Irish cement maker Ecocem’s US subsidiary has been accused of attempting to influence the planning process in a city in the San Francisco Bay area where it wants to build a €45 million grinding mill.  Ecocem’s US arm, Orcem Americas, is seeking permission for a $50 million (€45 million) grinding plant in Vallejo, close to San Francisco... However, the town’s residents are objecting to the proposal on environmental grounds...

Orcem wants to build its “green cement” mill on a site in the city’s harbour. It will grind furnace slag from iron smelting... The process cuts greenhouse gas emissions from normal cement manufacture by 90 per cent.  

Attempts to contact Ecocem for comment were not successful, however, its chief executive, Donal Ó Riain, has previously said it has been working on the Vallejo project for two years and has complied with local laws, including giving the public extra time to study its environmental impact report.

Locals fear the plant would bring 300 truck journeys a day through a residential neighbourhood.  They are also concerned that an already deprived neighbourhood would be most affected.