Who says 1,500 citizens speaking their mind can’t make a difference?

Remember last October’s public hearing on Titan’s Draft Air Permit? The one in which Titan brought in a bunch of corporate shills from out of state while local citizens, scientists, doctors, businessmen, moms, and students showed up in droves to ask why our own DAQ was issuing a permit that was significantly less stringent than EPA’s new regulations? Or why DAQ was allowing Titan to build one of the dirtiest new cement plants in the nation, or allowing them to emit 263 pounds of mercury next to a mercury-contaminated river, among many other very pertinent questions?

Turns out Paul Muller—the supervisor for DAQ’s Asheville office who led the hearings-- heard us loud and clear. Muller released his summary of the event and ten specific recommendations to DAQ chief Keith Overcash last week. In short, Mr. Muller, recommended DAQ not issue the Titan Cement air permit until Titan does much more analysis on the impacts of its toxic emissions on soil, plants, the river, and the public, and explain how they plan to meet the new EPA regs on cement kilns!

Muller even recommended Overcash revisit the SEPA issue related to Titan, review the public hearing process that denied citizens their right to fully participate (the hearing room was so small that hundreds of people never even made it inside, even after waiting for hours), and to review environmental justice issues in nearby Castle Hayne!

Now that’s a Titanic assessment! You can read all about in the Lumina News, News & Observer, and the Star-News from our latest news page.

Let’s hope Mr. Overcash take’s Muller’s advice and sends Titan back to the drawing board, not only to rethink their pollution controls—but the entire ill-conceived project.

So what’s it all mean?......It means your voices are making a difference, and YES, our community really can stop this thing. Muller’s report echoes everything we’ve been saying for almost two years now. It reveals Titan’s claims to be the cleanest cement plant in the nation as the load of hogwash they truly are. And it gives our state officials and regulators the perfect reason to put the brakes on this project NOW until more is known about the impacts on our health, environment and local economy.

What should you do? Keep the pressure on. Keep those calls, letters, and emails flowing to Governor Bev Perdue and your local elected officials. We’ve updated the What You Can Do Now document, so give it a look, then pass it around to all your pals. We’re also working on a new page that will highlight where political candidates in the November elections stand on the Titan issue. Though we can’t endorse anyone, electing leaders who oppose Titan Cement is critical to this effort and we intend to educate every voter on where the candidates stand, and who is taking Titan’s campaign contributions. And sign up for action alerts to stay tuned for upcoming protests, events, and campaigns.

So thanks for all you do, and remember, ONLY YOU can--and will-- stop Titan Cement!

Your friends and neighbors at Stoptitan.org.

Published in the Star News on February 17th, 2010
By Gareth McGrath

The N.C. Board of Elections is looking into some of the campaign-finance practices of Gov. Beverly Perdue, and now Republicans want to see the investigation expanded.

Among the questions raised by state GOP chairman Tom Fetzer on Wednesday is whether the head of a Titan America subsidiary helped out some of Perdue’s biggest Wilmington fund-raisers and then donated money to Perdue’s campaign himself in return for help with the company’s proposal for a cement plant in Castle Hayne.

“The integrity of the permitting process, it’s very important that the people of North Carolina trust that process,” he said. “And I think this begs some questions that need to be answered.”

Titan officials have denied suggestions that they have sought to illegally influence the environmental review process for the proposed plant, and Perdue has already asked the SBI to look into whether there’s been any political meddling.

But Fetzer said the “disturbing similarities” between what federal prosecutors say the Easley administration did and what Perdue is alleged to have done “begs that some questions should be asked.”

Read the whole article: Titan issue may bring more scrutiny of Perdue campaign

Hundreds of citizens picketed the New Hanover County Courthouse on February 1, telling County Commissioners to just say no to Titan Cement. Numerous citizens spoke to the crowd through a loudspeaker system, including business leaders and local pediatrician David Hill, who told the crowd that some children and some elderly residents would die from the pollution from Titan Cement. He also mentioned that the North Carolina Pediatric Society formally opposes Titan Cement because of its potential impact on children's health. Thanks to everyone who came out to show elected officials that they need to stand up and start representing citizens and not corporate polluters.

Protest organizer Kayne Darrell of the Citizens Against Titan, presented a petition with nearly 6,000 signatures of people opposed to Titan to the New Hanover County Commissioners, asking them to pass a resolution requesting Governor Bev Perdue freeze all permits for Titan Cement until the SBI investigation into corruption in the permit process is complete. She also asked them to request the Governor require Titan to undergo a State Environmental Policy Act review. Others asked the commission to rescind the $4.2 milliion in incentives the County Commissioners approved in April 2008, since recent news reports reveal the company grossly misrepresented its environmental record to the commissioners, WID, and the community, and have actively tried to avoid a comprehensive state environmental review of the project.

Join the Gathering Throng! Click Here to sign the petition. Click here to get Action Alerts. Contact us to add your business to the growing list of businesses and business leaders concerned that Titan will hamstring our future economic development!

Then email your county commissioners and make the same request of them. Tell them they need to show some spine and send Titan Cement packing. Tell them you'd like a response to your letter. It's an election year for some of them, so they should be listening. They're emails are below. And remember, Commissioner Jonathan Barfield has been a staunch opponent of Titan Cement from the beginning, Jason Thompson campaigned as anti-Titan candidate, but seems to have forgotten it since the election. Ted Davis, Bobby Greer and Bill Caster all voted in favor of the Titan incentive package. Caster is running for re-election this year, while Greer has announced he will not seek another term. So they have no excuses not to do the right thing.

Chairman, Jason Thompson:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Vice-Chairman, Jonathan Barfield, Jr.:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Robert Greer:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
William Caster:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ted Davis, Jr.:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


Stay Tuned,
Your Friends at StopTitan.org

More pictures here:

• Flickr: Stop Titan Rally Feb.02.20.10
• Star News Online: Titan Cement Protest