Ash Grove to burn more tires [by Steve Lannen @ the Georgetown Gazette]

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency allowed cement maker to operate on expired permit for years

SEATTLE, WA — A cement plant in the Duwamish Valley has operated on an expired air quality permit since 2009. 

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is reviewing the permit to see if Ash Grove Cement Co.  operations comply with federal law and clean air standards. Yet, in early December, the PSCAA gave Ash Grove the go-ahead to burn more tires to power its kiln. And the agency has allowed the plant to operate for years without an updated permit. 

Environmental groups said the PSCAA relied on irrelevant, decades-old analysis in deciding to allow more tire burning. They say the PSCAA “put the cart before the horse” and should have first ensured Ash Grove complies with current state and federal standards, especially given the company’s history of other violations. They appealed the decision to a state environmental panel on Jan. 2. …