With the scent of sewer sludge from the nearby Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority plant piercing the summer air, the state Department of Environmental Protection conducted a public hearing in South Camden Tuesday on an application from St. Lawrence Cement Co. to increase production.

About 50 people attended the hearing. Some came to thank St. Lawrence for grants and services to the community. Others opposed any expansion, saying air quality in the neighborhood is already compromised by an abundance of polluters and heavy truck traffic.

Valorie Caffee, an environmental justice advocate from Trenton, chided St. Lawrence for sponsoring only one scholarship in the city.

"I sponsor more than one on my own and I know your company makes more than I do," said Caffee.

Louis Mikolajczyk, chief of DEP's Preconstruction Permits Bureau, said the company's plans to control air emissions appear to be in compliance with department standards, but input from the community will be considered before approval is granted.

St. Lawrence began operations at the Broadway Terminal six years ago, clogging the streets of Waterfront South with diesel trucks making runs between the Beckett Street and Broadway terminals. Last year, the port completed a new pier at Broadway, ending the intracity traffic and installing an environmentally friendly electric crane.

To date, South Jersey Port Corp., a quasistate agency, has invested about $35 million in pier improvements for St. Lawrence. In return,the Canadian-based company pays the port $3.4 million a year in rent and fees.

St. Lawrence imports furnace slag largely from Italy and processes it into a cement additive that is distributed between Boston and Baltimore. About 11 ships a year carry the needed material. If the application is approved, the company will be permitted to bring 20 or 21 ships per year to Camden.

If approved, St. Lawrence will reduce emissions by 47 percent within five years, said plant manager Al Popp.

Jane Nogaki of the New Jersey Environmental Federation questioned how the company could increase volumes and decrease emissions.

She also expressed concerns about increased emissions from more diesel-powered ships, and uncovered piles of slag that generate clouds of dust.

"The problem is not just St. Lawrence Cement. The number of polluting facilities in Waterfront South are disproportionate, and so is the incidence of asthma, cancer and heart disease," she said.

Reach Eileen Stilwell at (856) 486-2464 or estilwell@courierpostonline.com
[Published]: June 27. 2007 3:10AM