File photo.
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EASTON, Pa. – Northampton County Council has condemned a cement plant’s future plan for emissions control.
During its regular meeting on Thursday night, council voted in support of a resolution that opposes Buzzi Unicem’s request for its Hercules Cement plant in Stockertown.
The vote was 7-0; Commissioners Lori Vargo Heffner and Jason Boulette were absent. Copies of the resolution will be sent to state agencies that include the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Buzzi Unicem is seeking DEP approval for its latest Reasonably Available Control Technology 3 plan. Specifically, that plan incorporates provisions and requirements for the control of emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and/or volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
According to the Centers for Disease Control, low levels of nitrogen oxides in the air can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Exposure to low levels can also result in fluid build-up in the lungs one or two days after exposure, the CDC said.
Breathing high levels of nitrogen oxides can cause “rapid burning, spasms, and swelling of tissues in the throat and upper respiratory tract,” the CDC’s website reads.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says VOCs can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches and damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system.
“Some organics can cause cancer in animals, some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans,” the EPA said on its website.
According to the resolution approved by council, Buzzi Unicem is seeking to reduce controls on both NOx and VOC emissions.
“Northampton County Council respectfully urges the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to deny Buzzi Unicem’s request and require the facility to retain strong NOx and VOC emission controls,” the resolution reads.
Commissioner Jeff Warren said he would be sending a separate letter on the matter to the DEP, and urged his fellow commissioners to add their names to it.
In its public notice about Buzzi’s application, the DEP calls Hercules Cement a “major” NO (nitric acid) emitting facility. The RACT 3 plan, if approved, will be issued as a significant modification to the facility’s Title V operating permit, the DEP said.
Failing grade on air quality
The Lehigh Valley’s air quality has been labeled as being among the worst in the U.S.
The American Lung Association’s 2025 “State of the Air” report named the metro area as the 50th most polluted in the nation for daily particle pollution, dropping from a C to an F grade.
That same year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America placed the Allentown metro area third on the list of the most challenging places to live with asthma in the U.S.
During a meeting earlier Thursday of the county’s Energy, Environment and Land Use Committee, Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski said Buzzi’s request is counterproductive to efforts already under way to improve the area’s air quality.
She referenced Lehigh Valley Breathes, a $100,000 bicounty effort between Lehigh and Northampton counties that was launched in 2023 to monitor air quality across the region.
The effort has yet to produce a comprehensive report; its last online newsletter was posted in December of 2025. But Zrinski said a report has been generated; it just hasn’t been made public yet. She said she expected the information to be released soon.
Zrinski also said she has sent her own letter to the DEP, expressing her opposition to Buzzi’s RACT 3 plan.
How to weigh in
The DEP is currently accepting public comments on Buzzi’s request through August 31.
Comments should be sent to Mark Wejkszner, Air Quality Program Manager, 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701; or to: mwejkszner@pa.gov.
A public hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sept.16 at the DEP Northeast Regional Office, 2 Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.
69 News reached out to both the Buzzi Unicem and the DEP several times before Thursday’s meeting. Questions we posed to both went unanswered.