W.R. Grace Paid $1.8 Billion to settle mining-related lawsuits

By CHRIS SHIPMAN Hometown News shipman.news@gmail.com Last Thursday, concerned citizens along with representatives from DHEC and W.R. Grace and Company gathered at the Woodruff Activity Building for an “information and public comments” session concerning a proposed vermiculite mine in Enoree. DHEC said it would take into account citizen comments on the mine before giving the permit but also that W.R. Grace had never been denied a permit in the last ten years. W.R. Grace is a 150 year-old specialty chemicals and material company. It produces fire retardants for steel superstructures, canned food sealants, chemicals used in refining petroleum, among other things. In 2001, the company filed for bankruptcy. It faced more than 100,000 lawsuits stemming from asbestos-related illnesses around its Libby, Mont., vermiculite mine. Earlier this month, it settled the claims for $1.8 billion and began re-organizing. Vermiculite is a mineral, like mica, that is found in abundance in Spartanburg, Union, and Laurens counties. It has water trapped in the crystals which expand when heated. The processed vermiculite is used as a carrier in fertilizers and animal feeds, a lightweight fill in concrete, insulation, and as a flame retardant for structural steel and other building products. The vermiculite in Montana was contaminated with asbestos, which can cause cancer when airborne. There was concern at the meeting that similar problems could occur in South Carolina. Tom Davies of RESCUE, a local environmental group which was involved in protesting Waste Management’s plans to open a new landfill in Enoree, was concerned that if Grace were to unearth asbestos, it would not have to report it to DHEC. Others were concerned as well about particulate matter in the air and what health effects it may cause. Ron Mercer, the W.R. Grace plant manager in Enoree, said that his company understands the concerns, so it is “very diligent” in testing its ore. “We test the material before we ever mine it, while we’re mining, and while we’re using,” he said. The mines in South Carolina are safe, he added. They are “completely unrelated to the mine in Montana because of geology.” The ore here is much older than the ore in Montana and was formed by different geological events. The products are also sampled by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and no asbestos has been mined in W.R. Grace’s South Carolina mines, he said. Citizen Concerns “We have no quarrel with W.R. Grace,” Jay Adams, of Mountain Shoals Road, said. “They have been polite and helpful and informative, but mining involves more than the mining company.” He had several concerns for himself and his family. He is worried that the digging will cause wells to run dry and that dump trucks going up and down Highway 146 will result in more accidents and damage the roadway. He also had concerns about asbestos, real estate values, and the noise—especially for his son who is homebound and could potentially have to listen to the trucks and equipment for ten or more hours a day. Larry Seiler, another Mountain Shoals Road property owner was also worried that the mine was “much too close” to inhabited areas and could pollute the air and water in the vicinity. W.R. Grace builds run-off pits to keep polluted water from getting into streams and puts other safety measures in place, but Seiler was still skeptical. “We’ve had two space shuttles go down, and we thought they were safe,” he said. DHEC will receive written comments on the Thompson Mine Application I-001812 until 5 p.m. on May 2. Those comments should be sent to Ms. Pam Bergstrand, S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control, Bureau of Land & Waste Management, Division of Mining and Solid Waste Management, 2600 Bull St., Columbia, S.C. 29201. She can also be reached at 803-896-4236. Mine Location The proposed mine will be on a 211-acre piece of land which W.R. Grace has owned since 1951. It is about two-and-a-half miles north-northwest of Enoree, one-and-a-half miles southeast of the intersection of Highway146 and Kilgore Bridge Road. There are 25 mines in a five-mile radius of the proposed Thompson Mine. Grace has identified 300 vermiculite deposits in the three-county area, 200 of which have been mined. About 45 acres of the land will be in the “affected area:” the pit, haul road, storage, and sediment basins. The deposit itself is about five-and-a-half acres in area and 80 feet deep. Trucks will carry the daily haul from Highway 146 to Interstate 26 to Highway 92 to the processing plant in Enoree. The deposit is estimated to be 100,000 tons, and it will take about two years to mine it all. There are no future reserves set aside on the property. DHEC requires that certain environmental requirements be met to insure the protection of surrounding natural resources as well as the health of the surrounding population. It also requires the land be terraced and returned to a usable condition after it is mined. Grace plans to turn the Thompson Mine into pastureland.