In a challenge to attempts by several north Texas cities to address climate change issues, cement manufacturer Ash Grove LLP has brought an action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The lawsuit, which was filed on November 26, 2008, alleges that the local resolutions, favoring purchasing cement which is produced through a process which releases less pollution, violates both Texas contract bidding requirements and the constitutional rights of Ash Grove LLP.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Ash Grove is the only one of several cement manufacturers in the area which does not operate any “dry process kiln” for the manufacturing of cement, which is claimed to release less pollution. The attorneys for Ash Grove maintain that the resolutions adopted by Dallas, Plano, Arlington and Fort Worth “stifled competition.”
The potential impact of this suit on attempts by local governments to regulate purchasing in a manner which considers the effects of manufacturing processes on global warming are not yet clear.