Clean Air Award given to CXT Inc. for cutting emissions

Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency has named CXT Inc. as the 2011 Clean Air Award winner.

The award will be presented Thursday at an 11:30 a.m. ceremony at the Davenport Hotel.

The company makes precast concrete products, including railroad ties for major railways. It has two production plants in Spokane Valley, one of which produced concrete outdoor products, including concrete buildings.

CXT last year began a series of production changes to reduce emissions, a press release noted. The biggest was to replace most of its solvent-based paints with water-based paints, used at its concrete outdoor-products facility. The company also used a parts washer using a more environmentally friendly washing fluid, in place of traditional solvents.

The changes cut volatile organics emissions by nearly 50 percent. David Steiger, VP of CXT’s Precast Buidlings, said the changes took place during the busiest year the production facilities have had.

Spokane Valley’s Fiber-Tech Industries earned the 2010 award for reducing emissions at its production plant.