CMC Steel Texas to cut mercury at Seguin plant

CMC Steel Texas has partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce mercury at its Seguin, Texas, plant. The steel minimill has pledged to complete mercury reduction measures as part of EPA’s National Partnership for Environmental Priorities program (NPEP).

“Taking mercury out of our business processes keeps mercury out of our environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene. “The efforts of partners like CMC Steel Texas are helping EPA change our environmental future for the better, while also inspiring other facilities to do the same.”

The NPEP program encourages public and private organizations to go beyond regulatory requirements by forming voluntary partnerships with EPA that reduce the use or release of 31 priority chemicals. Priority chemicals are long-lasting substances that can build up and cause harm to humans and the environment.

CMC Steel Texas is the first steel minimill to successfully join the NPEP program in EPA Region 6. The company is also a charter member of the Texas Clean Industries 2000 program, which highlights corporate commitment to the environment. As a member of NPEP, the steel minimill will continue reducing its environmental footprint by decreasing the use of mercury products at its facility.

“The CMC Steel Group is pleased to participate in a program such as this,” said Mike Peters, Vice President and Manager, Environment of CMC Steel Texas. “The act of replacing our fluorescent lamps with a non-hazardous alternative at our Texas steel mill takes on new significance when added to the efforts of others across the United States.”

Additional information on CMC Steel Texas and its environmental commitments is available at http://www.cmcsteeltexas.com/difference/environment.aspx.

More than 100 partners across the nation have joined the NPEP program, which has set a goal to work with industry and the public to reduce the use or release of four million pounds of priority chemicals by 2011. Additional information about the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities is available at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/partnership.htm.

To learn more about activities in EPA Region 6, please visit www.epa.gov/region6.