in the press, and sometimes think that the little comment box beneath goes unnoticed.

Thank You for taking the time.
Lilian.

TROOPS TAKE OVER CEMEX !

AS RUGBY AND VENEZUELA ENJOY CEM-EXPERIENCE!
FAULTY TOWER PLANS FAMILY FUN DAY.
AT CO-INCINERATOR HERITAGE SITE!

Rugby Cemex plans "happy family fun day", with "friends of the kiln club" membership, (half price for juniors and OAPs), and with a Victorian theme as small children are pushed up chimney carrying brushes.

Meanwhile adults enjoying the CEM-EXperience, where it snows every day, will have hair automatically grey-streaked, and will buy raffle tickets for a chance to use the carbon dioxide blasters, to unblock kiln. Eat dust-coated popcorn, play dodgems with HGVs, and "bash a kiln rat", with Basil and resident Manuel, banging them over the head with a bit of 2 by 4 when they pop out of the kiln or any other emission release points. JOHN CLEESE is invited to inaugurate.

All this is completely FREE, along with a HERITAGE visit to the EIGHT year old co-incinerator plant on 11 September for 40 lucky residents, as part of Rugby's celebration of Rugby's magnificent achievement : "historical/ hysterical 8 year-old co-incinerator heritage!"

Surely this is not a cunning ploy, an attempt to woo Rugby residents, who are apparently TPO on a grand scale with CEMEX RUGBY.

Ideas are flooding in, " for hours of fun for old and young", as Alton Towers looks set to go out of business in the face of such grandiose pleasurable opportunities.

VENEZUELAN TROOPS
RE-NATIONALISED Cemex cement 19 August by force after Cemex refused to accept a "reasonable offer" , after negotiations with CEMEX reached nowhere! Troops seized control of Cemex's plants and offices as workers at the factory cheered and waved in approval.


CEMEX asked for $1.3 billion in compensation for relinquishing control of its plants which account for HALF of Venezuela's total cement, after the government issued a tax bill for $37 million, as takeover talks hit rough weather. Now Cemex will have to settle for a low deal, while the government paid $552 million for an 85% stake in HOLCIM SWITZERLAND, and $265 million for 89% shares in LAFARGE FRANCE.

VENEZUELA BLAMES CEMEX
for exporting TOO much of its local output that denied enough cement for its local consumption, and prevented the provision for home-building and infrastructure targets for providing housing for the poor.

The socialist government has already taken oil, and telecommunications, a bank and a steel company, from private hands. The takeover bill for the cement companies may yet reach $3 billion - as reported in international press today. But Cemex may have a silver-lining as its $19 billion debt from the takeover of RINKER Australia last year could be reduced (by $?) IF they get a "reasonable compensation".

RUMOURS UNCONFIRMED
as yet, suggest that the troops may be invited to take-over Rugby plant - but so far this remains unconfirmed. Other rumours suggest a £1 a ticket raffle for the whole Rugby plant, though some say this is excessive, and that 50p a ticket would be more realistic.

HAND OF GOD STRIKES RUGBY AGAIN!

AS PERIODS OF CALM, AND LOW WIND SPEEDS INCREASE DUST/PARTICULATE IN RUGBY!


CEMEX AND RUGBY RESIDENTS CAUGHT OUT BY WEATHER, AND KILN, AND BY LOW EXIT VELOCITY, YET AGAIN!


IT ONLY TAKES TWO MINUTES TO SMOTHER AN AREA 800 METRES SOUTH SOUTH WEST IN DUST?

CEMEX ADMIT DUST IS INEVITABLE IN NOTIFICATION OF UNAUTHORISED BREACH: WHY DID BAG FILTERS NOT WORK?
WHAT FUEL WERE THEY BURNING?


EXCESSIVE EMISSIONS: 22nd April 2008, of clinker dust from KILN FLUSH 05:38 to 05:43. "Kiln off - stopped at 05:35 by the operator to "minimise environmental impact" , "after a lump fell into the kiln which did not clear using the normal blasting and jetting procedures." Cemex decided NOT to report the fugitive emissions at an "AVERAGED" (??) 357 milligrams/357,000 MICROGRAMS each cubic metre, because they did not believe the fugitive releases, which breached the operating Permit, had reached the "wider world". Unfortunately for Cemex at least five wide-awake residents in FROBISHER ROAD reported that their cars were covered in dust.

