Lehigh Cement Co. of Mason City, Iowa, must pay a $197,500 penalty to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for violations of the Clean Air Act. | MetsikGarden/Pixabay
Lehigh Cement Co. of Mason City, Iowa, must pay a $197,500 penalty to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for violations of the Clean Air Act. | MetsikGarden/Pixabay
A Mason City, Iowa, cement manufacturer must pay a $197,500 penalty to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for violations of the Clean Air Act.
Lehigh Cement Company LLC exceeded Clean Air Act emissions limits, among other violations, based on 2019 and 2020 facility records, a release from the EPA said.
The company also didn’t submit required reports to the state and didn’t conduct required testing of equipment.
“According to EPA, the company is a ‘major air emission source’ that failed to comply with state and federal regulations intended to limit harmful releases of air pollution,” the press release said. “... Under the terms of the settlement with EPA, Lehigh Cement Company is required to conduct additional air emissions testing to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the Clean Air Act.”
The Clean Air Act is a law that defines EPA's role in protecting and improving the U.S.'s “air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer,” the EPA website said.
“Cement plants are the third largest industrial source of air pollution, emitting more than 500,000 tons per year of pollutants, including particulate matter,” the release said. “Exposure to these small particle pollutants can affect the lungs and heart. … People with heart or lung diseases, children and older adults are the most likely to be affected by particle pollution exposure.”
Lehigh Cement Co. is part of Lehigh Hanson, a construction materials company in North America with over 550 operations in the U.S. and Canada, the Mason City Chamber of Commerce website said.
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