Holcim clears hurdle in effort to build cement plant

Holcim US operations has cleared another hurdle in its effort to build a $600 million cement plant in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri. The US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri ruled Wednesday in favour of the company and the US Army Corps of Engineers in a suit regarding a permit for a harbor and a fleeting area filed by several environmental groups. In the decision, the judge noted that the Corps studied the relevant areas of environmental concern and made convincing statements that the project would not significantly impact the environment. "This decision says what we’ve said all along, that this plant is going to be built in an environmentally sound manner and will be bringing good jobs to the region," said Nancy Tully, spokeswoman for Holcim, in an interview.

The suit was one of three pending that are delaying the start of the project. Holcim has a hearing before the Missouri Supreme Court Oct. 6 and an administrative hearing on its air permit later in October, Tully said. It has already received all necessary permits for the project.

Swiss-based Holcim, one of the world’s largest suppliers of cement, gravel, sand and concrete, has proposed the plant on a 4,000-acre site in Ste. Genevieve County. The plant, adjacent to the Mississippi River, would employ 200 permanent workers and provide 1,000 construction jobs. Holcim US already employs 200 workers in Missouri, most at its 35-year-old cement plant in Clarksville in Pike County. In addition, the company has a terminal in St. Louis and in Kansas City and hundreds of customers in state.