Doe Run To Build New Smelter in Herculaneum

Pollution warnings outside the Herculaneum smelter.

​Updated 3:45 p.m.

Well, so much for my monologue the other day.

As ridiculous as it sounds for Missouri to provide incentives to a major polluter owned by a billionaire, state legislators went ahead Friday and approved a proposal to provide Doe Run with financial support to build a new lead smelter in Herculaneum.

Coincidentally, on Monday, the company announced it plans to build a new, state-of-the-art facility on the same location as its current smelter. In a statement yesterday, Doe Run said the new facility will use technology it has developed that "virtually eliminates all lead air emissions and eliminates sulfur dioxide emissions." Doe Run employs around 200 people at its Herculaneum smelter.

At this point, it's unclear how much in incentives Doe Run would receive from the state. The article in the daily today doesn't provide a figure. Daily RFT has been unable to reach the sponsors of the legislation -- State Sen Ryan McKenna (D - Crystal City) and State Rep. Paul Wieland (R - Imperial) -- for comment. We also have an inquiry out with Doe Run.

Update: Doe Run did get back to me. Apparently, the support from the state is not in tax incentives as initially reported here and elsewhere. The support from the state has to do with renewable energy credits. I've got a copy of the legislation but it's a bit dense. Or I'm dense. Probably both. I'm trying to find out more.