EPA Amends Complaint Against Lafarge for Hazardous Waste Violations

CHICAGO, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 amended a complaint on May 21 against Lafarge Corp. (NYSE: LAF) (Alpena, Mich.) for alleged violations related to burning hazardous waste in two of its cement kilns, reducing the proposed fine from $436,815 to $105,425.

Last March, EPA alleged that the company:

-- failed to maintain its established chlorine and chloride feed rate

 limits and maximum hazardous waste limit.

-- exceeded its maximum combustion chamber temperature.

-- and exceeded fits stack gas concentration limit for carbon monoxide.

Lafarge provided information showing that on the days that the majority of the violations were alleged, Lafarge had been granted an exemption from its limits for testing purposes. In the amended complaint, these violations were dropped.

In the amended complaint, EPA alleges that there were instances on days where no testing took place, that the company:

-- exceeded its stack gas concentration limit for carbon monoxide.

-- exceeded its maximum combustion chamber temperature.

-- and failed to properly monitor its cement kilns.

EPA regulates the burning of hazardous wastes for energy recovery under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which deals with the safe management and disposal of municipal and industrial solid wastes, from the time of production to their final disposal.

EPA and Lafarge are currently negotiating the allegations in the amended complaint.

SOURCE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

 -0- 05/30/97

/NOTE TO EDITORS: This news release is also available on the WWW at http://www.epa.gov/Region5/news97/

/CONTACT: Phillippa Cannon (media), 312-353-6218, Sean Mulroney (legal), 312-886-7150, or Ann Kerbs (technical), 312-886-3901, all of U.S. EPA/

(LAF)

CO: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Lafarge Corporation ST: Michigan, Illinois IN: ENV SU:

KG -- DEF035 -- 3513 05/30/97 16:27 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com