WHAT HAPPENED?
QUOTE: "In the hour of 0500 to 0600 a lump fell into the kiln inlet which did not clear using normal blasting and jetting techniques. The kiln controller immediately stopped the kiln as per normal operating procedures. As the lump cleared it was holding back some raw materials which then passed through the kiln system after the kiln had been stopped. Elevated particulate emissions occurred for the five minutes at a lower than normal flow rate through the main stack after the kiln had been stopped."

FROBISHER ROAD COMPLAINTS:
"During this period the wind direction monitor indicated a variable wind direction, that for NO MORE THAN TWO MINUTES was in the direction of Frobisher Road. The wind speed was LOW, less than 2 mph. The only possible explanation is that due to the LOWER FLOW and VERY CALM WEATHER conditions the PARTICULATES will NOT have DISPERSED effectively as under 'normal operations' but were deposited in Frobisher Road.

PRE-HEATER KILNS CHARACTERISTIC:
Build-ups such as this are characteristic of a pre-heater system and are 'effectively' (??) ,managed by checking and clearing. CEMEX have made various improvements since the kiln was first commissioned (and since the 250 stops/starts in 2005??) by the installation of extra blasters in the COMBUSTION CHAMBER".

WHAT NOW?
The usual pay off: "CEMEX has written to residents (ONLY those) that made contact regarding 'dust nuisance' and offered reimbursement for cleaning cars."
Cemex claim: "Kiln flushes are rare and are IN THIS CASE small in nature. It would unfortunately appear that, on this occasion (we were caught out by!) CALM WEATHER conditions resulted in a limited nuisance for a small area of local residents. It is NOT possible to guarantee that a fall of this nature will not happen in the future. However, the management procedures already in place, and techniques used, 'are considered BAT' to MINIMISE the risk of this event.

SEVERAL OTHER RECENT TEST FAILURES:
frequently cement mills for excessive particulate: main stack for dioxins and furans; particulate; cadmium and thallium: 'climafuel' for excessive lead and chromium: bypass dust for increased dioxins;

SENSITIVE ISSUES AND CONTENTIOUS SITES:
WHAT DOES THE AGENCY DO?
They have little meetings in which they discuss how to silence the people who genuinely ask for information, by having them labelled as "vexatious complainants", in accordance with the EA's Complaints and Commendations Policy. They are very worried about how to thwart any Freedom of Information requests - "we are discussing how we will deal with such requests."

WHY IS RUGBY SUCH A HUGE PROBLEM?
Apart from the obvious: i.e . the unlawful construction of an old-fashioned environmentally disastrous semi-wet process 2 million tonne a year cement plant in an urban area's smokeless zone; which then 'morphed' into a 600 tonne a day waste-burning CO-INCINERATOR without any valid planning permission, without a valid IPC or valid IPPC operating permit, without any public consultation; ALL in contravention of the UK's own laws, EIA Directive, PPC Directive, Aarhus Convention and Public Participation Directive; AND apart from the afore mentioned also the obvious problems of emissions, pollution, hundreds of lorries each day. loss of amenity, visual, pollution episodes, air quality and health impact (health in ALL senses of the word!) also there is the POLITICAL climate in Rugby, according to the EA.

EA AND POLITICAL ISSUES:
"We have fully briefed JEREMY WRIGHT CONSERVATIVE Member of Parliament for Rugby and Kenilworth. RBC is a 'hung council and its political leadership has changed 3 times in the last 5 years. One third of the Borough Councillors are up for re-election in the May 2006 local government elections. This presents a challenge to all involved!" And now that the Tories have gained more seats? Since when did health and air quality become a political football?

