Residents living near Martin Marietta's McKinney's concrete plants gathered outside city hall to oppose the company's proposal to expand operations. These people, according to a report by NBCDFW, came "Armed with masks and evidence of the dust they say has invaded their home."
Chris Tovar, member of the McKinney Health Crisis, says: “There is all kind of pollution being emanated from those facilities. That pollution ranges from air pollution to noise pollution to light pollution".
The report says the plant received a violation from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality which pointed to a failure to fully control of dust emissions from stockpiles and vehicle traffic areas.
According to the report: "McKinney Health Crisis includes people living as close to a few hundred feet from Martin Marietta and the other two plants it sits near and more than a mile away who fear that dust is causing health concerns."
The group is now asking McKinney's city council to reject Martin Marietta's proposal to expand its operations.
According to a statement released before the meeting, a city spokesperson says the company submitted a site plan which showed an expanded operation.
"Currently, we’re reviewing it for conformance with all applicable regulations. If it does not meet the city’s regulations, it will not be approved by staff. If it does, the city will approve it and the project will be allowed to move to the next phase of the development process," the spokesperson adds.
