Group visits lawmakers to promote cement plant

By Jim Obert

Business Today

STE. GENEVIEVE -- Local officials and several landowners met with Gov. Bob Holden and other state authorities April 10 regarding Holnam Cement Co.'s $600 million Lee Island Plant, which is slated for construction in northeast Ste. Genevieve County. Marv Harman, Ste. Genevieve County economic development director, said the visit was arranged at the request of the Ste. Genevieve County Commission.

Harman said the meeting showed lawmakers that the cement plant project has wide-spread support.

Representing Ste. Genevieve County were Harman, county commissioners Dennis Huck, Linda Hermann and Ray Gettinger, state representatives Patrick Naeger and Dan Ward, state Sen. Danny Staples, former state Rep. Herb Fallert, Melvin Miller of Ste. Genevieve County and Bill and Geraldine Noce of southern Jefferson County, who own land adjacent to the building site, and Bertha Mae Taylor, the mayor of Clarksville, which is the location of Holnam's only other Missouri plant. Holnam has 12 plants in the United States.

"We provided no technical information," said Harman, "That's between Holnam and the various permitting agencies. We were there simply to provide information and show support for the Lee Island Plant from a Ste. Genevieve County point of view."

Harman said Taylor was there to make Holden and the DNR staff aware that Holnam Cement Co. has been a good neighbor and good corporate citizen for 30 years in Clarksville.

"She noted that there are no serious ecological concerns at Clarksville, and that the few infractions over the years have not been of a serious nature, nor have they represented a danger to the area environment," said Harman.

"I want to reiterate," said Harman, "that this was not a meeting arranged by Holnam. This was simply an organized local effort to provide information and support. We requested only that the permitting agencies provide Holnam with a level playing field so that they be allowed to meet the same criteria as any other company seeking permits for a new plant, and be told exactly what criteria they have to meet and be allowed ample opportunities to meet these criteria in a timely fashion."

Harman noted that there has been much media coverage on the proposed Lee Island Plant, which would produce 4.4 millions tons of cement annually and employ about 200 workers. He said the media coverage in the St. Louis area is slanted by inaccurate information from environmental groups, and that information on the Internet provided by environmental groups contains photos of property along the Mississippi River that is not owned by Holnam. The photos are of another company's operation.

Harman said a great deal of time and money has been spent by Holnam Cement to meet requirements of the permitting agencies.

"The problems seem to center around just what the requirements are since they appear to keep changing," he said. "We asked Governor Holden and his staff, DNR director Steve Mahfood and his staff, for only three things -- fairness, a level playing field for Holnam that would treat them as any other permit applicant, and completion of the permitting process in a timely fashion. I think our requests were well received."

Harman said Ste. Genevieve County needs the 200 permanent jobs, the housing demands that would result, the additional tax revenues, and the numerous construction jobs that would be created.

"I think it was a good meeting and one that was necessary. The county commissioners should be commended for taking a proactive role in this showing of local support," said Harman.

Holnam Cement Co. is Swiss-owned. Its parent company owns cement factories in 70 countries.

A second cement plant is planned to be built in Ste. Genevieve County. Continental Cement Co. of Hannibal, Mo., has outlined plans to locate next to Tower Rock Stone Co., just north of the city of Ste. Genevieve. The company plans a $170 million facility that will create 80 jobs. An additional 35 jobs are expected to be created at Tower Rock Stone Co.

In late March, Continental applied for its air quality permit. The company will not need mining-related permits in its cement manufacturing process because it will use a by-product from Tower Stone Co.