Thank the EPA! Last "virgin" lead smelter in the U.S. closes.

Shadowrider · Oct 30, 2013

I'm sure we'll all live to at least 135 now....

In December, the final primary lead smelter in the United States will close. The lead smelter, located in Herculaneum, Missouri, and owned and operated by the Doe Run Company, has existed in the same location since 1892.
The Herculaneum smelter is currently the only smelter in the United States which can produce lead bullion from raw lead ore that is mined nearby in Missouris extensive lead deposits, giving the smelter its primary designation. The lead bullion produced in Herculaneum is then sold to lead product producers, including ammunition manufactures for use in conventional ammunition components such as projectiles, projectile cores, and primers. Several secondary smelters, where lead is recycled from products such as lead acid batteries or spent ammunition components, still operate in the United States.

Doe Run made significant efforts to reduce lead emissions from the smelter, but in 2008 the federal Environmental Protection Agency issued new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead that were 10 times tighter than the previous standard. Given the new lead air quality standard, Doe Run made the decision to close the Herculaneum smelter.

Whatever the EPAs motivation when creating the new lead air quality stan

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Lurkerinthewoods · Oct 30, 2013

Let the ammo hoarding begin, again. :grumble:

RETOKSQUID · Oct 30, 2013

WTFO! Well now we know why the whole "green ammo" movement has been so big in DOD.

dennishoddy · Oct 30, 2013

I doubt any company will undertake the investment to build a new plant. The administration is trying to kill lead and coal by instituting regulations that aren't possible to achieve and still make the company profitable.

Shadowrider · Oct 30, 2013

dennishoddy said:
I doubt any company will undertake the investment to build a new plant. The administration is trying to kill lead and coal by instituting regulations that aren't possible to achieve and still make the company profitable.

Agree 1000%. It's going to take a completely new administration and they are going to have to specifically "reign in" the EPA on these kinds of regs. It can happen but it's going to have to be a complete culture shift in D.C. before it does.

tRidiot · Oct 30, 2013

I also believe ammunition manufacturing may be a significant target of regulations like these... they're going to try to make it all "green" and drive the prices of ammunition so high no one will be able to afford to buy it recreationally.

Sucks.

RickN · Oct 30, 2013

The EPA is one of the federal agencies that either need to be cut way back or done away with completely.

0311 · Oct 30, 2013

tRidiot said:
I also believe ammunition manufacturing may be a significant target of regulations like these... they're going to try to make it all "green" and drive the prices of ammunition so high no one will be able to afford to buy it recreationally.

Sucks.

Obama may have won a huge victory here to limit ammunition. Herculaneum was the only source in this country for lead bullion. So is this why Homeland Security and all those other agencies were buying up ammo? What's the military going to do, buy from overseas?

dennishoddy · Oct 30, 2013

Shadowrider said:
Agree 1000%. It's going to take a completely new administration and they are going to have to specifically "reign in" the EPA on these kinds of regs. It can happen but it's going to have to be a complete culture shift in D.C. before it does.

And how are going to do this?

NikatKimber · Oct 31, 2013

dennishoddy said:
And how are going to do this?

Lead poisoning.

Acute lead poisoning.

Thank the EPA! Last "virgin" lead smelter in the U.S. closes.

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Thank the EPA! Last "virgin" lead smelter in the U.S. closes.

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