Board OKs emissions increase for Thomaston plant
The Dragon Cement plant in Thomaston has been approved by the Maine Board of Environmental Protection to increase its mercury emissions by 68% as work increases.
The Bangor Daily News reported that the citizen-led board’s approval on Thursday essentially allows Dragon Cement Company to increase production, which had previously been restricted by a state law that caps mercury emissions at 25 pounds per year.
The board’s vote means Dragon Cement can operate under federal standards instead, which permits up to 42 pounds per year for the Thomaston plant’s current production level.
The Natural Resources Council of Maine has criticized the board’s vote, saying the state is “effectively surrendering [its] ability to limit mercury emissions at Dragon, allowing the plant to pollute at the highest level permitted nationwide,” according to the BDN.
Marc Cone, head of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Air Quality, told the newspaper that Dragon Cement’s current emission rate is lower than its now-former limit.
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