DATE: September 11, 2009

N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Issues Draft Air Quality Permit to Carolinas Cement Company

WILMINGTON, NC - Carolinas Cement Company announced today that the Division of Air Quality of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued a draft air quality permit to parent company Titan America to construct a cement plant in Castle Hayne. The issuance of the draft permit comes after an 18-month technical review of the proposed facility to ensure it will comply with North Carolina’s air quality regulations and standards.

The federal Clean Air Act requires the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) to accept public comments after the issuance of a draft air permit. The DAQ has scheduled two public hearings to take place on Tuesday, October 20 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Cape Fear Community College North Campus at 4500 Blue Clay Road in Castle Hayne. Individuals may present comments of three minutes or less. Following a review of all oral and written comments, the DAQ will make a final determination on the air quality permit application in accordance with the rules established by the NC Environmental Management Commission.

"Carolinas Cement is committed to constructing one of the safest and most advanced cement plants in the United States," said Bob Odom, Project Manager for Carolinas Cement. "Titan America has a long tradition of being an environmentally sensitive neighbor, as evidenced by the many environmental honors awarded to our plants in Virginia and Florida. We will continue that tradition in North Carolina. We have already invested significant resources to evaluate new mitigation technologies to implement at the Castle Hayne plant and to measure the potential effect of emissions to ensure public safety. We look forward to the public hearing and proceeding through the regulatory process to bring new jobs to Wilmington."

Before Carolinas Cement can begin construction on the plant, it must secure two primary permits: the air quality permit from the state and a Wetlands Mitigation permit from federal Corps of Engineers (COE). The Wetlands Mitigation permit is an 18-24 month process led by the Corps of Engineers and requires Carolinas Cement to have an independent third party conduct studies of potential impact to numerous ecological and social factors, such as water, aquifers, traffic and flora and fauna.

According to Odom, when Carolinas Cement reaches full operations the estimated annual fiscal impact to New Hanover County will exceed $120 million. Carolinas Cement will create 161 permanent, full-time jobs and 1,000 construction jobs during its two-year construction phase.

Carolinas Cement Company is a subsidiary of Titan America LLC. Titan America LLC is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia and is the premier heavy building materials producer in the eastern United States. Titan America operations include cement plants, ready-mixed concrete plants, concrete block plants, quarries, import and rail terminals and fly ash beneficiation facilities. For more information about Carolinas Cement, visit www.carolinascement.com.

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