Lawsuit Threatens Vegas Air Quality

A lawsuit, by California Portland Cement Co., claims exclusive rights to the use of a Las Vegas rail spur and transloading facility prohibiting other cement producers from shipping products to the spur, forcing them to rely on truck transportation.
By: Pan Western Trucking
 
Feb. 20, 2009 - PRLog -- A lawsuit filed recently by California Portland Cement the American subsidiary of TAIHEIYO CEMENT of Japan, poses a significant threat to air quality in the greater Las Vegas area and the L.A.-to-Vegas corridor, environmentalists claim.

The lawsuit, filed by California Portland Cement Co. (CPC), claims exclusive rights to the use of a Las Vegas rail spur and transloading facility and would prohibit other cement producers from shipping their products to the rail spur, in effect forcing them to rely on truck transportation.  According to environmental watchdogs, the result would be up to 3,700 new truckloads traveling the already congested I-15 corridor between the Los Angeles basin and Las Vegas and a significant increase in the amount of diesel exhaust and carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.

Rail is a much more energy-efficient and environment-friendly method of transport, the environmentalists explained.  “One freight car traveling by rail eliminates the carbon foot print of approximately ten trucks that would otherwise be needed to haul the same loads and thereby eliminates the diesel exhaust that would be added to the atmosphere by those trucks.”

Diesel exhaust particulate matter has long been acknowledged to be a toxic air contaminant responsible for a significant number of new cancer cases each year, particularly in children and the elderly.  In addition, the EPA has named it “a chronic respiratory hazard to humans” and a major contributing factor in diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma.  Diesel exhaust particulate matter also increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, and premature births.  

Carbon dioxide, the other major pollutant named as a threat in this case, is considered by many scientists to be the single most important factor contributing to global warming.  In addition to its role in global warming, carbon dioxide leads directly to higher levels of cardiac and respiratory disease, according to a 2008 Stanford University study.

“Sharing the rail system would be a big step that this company (CPC) and its Japanese owners could take to protect our health and the health of our environment,” said one concerned citizen.  He noted, too, “you also have to think of the impact on highway safety. More trucks on the highway mean more traffic accidents with more severe results.”

California Portland Cement Co. has yet to comment on these concerns or its reasons for filing the lawsuit.

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Source:Pan Western Trucking
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Tags:Air Pollution, Environment, Truck Accidents, Cement, Pollutants, Travel Hazards
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