Carolinas Cement Company has announced that the Division of Air Quality of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued a draft air quality permit to parent company Titan America to construct a cement plant in Castle Hayne. The issuance of the draft permit comes after an 18-month technical review of the proposed facility to ensure it will comply with North Carolina’s air quality regulations and standards.

The Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is required by the federal Clean Air Act to accept public comments after the issuance of a draft air permit. The DAQ has scheduled two public hearings to take place on Tuesday, Oct. 20 from 2-5 p.m. and 6:30-9 p.m. at the Cape Fear Community College North Campus at 4500 Blue Clay Road in Castle Hayne. Individuals may present comments of three minutes or less. Following a review of all oral and written comments, the DAQ will make a final determination on the air quality permit application in accordance with the rules established by the NC Environmental Management Commission.

“Carolinas Cement is committed to constructing one of the safest and most advanced cement plants in the United States,” said Bob Odom, Project Manager for Carolinas Cement. “Titan America has a long tradition of being an environmentally sensitive neighbor, as evidenced by the many environmental honors awarded to our plants in Virginia and Florida. We will continue that tradition in North Carolina. We have already invested significant resources to evaluate new mitigation technologies to implement at the Castle Hayne plant and to measure the potential effect of emissions to ensure public safety. We look forward to the public hearing and proceeding through the regulatory process to bring new jobs to Wilmington.