JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — If you don’t count the resolutions allowing for the State of the Judiciary and State of the State to take place in the House chambers, only one concurrent resolution has made it’s way through the legislature in the first half of the session and it’s aimed squarely at the lead industry.
Resolution sponsor, Sen. Gary Romine, R-Farmington, says the purpose of SCR 19 is to help Missouri achieve a “one-of-a-kind” lead operation, one that he says his district sorely needs.
“There is no lead being processed in the United States right now,” Romine said. “So, a lead processing factory in this state would be a huge economic advantage for us.”
Romine’s resolution establishes the Missouri Lead Industry Employment, Economic Development and Environmental Remediation Task Force. As the EPA and Doe Run Company continue to negotiate settlements related to the legacy mining operation, Romine says that the task force can help keep Doe Run solvent enough to continue to invest in the region.
“If the legacy mine issue can be resolved in a way that keeps Doe Run intact and solvent, they can invest in future technology here including a new lead processing plant,” Romine said.
Romine’s district sits on massive lead deposits of “the purest lead in the world,” he says. That lead ore is shipped to China for processing before being used. Keeping that operation in-state could create several hundred direct and permanent jobs and create other manufacturing opportunities around the state.
Romine says the task force and resulting recommendations could also influence the construction of other lead-related industry operations, like battery manufacturing plants. The task force is charged with meeting within 15 days of the adoption of the resolution and will consist of 11 members. The members of the task force will include six lawmakers, designees from the Attorney General and Governor’s offices, industry experts, and a Department of Natural Resources appointee.
“This is a huge opportunity for growth in this state and that’s why people came together so quickly on it,” Romine said. “They recognize the expediency of this issue.
We need to be able to promote the growth of this industry for our entire economy while also protecting our citizens from any kind of negative impacts of the industry and I think this task force can help us put all the information together and do that.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