FOOTNOTE ON LORRIES!
WAST PLANT CONTROVERSY AT SOUTHAM:
The £35 million 1,000 tonne a day proposed waste processing plant seems to be having a lot of trouble already. The Rugby Observer 7th August said it would need an extra 69 lorries going in each day - and presumably then going out making 138 extra journeys to bring in all the waste from across the county? And then an extra 48 lorries to take the waste/RDF/Climafuel to Cemex Rugby for burning; presumably them returning making 96 in all. So at Southam it seems there would be an extra 234 each day? On top of the "usual" 140 clay lorries which ply between Southam and Rugby. making a grand total of 378 movements each day?

AT RUGBY:
The £35 million 1,000 tonne a day proposed waste processing plant if built at RUGBY would only, according to Cemex and the Evening Telegraph 5th August, need "about 11 extra loads a day"?

Anyone confused?

CEMEX SHOWS TRASH PLANS

1,000 TONNES A DAY
ONLY 11 EXTRA LORRIES!

Telegraph: "Cemex admitted the development would mean more lorries accessing the site - with about 11 extra loads a day." This follows on from many years of rows about the many hundreds of incessant Rugby Cement/Cemex lorries that Warwickshire County Council has permitted to pass unrestricted through New Bilton every day, and night, massively impacting on the lives and amenity of all local residents - not to mention the heavily pitted surfaces on the Lawford Road, in the Air Quality Management Area - traffic fumes!

Now a novel solution is to be found. The old cement plant had an average of about 80 small 20-tonne 2-axil lorry movements each day, but the County Council then gave planning permission for 800 40-tonne six-axil juggernauts, to go in and out of the site daily. They called this a "cement works upgrade!" Presumably in order to appease local residents and to prevent further complaints, and to cut down the number of lorry movements, the HGVs are to be made bigger - carrying approximately 100 tonne each? The good news is "Cemex also promised there'd be no increase in noise or emissions levels." Super quiet, massive lorries, with no emissions, as well! Great!

PLAN B. IS TO RE-OPEN THE RAILWAY
instead of having lorry trains? 27 May 2002 RMC write to the Environment Agency: "Traffic clearly is a planning issue. In a general sense we appreciate local concerns over traffic. It is our preference that the works become rail connected. We have had discussions with both parties - Strategic Rail Authority and Railtrack. We will work towards a viable solution for rail connecting the works if one is achievable. This would relieve traffic issues significantly." Shame they actually built a bagging plant on the actual rail connection that had always gone into the works! When? Not quite last week, but after they started building the new plant in 1996! Anyone know any planners - the County and Cemex both need more than a bit of help?

WASTE FACTORY BID FOR RUGBY
RUGBY TIMES : front page 5 August. "Cemex has unveiled plans to build a waste processing plant at its factory in Rugby. Pre-treated rubbish known as Climafuel is currently being imported from London and Wales to burn as a trial replacement for coal. But now the firm wants to manufacture it on-site IF it wins permission to burn the household and industrial waste permanently. A similar application has also been submitted for the firm's old cement works site at Southam, but only one would be built if both were approved by the County Council."

RUGBY'S OWN 42,000 TONNES
rubbish produced by the entire Borough each year is not enough! The Cemex factory can burn 15 tph, 360 tonnes a day, 125,000 tonne each year of RDF Refuse Derived Fuel. "The £35 million plant would import into Rugby urban area 360,000 tons a year of Warwickshire's (?) raw trash, sifting out 250,000 tons of non-recyclable wood, plastic, paper, textile, and card to make Climafuel. Cemex claims the processing is safe and that Climafuel eases pressure on landfill and creates fewer emissions." 125,000 tonnes of ready-made Climafuel will also be imported to be blended in.

DEPRIVED AREA, POOR AIR QUALITY
"Rugby is already an air quality management area for nitrogen dioxide. Also in various parts of the town, but particularly around the cement plant, there are high levels of particulate emissions. New Bilton and Newbold are already areas of deprivation. They shouldn't have more and more dumped on them!" says Rugby in Plume. Ian Southcott Cemex community affairs manager said: "Any odours are retained within the facility. The operation would be regulated and closely MONITORED by the ENVIRONMENT AGENCY!" Just as they "monitor" the cement works eh? That's all right then?
NOT! Just one monitor on the main stack that only works when the raw feed
gets up to 200 tonnes an hour - and no monitors on the other 15 or so small stacks? Or if there are monitors the data is not for the public to see.

