Eramet praised for $150M proposal

This weekend's announcement by Eramet Marietta CEO Frank Bjorklund, outlining the company's vision to improve the local plant's environmental and operational performance at an estimated cost of $150 million, has received good reviews from environmental and economic perspectives.

"The important point is to recognize their intention," said Melissa English, Southern Ohio program director for Ohio Citizen Action.

"Our goal is to get them to state what their intentions are, but this is unprecedented, really," she said. "Not only did they run a full-page ad in newspapers, they also outlined a plan and even attached a dollar figure."

Mike Jacoby, executive director of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority, said the Eramet announcement shows the company's commitment to this area.

"The sheer magnitude of the dollars proposed makes you think this will be a very significant improvement," he said. "And this is the best news we could hope for. The company wants to be here long-term, and they're willing to make the necessary changes.

"I think this is what everybody has been hoping for," he said.

Bjorklund's announcement, published in Saturday's Marietta Times, stated the company's vision is to install state-of-the-art manganese alloy production units, further develop the plant's refining technology and possibly restructure the overall layout of the Marietta facility.

He noted that the upgrades would be contingent on "continued market support, adequate financial performance, regulatory approvals, state incentive participation and acceptable energy prices" and would lead to "drastic reductions in airborne manganese emissions and odors," as well as ensure the local facility's future for decades to come.

"In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to consider any contingencies, but we have to be mindful that there are things that could derail our plans," said Joy Frank-Collins, spokeswoman for Eramet. "Still we're going to continue moving forward toward making this happen.

"The vision has been in the planning process for at least as long as Mr. Bjorklund has been with our company (since March 2007)," she said. "We felt the time was right for us to begin putting this vision together."

Although Frank-Collins described the plan as being in its infancy, it is moving forward.

"If this becomes a reality, we're hoping to have here a showcase of modern metal manufacturing technology that shows we can provide operating efficiencies and improve our environmental performance at the same time," she said.

In a combined statement of response to the Eramet announcement, English and local Neighbors for Clean Air member Caroline Beidler said a campaign by both groups aimed at bringing public pressure on the company to clean up its air emissions would be suspended.

"(We) take Eramet's statement in good faith. We accept it as a commitment to modernize the Marietta plant and address the community's two highest-priority problems - unacceptably high levels of airborne manganese and odors," the statement says.

"We've been working on the Eramet campaign for 28 months now, so this is big news for us and for the Marietta community," English said on Tuesday.

Beidler said the Neighbors for Clean Air group is thrilled with the announcement.

"I think he (Bjorklund) realizes how important this is to the community," she said. "Personally I've been working with this issue for 10 years, and he is a refreshing change."

The suspension of the campaign doesn't mean Neighbors for Clean Air will be shutting down.

"Positive changes occur when people communicate. And we're ready to build similar relationships with other area industries," she said.

English also credited French ambassador to the United States Pierre Vimont with encouraging Eramet to step up its environmental efforts. In February of this year, she asked the ambassador to urge the French government, as an Eramet shareholder, to use its influence to have emissions from the Marietta plant cleaned up.

"The ambassador viewed his main role as getting the two parties together, and it seems he has been able to do that," English said.

Frank-Collins said Eramet, Ohio Citizen Action and Neighbors for Clean Air are all working toward the same goal.

"We're thrilled to be at the point that we're able to work together and not against each other," she said.

More than 1,400 Ohio Citizen Action members had also sent Eramet-related petitions to the ambassador's office since December 2007, according to the group's February newsletter.

Frank-Collins said the company has not set a specific timeframe for the improvements, but added that if the vision becomes reality there could be several changes within the next five years.

She noted that the improvement process actually began four months ago with reconstruction of Eramet Marietta's Furnace No. 1, and preparations to install a new baghouse emissions abatement system.

"Construction on the baghouse emissions project will begin later this fall, with completion slated in early 2009," Frank-Collins said.

The combined furnace and baghouse projects alone are expected to reduce emissions by 54 percent in the No. 1 Furnace, and provide an overall 20 percent emissions reduction for the entire facility.