Titan might want to mine land in Pender County

Titan America expressed interest in acquiring a piece of land in Pender County to support its proposed cement plant in Castle Hayne, according to the chairman of the county commissioners.

The Pender commissioners, however, weren't interested.

Commissioner David Williams said he had coffee last week with a Titan official who asked him about buying land near Island Creek, just across the border from New Hanover County. Williams said the Titan representative indicated that the company wants to use the land for mining.

Because any mining operation on that land would require rezoning and a special-use permit, Williams informally surveyed the other commissioners Monday to get their thoughts.

None was interested in rezoning that land for mining.

There are mining operations in Pender County that co-exist with the surrounding community, Williams said. That spot is simply not right for it, Williams said, and advised Titan to look elsewhere.

"This is not a referendum against Titan," he said. "This is not an anti-Titan movement. We're not getting involved in that. We just don't think that's the appropriate spot for it."

Kate McClain, a Titan America spokeswoman, said she is not aware of the specific meeting, but added that the company is always looking for new property and opportunities.

"We're constantly looking for property," she said. "We own property all over the U.S. It's not just necessary for building a facility or mining. Lots of time we look for property to do restoration or mitigation or things of that sort. We look for all possibilities."

Titan America is planning to build a cement plant off Holly Shelter Road in Castle Hayne. The company's 1,868-acre site is home to an old cement plant that closed in the early 1980s, an active stone quarry and hundreds of acres of wetlands and wilderness Titan intends to quarry.

The plant would produce 2.3 million tons of cement per year, according to Titan America's air permit application, which would make it one of the largest in the country. The company hopes to open the plant in late 2011 or early 2012.

The project has been controversial since April, when the New Hanover County commissioners voted to give Titan an economic incentive grant worth $4.2 million if it builds a plant in Castle Hayne. While officials from the county and Titan say the plant will stimulate the economy and create jobs, a grass-roots group of residents called Stop Titan is fighting the project because they say the plant will harm the environment and public health.

If built as planned, the plant could potentially emit thousands of tons of pollutants each year, according to the permit application. The project could also harm roughly 600 acres of wetlands along the Northeast Cape Fear River and Island Creek.

Titan's plans are in the beginning stages of a thorough environmental review, spearheaded by the Army Corps of Engineers. That review forces the company to consider a number of alternative plans and will disclose how each of the alternatives would affect the environment.

According to a Titan document, one of the alternatives is the possibility of mining in other nearby areas.

Other Pender commissioners concurred that they weren't interested in rezoning that land for mining, and some expressed deeper concerns about Titan eyeing their county.

"It's kind of a controversial subject," said Commissioner George Brown. "With everything that's happening in New Hanover County with this ordeal, I'm going to have a lot of questions. I'm not extending an invitation to Titan."

Commissioner F.D. Rivenbark said that area along N.C. 210 has a number of existing and planned housing developments and he doesn't think area residents would be in favor of a mining operation there.

"I don't think you're going to find support," he said.

Williams said the discussions pertained only to that specific site. If Titan approaches the county about any other locations, the commissioners will have to deal with that case by case.

"You can never say never until you're approached," Williams said.

Chris Mazzolini: 343-2223

chris.mazzolini@starnewsonline.com