Holcim's Alpena plant raises environmental concerns

A Free Press review of Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) records showed Holcim’s Alpena plant (Michigan, USA) has received more than 20 air pollution rules violation notices since 2015, including notices for carbon monoxide and particulate matter and repeated instances where required continual emissions monitoring did not occur for extended periods of time. The facility has also exceeded allowed limits of mercury in its wastewater that ultimately reaches Lake Huron. The facility was in significant noncompliance on total mercury from one of its effluent outfalls from 2016 until only returning to its allotted limits in March 2024. 

A March 2017 EGLE sampling of surface water near Holcim Alpena’s Wessel Road quarry found excessive mercury, arsenic and other potentially harmful metals in all samples. Repeatedly, EGLE will issue Holcim a violation notice, requiring the facility to correct the violation, then a corrective action will be taken only for another violation to arise. 

Ashley Rudzinski, climate and environment program director for Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, said “Enforcement has been really, really lax with this facility, and it’s impacting the Great Lakes. They dewater the Alpine quarry right into Thunder Bay. This is a major impact for all of the Great Lakes, because mercury pollution obviously impacts our fisheries and our public health.” 

Holcim provided a statement relating to the environmental violations at its Alpena plant. Jocelyn Gerst, vice president of marketing and communications, said, “At Holcim, we take our responsibility as an environmental steward very seriously and are committed to ensuring compliance with all environmental regulations, working closely with regulatory authorities to address and correct any issues that arise. Protecting the environment is at the core of Holcim’s sustainability strategy and overall growth. We are dedicated to decarbonising our industry and leading the transition to clean construction in North America, collaborating across the public and private sectors to meet growing customer demand for sustainable building solutions. From our broad range of low-carbon cement and concrete to our investments in clean-energy startups like Sublime Systems, which will enable near-zero emission cement production, we are driving innovative ways to lower our carbon footprint to enable and achieve a net-zero future.