Boulder Daily Camera: "We Were Wrong"

The Boulder Daily Camera today came clean, admitting it was wrong to support CEMEX's efforts to burn tires in its cement kiln near Lyons.

The editorial comes as CEMEX was fined $1.5 million for violating limits on dioxin emissions from its smokestack over 100,000 times. While a hefty fine as far as state penalties go, the penalty will have little impact on CEMEX, which in the third quarter of this year made $1.7 billion in profit. The fine amounts to only 0.08% of their third quarter profit, mere pennies to this multinational corporation.

This would be like you or I getting a speeding ticket and paying a penny fine. In the case of CEMEX though, not only were they caught speeding, they were driving recklessly, running red lights, running stop signs, failing to yield to pedestrians, and driving at night without headlights. While most of us would get jail time for such a horrendous list of violations, CEMEX got off with a gentle slap on the wrist.

Citizens in Lyons have never asked for anything more than accountability to clean air and their health. Kudos to the Daily Camera for coming to its senses and taking a stand in support of their efforts.