FACTORY PLAN TRIGGERS CONCERNS
says Warwickshire Telegraph 5 August. County Councillor John Appleton said he would seek reassurances for the 16 acre factory at Southam quarry, as "this will have an impact on all residents living in the SOUTHAM area." The multi-national corporation aims to produce 250,000 tonnes every year from 300,000 tonnes of household, commercial, and industrial waste. In addition they would blend in another 125,000 tonnes of imported Climafuel brought in from other manufacturers outside the county.

MRS P FIGHTS FOR POOR AND PROPER CONSULTATION
Mrs P was quoted "Why don't they hand in both applications at the same time? I think they are trying to draw the process out so that people will lose interest and not bother fighting. The problem in Rugby is that people in the most deprived wards will be affected. The poorest areas are situated nearby down wind of the proposed site."

RUGBY REJECTS MORE DARK SATANIC MILLS as the BUTCHERS pet food factory application in Rugby, was thrown out, after no less than a record-breaking 21 Rugby Councillors deigned to attend: "We already have one dark satanic mill in Rugby - we will not allow another chimney - and no more pollution!" So where are these caring councillors now?
But of course this decision is in the hands of the ever-so experienced WCC REGULATORY
Committee - 'secret site visits', 'nodding through', and 'retrospective' are their forte!

PUBLIC INQUIRY might just provide the answer to the 35 million pound question:
SOUTHAM or RUGBY?

I'M NOT ON MY OWN

MAYBE SMOKESCREEN, OR DUST, THAT MAKES PEOPLE INVISIBLE TO ENVIRONMENT AGENCY?

RUGBY TIMES 29 JULY
She was told she was on her own, but Cemex campaigner Lilian Pallikaropoulos has proof it's not a one-woman crusade. Lilian said she was accused of being "the only one who cares" about tyre-burning at the Lawford Road plant. Now she has hit back with thousands of names on a petition.


She said: "They say I'm the only one who is bothered but we've got 8,000 signatures on this petition and I didn't even collect them, so I wasn't exactly forcing people to sign it!

Some of the public did stop paying attention, and naturally you will if you're being treated like dirt!"

Lilian added that Rugby in Plume would take its battle against the Environment Agency for approving tyre-burning to the European Commission, despite a £100,000 personal legal bill after the case was thrown out by the House of Lords. She said : "I feel very depressed at times but we have got to keep going!"

DEMOLITION PROGRAM CENSORED!
Funny too how Rugby Cement was nominated by very many people (I had only one vote!) for the competition to identify the "worst most ugly harmful building in the country", and came fifth over all. BUT, despite two days of filming in Rugby the program was "censored", and Rugby Cement was not allowed to be discussed, and the the film was not shown! The reason? It was said that it was not permitted to show it because it is "an industrial building"! So where did it ever say in the competition that the rules excluded industrial buildings? Northampton bus station was allowed to be discussed, and that film was shown - another industrial building.

HUNDREDS OF LETTERS IN PRESS
While I do write the "occasional" missive to the press I am not the ONLY person who writes, as people in Rugby well know. But pathetically the Agency selectively cuts out bits of the local papers to "influence" the judges decisions. "Now look what she has done!"

HEALTH PROTECTION AGENCY
Yet more and more reports on cement plants - co-incinerating waste.
Why is that then if no-one is interested?


BRITISH SOCIETY FOR ECOLOGICAL MEDICINE
Has regularly updated reports on the impact of emissions from cement co-incinerators.

See LINK: www.ecomed.org.uk


RUGBY HEALTH PROTECTION BUDGET USED:
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY PAYING TO CONSULT:
FUNNY isn't it how the Agency, that claims to the Lords that "no-one cares about the continuing operation of the cement works," is jointly funding the Reports, and Meetings and Workshops with the ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL as facilitator with the "Rugby community", as part of "stakeholder engagement". Yes that is right - meetings and workshops for those people who care not a jot? The money from Rugby Borough Council is ACTUALLY a £15,000 contribution from the HEALTH PROTECTION BUDGET! But no-one in Rugby cares about health - according to the Agency!