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EPA shuts down lead smelting plant

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  • #1

    EPA shuts down lead smelting plant

    The EPA has shut down the Doe Run Lead Smelting Plant, in Herculaneum, MO, for not being able to meet the clean air standards. The plant says it couldn't afford all the crap the EPA demanded they install, so they got shut down. So they think that is going to dry up the supply of lead for bullets.
    What about batteries and all the other things lead is used for? I guess we'll get the lead from the Chinese now, and battery prices will increase by a good margin, as well as anything else that contains lead.


    http://reagancoalition.com/articles/...-shutdown.html
    Tom
    Live today, tomorrow may not come!
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    HY*NDAI is to cars, what Caracal, Hi-Point, and Jennings is to handguns. The cars may or may not run ok, but the corporation SUCKS.
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  • #2
    I have been thinking about this situation for a while and have tired to do my own research to figure out how the closing of this smelter will change the ammunition supply. There are numerous articles on the web that are on each side of the discussion, some say the ammo supply is going to be very scarce and some say this closing will not have any impact on the ammo supply. Sifting through these articles and trying to determine what is actually going to happen is almost impossible.

    A couple things have stood out to me, the EPA is not "shutting down" the smelter. Yes they have implemented the regulations but it is the company's choice to close their operation. Where these regulations put in place to make it difficult for the company to continue to operate? Some would say yes, but thousands of businesses have to comply with EPA regulations and continue to operate following the regulations in place.

    This smelter division that is closing is taking mined ore and refining it to lead, the company (Doe Run) has other divisions focused on recycling lead. Their website states that 80% of the lead we use is for automotive batteries. Their site also says that 98% of all auto batteries purchased are recycled.

    The numbers are hard to find and differ some depending on where you look but less than 7% of the lead we currently use is not recycled.

    Reading numerous articles about this topic have me torn, who is putting out these articles about the ammo supply drying up? This is my biggest concern, because from everything I have found, the closure of this smelter will not change the supply of ammo, people going crazy and buying every round of ammo they can find has had a much large impact on the ammo supply.

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    • #3
      Perhaps unrelated, but I have my doubts

      Remember DHS (Department of Homeland Security) purchasing billions of rounds of ammunition? Interesting timing...

      http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013...r-person-than/

      http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphben...-conversation/
      I don't like repeat offenders, I like dead offenders!
      ~Ted Nugent

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      • #4
        Meh, I read on the internet, written by people not connected with the lead industry, that closing one smelter means nothing. So it has to be true. Besides, they keep yelling at me to shut up about conspiracy theories.

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        • #5
          Ramann62, I meant to say that the Plant couldn't afford to implement all the changes the EPA mandated so they shut down, but I typed that they GOT shut down. My mistake.
          Tom
          Live today, tomorrow may not come!
          Boberg XR9S
          Kahr CW40
          Springfield Armory 1911
          Dan Wesson Revolver

          HY*NDAI is to cars, what Caracal, Hi-Point, and Jennings is to handguns. The cars may or may not run ok, but the corporation SUCKS.

          Comment

          • #6
            Originally posted by TheTman View Post
            Ramann62, I meant to say that the Plant couldn't afford to implement all the changes the EPA mandated so they shut down, but I typed that they GOT shut down. My mistake.
            Not a problem, and my comments weren't directed toward you, just my general thoughts on the topic.

            I am coming to the conclusion that a lot of people do not know or understand the difference between the two. The company has known since 2010 that they had to comply by the end of 2013, it was their choice to not make the changes and close that division of their business.

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            • #7
              Sounds like this was all in motion well before Obama, but the EPA has been a danger to the country for decades. So no surprise here. Read an article somewhere yesterday or the day before and now it's coming up in other places that said that most bullets here are made from recycled car batteries anyway. Basically, the existing ammo manufacturers are saying this won't impact their production level or prices at all.

              Still. The topic in general brought a new bumper sticker in mind for me.

              "Thank you for driving your big-battery hybrid. It'll eventually be used to make more bullets for me!"


              Yea, I know...hybrids don't use lead acid for propulsion. But, still a good slogan.

              Just a thought...

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              • #8
                I really hope the EPA "mandates" more industries to shut down. This will save Ovomit a lot of work in his redistribution scheme. If there isn't any wealth it won't have to be redistributed. He can then get back to doing more fine tuning on his nearly perfected website.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by deadeye View Post
                  I really hope the EPA "mandates" more industries to shut down. This will save Ovomit a lot of work in his redistribution scheme. If there isn't any wealth it won't have to be redistributed. He can then get back to doing more fine tuning on his nearly perfected website.
                  LOL, then he'll get to pose in front of a huge banner reading "Mission Accomplished."

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                  • #10
                    My maternal grandpa was a lead miner in Flat River, Missouri from 1890 to 1935.
                    A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition
                    -Rudyard Kipling

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by T0RMENT View Post
                      Perhaps unrelated, but I have my doubts

                      Remember DHS (Department of Homeland Security) purchasing billions of rounds of ammunition? Interesting timing...

                      http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013...r-person-than/

                      http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphben...-conversation/
                      Yes I do recall the crapola about DHS purchasing billions of rounds of ammo. Trouble is the people who started that rumor failed to do their research and find out the truth and others keep on reporting the same stuff without doing the research and finding the truth.

                      First the majority of the ammo was on a might purchase contract that runs for 5 years. Thus a millions of rounds contract might be a few thousands per year and might wind up at 30thousand for the full contract instead of the 1.5 million on the contract. Or it might wind up at 20 million instead of the 450 million of the contract.

                      Second one of the reported contract amounts was a mistake and a correction was issued from the 700 million that is continuously reported down to the 70 million of the actual contract. Again a 5 year MIGHT contract that could wind up at a couple million rounds insted of the 70 million on the contract.

                      It was reported that the military doesn't use that amount of ammo.. funny thing tho according to an article I read the military does in fact use that amount of ammo every year.

                      Kinda like this lead smelter thing.

                      IF you hear that recycled lead is used for bullets you should ask the bullet manufacturers where they get their lead from. My understanding is they prefer virgin lead. You wont catch me trying to recycle batts for bullets.

                      Oh and one more thing it has been reported that the US Military is going to lead free rounds in the future so the bullet manufacturers will have even more lead available for civilian projectiles until the govt decides that lead is not allowed to be used in projectiles. Which by the way is supposedly in the works as well. Might be time for you to start collecting what lead you can now so you can mold your own projectiles. (care to purchase some molds??)

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