Vallejo deserves answers
The proposed Orcem cement factory in Vallejo has generated a significant amount of controversy and opposition from the residents. In spite of overwhelming community opposition, the Orcem 4 Councilmembers– Jess Malgapo, Rozzana Verder-Aliga, Pippin Dew-Costa and Hermie Sunga– have continually supported and voted to continue this project.* What many people may not know is that Councilmembers Dew-Costa and Sunga are realtors. The law requires that, when selling a house, any fact that materially affects the desirability or value of the property must be disclosed to the buyer (See http://www.dre.ca.gov/files/pdf/re6.pdf, page 28). Given the level of controversy this proposed toxic cement factory has generated, I think it’s fair to say it will materially affect the desirability of property in Vallejo– and the mere possibility has already impacted home sales in the area near the site.
I believe the public deserves an answer as to whether or not the realtors sitting on the Vallejo council are disclosing the possibility of hundreds of trucks a day and a toxic cement factory to people they sell homes to. People making the most important investment of their life have the right to know about the cement factory and to decide for themselves whether or not they want to endure that. Of course, most people will likely decline to purchase a home in Vallejo, especially near the site, knowing a toxic cement factory is a possibility. That might impact Councilmember Dew-Costa’s and Sunga’s bottom line. Since neither of them disclosed discussions with their clients in their ex parte disclosure at the Orcem hearing, they either are not disclosing it or they need to amend their ex parte communications about the factory.
So I ask Councilmembers Dew-Costa and Sunga publicly, are you disclosing to your clients that they are buying a home in a town that will potentially have a cement factory? Are you especially disclosing this to potential homeowners in south Vallejo? If so, what has the reaction of your clients been? I can’t imagine it has been positive. If you have not disclosed this to your clients, how can you in good conscience continue this project when it’s too terrible for you to disclose to home buyers? Your clients deserve to know they are buying property in a city that may very well have a toxic cement factory– foisted on us by the two of you as half of the Orcem 4. And the people of Vallejo deserve to know what you are telling your clients about the cement factory since you are trying to force it upon all of us. We deserve answers and so do your clients.
Stephen Hallett,
Vallejo
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Here is a prime, and timely, example of why EIRs are important.
Why are people from Vallejo using our newspaper to carp about their problems? You think we care about a cement plant when we have an oil refinery?
How long have you lived in Benicia?
Why wouldn’t we be concerned about the wellbeing of our neighboring city? Benicia and Vallejo are both intertwined communities. I want to know if Vallejo has concerns, because it will impact Benicians as well.
It’s also not worth discussing probably, but I would wager Vallejo’s possible new plant is significantly more impactful than Valero, even here in Benicia. The oil refinery is run pretty well, and its record is consistently positive.
“proposed toxic cement factory has generated” — The factory is going to produce toxic cement? I do not think there is much of a market for that.
Actually, kidding aside, the prevailing winds would have a tendency to impact Benicia with the toxic by products of this plant, so concerns are legitimate. .
According to the presentation on the Orcem web page, http://www.orcem.com/vallejo_project.html they are not making cement, but milling slag imported from China/Asia and then added to cement to reduce the raw materials needed to make portland cement.
A properly designed facility, that meets all of California’s myriad of environmental regulations could be an asset to Vallejo.
The concern about coal exports is real – think of these ships returning to China with empty holds, when they could return with coal. There lies the conflict. Environmentalist are attempting to reduce the worlds reliance on coal by creating barriers to coal production and export. Coal is a dying industry, even China see that, as they move more plants to be fired on natural gas.
Dave, I looked at Orem’s website yesterday. There is a lot of interesting information on there. I did not see the information about imported slag. But, if it is true,my question would be, why would they import slag from China?
I came across the following information in regards to slag as a byproduct her in the U.S.:
“Ferrous slags are valuable coproducts of ironmaking and steelmaking. In 2001, about 19 million tons of domestic iron and steel slag, valued at about $165 million (f.o.b.), were consumed. Iron or blast furnace slag accounted for about 65% of the tonnage sold and was worth about $127 million. Steel slag produced from basic oxygen, electric arc, and open hearth furnaces accounted for the remainder. There were 18 slag-processing companies servicing either iron and steel or just steel facilities at about 100 locations, iron slag at about 30 sites in a dozen States, and steel slag at about 90 sites in about 30 States. The north-central region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio) accounted for 58% of blast furnace slag sold or used in the United States, and the mid- Atlantic region (Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) accounted for 30% of the sales.