National Cement Co

A cement company has been granted permission to continue burning hazardous waste as part of its manufacturing process while a federal order to cease the burning is appealed in court, authorities said Thursday. National Cement Co. of California burns a mixture of petroleum and spent, hazardous solvents in its kiln near Lebec to generate the heat necessary to manufacture cement. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had ordered the company to stop burning as of Thursday. But the U.S.

Making good on a threat, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday denied a permit for continued hazardous waste incineration at the National Cement Co. kiln. If it stands on appeal, the decision will be a victory for longtime foes of the incinerator, described by EPA as the only operating commercial hazardous waste burner in California or three other states in the agency's western region.

In a victory for a small but dedicated band of desert lovers, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that a cement company will be ordered this week to stop burning hazardous waste at a kiln near Gorman. The promised EPA action is the latest round in a long-running battle between Desert Citizens Against Pollution, an environmental group, and National Cement Co. of California, which burns spent, hazardous solvents in the kiln to generate heat needed in the cement-making process.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich has called on state environmental officials to close a Gorman area cement plant that burns hazardous wastes, citing its "spotty record of compliance" with environmental regulations.

Tejon Ranch Co., which owns the site of a controversial facility that burns hazardous wastes near Gorman, has begun talks to sell the property to the plant's operator. The sale could remove a hurdle to the operator's bid for a new state permit. In a letter to an opponent of the operation, Tejon President Jack Hunt said his company, which leases the site to plant operator National Cement Co., is in an "untenable position" that forced Tejon to recently begin considering National's purchase offers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ordered National Cement Co. of California to quit burning hazardous waste at its kiln near Gorman. The order gives National Cement four weeks to stop burning spent, hazardous solvents in the kiln to generate heat needed in the cement-making process. The EPA said earlier this week that it expected to issue the order within a few days. National Cement officials could not be reached for comment. Executives at the Tejon Ranch Co.

A group of environmentalists has filed a lawsuit demanding that a cement company stop burning hazardous wastes, claiming that burning the materials violates federal law and poses a health danger for nearby residents. National Cement Co. of California already has been ordered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop burning the materials at its facility near Lebec as of Aug. 25. But the company will try Aug. 24 in the U.S.

An Antelope Valley group joined a nationwide coalition of activists Monday in urging federal officials to halt the burning of hazardous waste at eight sites, including a Southern California cement plant. Desert Citizens Against Pollution was among 12 public health, environmental and waste-treatment groups that filed the petition in Washington, D. C. The document warned U. S.

State regulators charged with protecting the environment are fighting a decision by their federal counterparts that could close a controversial Gorman-area plant that is the only commercial facility in California permitted to incinerate liquid hazardous wastes. The state's Department of Toxic Substances Control pleaded with the federal Environmental Protection Agency last month to "seriously reconsider" its position and said the plant's closure would be a "tremendous disappointment."

Making good on a threat, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday denied a permit for continued hazardous waste incineration at the National Cement Co. kiln. If it stands on appeal, the decision will be a victory for longtime foes of the incinerator, described by EPA as the only operating commercial hazardous waste burner in California or three other states in the agency's western region.

An Antelope Valley group joined a nationwide coalition of activists Monday in urging federal officials to halt the burning of hazardous waste at eight sites, including a Southern California cement plant. Desert Citizens Against Pollution was among 12 public health, environmental and waste-treatment groups that filed the petition in Washington, D. C. The document warned U. S.

Turning up the heat on a toxic incinerator near Gorman, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it will deny a permit for waste burning unless the operators promptly resolve a legal liability issue. Environmental activists hailed the tentative decision to deny the permit, which would authorize National Cement Co. to continue using waste solvents to fuel its cement kiln, as the company and prior owners have done since 1982.

Environmentalists are accusing California's new Environmental Protection Agency of being biased in favor of keeping open a Gorman-area plant that is the only commercial hazardous waste incinerator in the state, a charge the state officials deny. Greenpeace and other environmental activists raised the bias issue Monday night at a public meeting in Lancaster on National Cement Co.'s controversial Los Robles plant.

Tejon Ranch Co., which owns the site of a controversial facility that burns hazardous wastes near Gorman, has begun talks to sell the property to the plant's operator. The sale could remove a hurdle to the operator's bid for a new state permit. In a letter to an opponent of the operation, Tejon President Jack Hunt said his company, which leases the site to plant operator National Cement Co., is in an "untenable position" that forced Tejon to recently begin considering National's purchase offers.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich has called on state environmental officials to close a Gorman area cement plant that burns hazardous wastes, citing its "spotty record of compliance" with environmental regulations.

Environmentalists are accusing California's new Environmental Protection Agency of being biased in favor of keeping open a Gorman-area plant that is the only commercial hazardous waste incinerator in the state, a charge the state officials deny. Greenpeace and other environmental activists raised the bias issue Monday night at a public meeting in Lancaster on National Cement Co.'s controversial Los Robles plant.