Lafarge hit a bump in its U.S. operations when, in 2008, attention turned to the amount of mercury Lafarge and other cement plant operators were pumping into the environment in Seattle, New York and other locations. At its facility in Ravenna, New York, the company embarked on a $300 million modernization program at the 50-year-old plant. As part of the rebuilding, the company replaced two 600-foot kilns with a more efficient 200-foot German rotary kiln that produces less pollution.
