Md. Tentatively OKs Cement Company Conveyor Belt
NEW WINDSOR, Md. (AP) -- The Maryland Department of the Environment is giving tentative approval to an underground conveyor belt that would move stone from a New Windsor quarry to the Lehigh Cement Co. plant in Union Bridge, nearly 4 1/2 miles away.
The Carroll County Times reported Friday that the draft permit was discussed at a public hearing Thursday night.
State regulators estimate the project would emit up to 22.1 tons of fine particles annually during maximum production. That's less than the 25 tons that would trigger strict federal emission controls.
When completed several years from now, the conveyor is expected to carry about 12,000 tons of stone daily from the quarry to the plant.
Lehigh says the conveyor is preferable to trucks or trains. It would be 10 to 60 feet underground.
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