Тесты подтвердили: вибрации от планируемого цементного завода угрожают производству чипов в Грейсон-Кантри

DORCHESTER, Texas (KXII) - Results are in from seismic blast testing conducted in March to determine how a proposed cement kiln in Dorchester could impact chip and wafer production in Sherman. The testing stems from Senate Bill 1758, which required the University of Texas at Austin’s engineering school to test areas south of Global Wafers, near the proposed kiln site. “They did some testing within those boundaries to see how the shock waves from the blasting would affect the silicon wafer, the crystal ingots that are being produced at Global Wafers,” said Josh Marr, Grayson County Pct. 1 commissioner. Black Mountain Cement says they amended their permit back in 2024 to TCEQ, and will not be using blast mining at the proposed site. The amendment was in response to water quality concerns and close proximity to semiconductor operations. Report details testing findings The school conducted testing in the spring and published its report Aug. 4. It found two limestone levels in Grayson County — the Austin Chalk on top and the Eagle Ford Chalk below — with depth to that chalk level varying from 5 to 40 feet depending on location. “As we all suspected, that there would be vibrations that affected that production and that is not favorable to the production of the silicon wafers,” Marr said. The study showed the bedrock Global Wafers and Texas Instruments are anchored into shook during every blast test. “Those vibrations were picked up every single time,” Marr said. The report did not identify a distinct radius for where a quarry could not be located; the bill currently sets that radius at 10 miles. Testing was conducted at distances of one to 10 miles, with vibrations picked up at every distance. The report recommends each proposed quarry location be individually tested. “Here locally, I think we would hope that does kind of quash that aspect of is there a quarry that needs to be in Grayson County,” Marr said. “I think having Silicon Prairie here with Texas Instruments, with Global Wafers, with coherent and potentially other semiconductor facilities coming here to Grayson County, I think this is better fit for a silicon wafer manufacturing area than it is for an aggregate quarry production area.” Pastor Zach Poling calls the results an answered prayer. “We’ve been praying about it ever since then, hoping that the Lord would put a stop to it in it. It does give us some hope,” Poling said. Pastor describes years-long effort Poling said the community first learned of the proposed kiln when someone called Dorchester City Hall to ask about it, and residents were shocked to learn a kiln, rather than a cement batch plant, was proposed sharing a property line with his house and church. “We did a rally. We did a prayer walk. We did everything on our end that we could do,” Poling said. Next step is at the Capitol The next step is at the Capitol, where the results and project will be back on the agenda. “That’s going to be between the legislatures down in Austin and between TCEQ and those entities that are in the aspect of the permitting,” Marr said. For Poling, it’s a fight to keep Dorchester’s small-town charm alive. “If this comes in, we’re all but done. We’re not going to be able to survive a massive quarry and kiln and it’s going to pollute everything around it within the county,” Poling said. “Do what you said you were going to do. Hold the bill up that the Senate passed. Get it signed into law so that this community can still exist,” Poling said.