Government regulation of the cement industry is geared to prevent air pollution.
Due to the nature of manufacturing processes in the cement industry, plants make some emissions during the manufacturing process. The Environmental Protection Agency has some regulations to protect against the emission of such substances that pollute the environment. The cement industry lobbies against such laws, saying that they hike up costs and put it at an international disadvantage.
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act of 1970 authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate air emissions from sources such as cement plants and to establish air-quality standards. This serves to protect public health and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants. The act requires some standards for acceptable levels of pollution and also directs states to implement plans that would apply to different industrial sources.
NESHAP Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed another rule to regulate some emissions, including cement industry emissions, in 2009. The NESHAP or "national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants" rule applies to air emissions for which the EPA has identified potential to achieve a level of reduction in pollution levels given technology constraints. The standard applied here is known as "maximum achievable control technology" or MACT. These rules, which the EPA will start implementing in 2013, would impact cement manufacturing plants.
Fallout From Regulation
The cement industry lobbies against regulation, saying that the requirements are onerous and put the industry at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace. The EPA has estimated that the NESHAP rule will add $340 million in new costs to the cement industry and reduce the industry's output by 10 percent. Research by Southern Methodist University's Bernard Weinstein also points out that if cement production goes overseas as a result of such regulation, to countries where cement plants have higher levels of emissions, the result will be a net increase in global pollution.
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