Pueblo cement plant may threaten Springs' air quality

The phrase has become so common it could be our city's motto. Whenever a company announces plans to relocate to or expand its presence in Colorado Springs, officials cite the city's high quality of life its recreational opportunities, low cost of living, panoramic views and clean mountain air - as one of the primary factors in making the decision. Now, that could change if a controversial cement plant in Pueblo gets the green light for construction.

The proposed Rio Grande Portland Cement Corp., owned by Mexico-based Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua, would be built six miles south of Pueblo. In its application for a permit from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Grupo Cementos reportedly submitted plans showing the plant Would generate up to 100 pounds of dust per hour and 69,442 pounds of pollutants per year. The data was extrapolated from what Grupo Cementos called "a very similar plant in Mexico."

Colorado Springs could be impacted by these pollutants via a phenomenon called "regional transport of pollution," said Dr. Neil Carmen, a consultant retained by a grassroots group of Puebloans known as Citizens for Clean Air in Pueblo/Southern Colorado (CCAP). Carmen is currently the Clean Air Program director for the Lone Star (Texas) chapter of the Sierra Club, and for 12 years was the air quality inspector for the Texas office of the Environmental Protection Agency. Regional transport of pollution is a concept that has "gained a tremendous amount of scientific recognition around the country," Carmen said.