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APLENA, Mich. (AP) — Michigan officials have approved a request from a building material supplier to burn shingles and plastics.
The Alpena News reports (http://bit.ly/1xF3pmW ) the state Department of Environmental Quality has approved the permit for the Lafarge cement plant. It says fuel emissions shouldn't have health effects on residents.
State environmental engineer Melissa Byrnes says tests at Lafarge showed burning the materials produces air toxins below the department's threshold levels.
The permit approval follows an Oct. 1 public hearing on the request. It allows the plant to burn about 65,000 tons of plastics per year and 26,000 tons of asphalt shingles in kilns with pollution controls.
Huron Environmental Activist League Director Bill Freese says he is concerned about the change but the league won't complain if the plant is properly inspected.
The newspaper couldn't immediately reach Lafarge representatives.
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Information from: The Alpena News, http://www.thealpenanews.com
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