Hold Your Breath

Architects generally love concrete. It has the flexibility to reflect our differing design intentions while retaining a character of it's own. Concrete does not come without baggage, primarily with respect to cement.

Many of us in North Texas may have thought the voluntary shuttering of four of the dirtiest wet-process concrete kilns in the country by TXI was good news. They've found a way to turn that on end and have used the emissions those plants would have produced to justify added emissions at their dry kilns still in operation. This includes burning types of waste that are technically non-hazardous, but won't find their way into many fireplaces ("shredded car waste, whole tires, carpeting and plastic garbage"). If you think the state should represent it's citizens interests, it appears the TCEQ helped keep this out of any established public review process. If you favor federal intervention, the EPA seems to have taken to keeping lists of violators rather than prosecuting them. The advocacy group Downwinder's at Risk only found about it by chance.

 - Sam

Short D-Magazine story: http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2011/11/15/txi-gets-permission-to-burn-even-more-hazardous-waste/

More detailed Dallas Area Residents for Responsible Drilling post: http://dallasdrilling.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/whores-of-texas-are-upon-you-all-the-live-long-day/