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Information about General Shale and The Wienerberger Group
Recently, General Shale, LLC, purchased a parcel of land in Barboursville, Virginia, with the intention of placing an open-pit shale mine there. The mine would have a devastating effect on the community. The proposed General Shale mine is widely opposed in the surrounding community. Thirty-seven local landowners and a non-profit community organization (Friends of Barboursville) filed a lawsuit against General Shale and the county government. The suit is currently before the Virginia state Supreme Court. General Shale, LLC, is a subsidiary of the Austria-based Wienerberger Group. Wienerberger is the world's largest manufacturer of bricks. The company acquired General Shale in 1999. General Shale bought Virginia-based Webster Brick in 1988, and now manufactures bricks at Webster's old plant in Somerset, Virginia, near Barboursville. Other active General Shale sites in Virginia are located in Glasgow, Blue Ridge, Bristol and Atkins, according to EPA's "Envirofacts" database. EPA lists a total of 28 active General Shale sites throughout the United States. General Shale has acquired many other regional brick manufacturers in the last several years, such as North Carolina's Cherokee Sanford.
Environmental Impact of General Shale/Weinerberger's Mines:Brick plants release large quantities of Hydrogen Fluoride, a toxic air pollutant.
Other Groups Concerned About General Shale/Weinerberger Mines:
General Shale/Wienerberger Financial Information:
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