The proposed concrete plant site was purchased from a felon convicted of bribing the Buncombe County Sheriff. (Asheville Citizen Times 12-13-07)
The concrete plant operator and the applicant for the air quality permit was previously the Director of Construction for a local development company that was accused of perpetrating a $100,000,000 real estate fraud. (Asheville Citizen Times 6-9-07)

From the transfer of ownership of the site to Blue Ridge Concrete, the owner of the plant has refused to meet with community representatives and the site continues to be strewn with garbage.

Even if this site was operated by the best operator, the NC DNR Director in a letter to his section chiefs states:

“Dept of Air Quality field staff have documented violations…when the control devices (of a concrete batch plant as proposed) are malfunctioning, actual emissions (of particulate emissions, could exceed) 5 tons per year.” …”It is our opinion that these controls (shutting down the process in the event of failure) are not inherent to the process….. In conclusion, ready mixed concrete batch plants have sources that are likely to violate applicable emission standards if not properly maintained and controlled, and the division has a documented history of problems with these kinds of facilities” (Italics added)

The full text of the letter may be found here.