MAT Asphalt is committed to being a good neighbor, contributing to the Chicago community as a beneficial corporate citizen, and to operating our asphalt pavement-making facility in a way that meets and/or exceeds environmental health and safety regulations.
We understand from time to time that members of the public may have questions about our operations. We recognize our obligation to respond to them as it encourages dialogue with the community on environmental and other matters. It also supports the community’s interest in knowing how we operate and understanding the steps we have taken to be a good environmental operator.
MAT Asphalt designed and constructed our asphalt pavement-making facility to ensure it complies with environmental requirements. We went beyond what is required to construct and operate a facility that contributes to the City of Chicago’s infrastructure and economic development needs—without affecting the quality of life or health of local residents, or posing harm to the local environment.
The MAT Asphalt facility is strictly regulated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency removed asphalt plants as a major source of air pollution in 2002 because air emissions are extremely low. They are so low that such emissions are equivalent to, or well below, emissions from a single bakery operating for about two weeks—or from 13 residential fireplaces over a year. Our facility operates well within environmental regulatory requirements.
MAT Asphalt is powered entirely by electricity. Our facility is designed to minimize emissions and capture any dust particles created in the asphalt-making process. Indeed, given our new technology, and the fact that it is generations removed from older asphalt plants, our facility may well be one of the most environmentally friendly plants of its kind in the nation.
Our facility operates under a permit granted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency after a thorough review of our operations and a business license issued by the City of Chicago. One of a number of plants operating in the city, our facility is situated in an area specifically zoned for industrial use—behind the old Central Manufacturing District and adjacent to rail yards.
We appreciate our neighbors’ questions. MAT Asphalt is committed to answering those questions factually and contributing as a good neighbor to the community. And that starts by adhering to our commitment to operate in an environmentally clean and civically responsible facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
The MAT Asphalt facility is one of the most modern asphalt pavement-making facilities in the nation. Our asphalt is produced by mixing limestone aggregate and recycled asphalt in a closed mixing drum and combining it with asphalt cement. The asphalt is then stored in closed ceramic silos until it is placed in truck beds for delivery to paving sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency removed asphalt pavement-making facilities from its list of major sources of air pollution in 2002. Our facility is regulated by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and it meets and/or exceeds regulatory compliance requirements.
Minimal amounts of particulate matter created in the pavement-making process are drawn from our facility’s mixing drum, conveyed through closed ductwork and stored in a secure baghouse. The rotating drum that mixes the asphalt cannot operate without the baghouse being operational. This “positive capture” system ensures particulates never enter the atmosphere. The baghouse has the capacity to hold seven years’ worth of particulates.
The technology in place at our facility controls emissions. Consistent with the federal Clean Air Act, the IEPA permit placed limits on emissions of materials from our facility, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and volatile organic material. Our facility, which is subject to performance testing by the IEPA to ensure compliance, operates well within emissions requirements.
Technologies have been continually improving with asphalt plant manufacturers to run cleaner, quieter, and more efficiently than those of facilities of earlier generations. Our facility’s technology controls particulate materials and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Our site also is powered by clean electricity.
Yes, our facility is operating under a one-year permit following the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s standard process. In summer 2019, MAT Asphalt will be seeking a new permit for ongoing operations from the IEPA.
The city has awarded our facility a business license. The State of Illinois is responsible for regulating our facility’s environmental compliance.
The IEPA is the regulating agency. The agency has assigned a representative to visit our site and review our operations on a regular basis. This official has visited our facility frequently in our early months of operation. In addition, facility staff communicate daily with the IEPA. Each day our facility updates the agency via email and notes the operating plans for the next day in terms of volume of activity.
Technically, yes, however the federal agency has designated IEPA to oversee the facility.
The MAT Asphalt facility operates in a highly industrial area with a number of manufacturing plants and transportation hubs, including rail yards, surrounding the site. The site is bordered by active rail yards with diesel locomotive engines, chemical manufacturing facilities, and rendering plants as well as vehicular traffic.
There can be a very slight odor on occasion if a person is close to the asphalt-making operations. However, passersby along Pershing Road are unlikely to notice odors emanating from the manufacture of asphalt. In fact, a person standing under the plant when asphalt is being made is not likely to notice any odors. Any scent of asphalt most commonly occurs when it is in the open air and poured onto streets during the paving process. Also, during the few seconds when asphalt is being deposited into truck beds, a scent may be detected.
MAT Asphalt works hard to control dust from our operations. The process includes mixing limestone aggregate and recycled asphalt. Our facility is entirely paved and an on-site water truck and mechanical sweeper regularly clean the pavement to control dust.
Our facility does not use “chemicals” in the manufacture of the asphalt pavement. However, we do use a 5% petroleum-based “asphalt cement” as a binder to make the asphalt. Petroleum is inert, meaning it will not leach. If a storage container with asphalt inside were punctured—or if a delivery truck somehow spilled asphalt,—only a simple, complete cleanup would be required and such a spill would not leach into the ground or ground water.
Resources from the National Asphalt Pavement Association
NAPA Environmental Impact of Asphalt Facilities Study (PDF)Environmental Contact
For more information or if you have a question, please contact:
Joseph Haughey
MAT Asphalt Facility Manager
 |
2033 W. Pershing Road, Chicago, IL 60609 |
