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Taking closer look: State zeroes in on Holcim plan

By KAYLEY MENDENHALL, Chronicle Staff Writer

Environmental and public health groups are getting ready for the next phase of the tire-burning debate.


 Holcim Inc., a cement manufacturer in Trident, applied to the state for a permit to burn tires for fuel more than two years ago. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality conducted an environmental assessment of the plan, then decided a more extensive Environmental Impact Statement was needed.

Now the EIS process is about to begin.

The DEQ plans a public "scoping" meeting Jan. 20 to hear concerns about Holcim's proposal and to help determine the scope of the EIS, said Greg Hallsten of the DEQ.

Because the environmental assessment was a more limited study, some environmental, health and economic issues were not considered.

"The EIS provides an opportunity to look at a broader range of issues than the EA. That includes economics, alternatives and cumulative impacts," said Anne Hedges of the Montana Environmental Information Center in Helena.

"We need to bring them up. It's (DEQ's) responsibility to go and study them," she said.

Holcim wants to burn more than 1 million tires per year for fuel at its plant.

The DEQ received thousands of public comments from Gallatin Valley residents during the environmental assessment last year.

"One of the main concerns were from people living in that area and the effect it might have on property values," Hedges said. "Those are issues the DEQ should be looking at in an EIS and didn't look at in (the) EA."

But Hallsten said the EIS is an extension of the whole application process and that the comments received last time around will be considered again.

The DEQ is not required to hold this first scoping meeting, but he said hearing from the public helps the department decide what needs to be studied.

Hedges agreed.

"It is important for the public to put pressure on the agency to go out and do a really good job on this EIS," she said. "If we don't tell them what we want them to study, they aren't going to study it."

The meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m., Jan. 20 at the Manhattan High School multipurpose room.

Kayley Mendenhall is at kmendenhall@dailychronicle.com

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