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The Environmental Protection Agency has extended by two years the deadline for compliance with hazardous air emissions at cement plants.

The EPA last week issued its final amendments to the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Portland cement production. The standards aim to reduce the amount of mercury, acid gases, particulate matter and hydrocarbons, which occur naturally in the cement production process, by between 82 and 96 percent.

But the heightened standards – the result of a federal court order – were originally mandated for implementation by 2013, and industry lobbyists contended that such a deadline would have been too costly for the private sector. According to the Portland Cement Association, an organization advocating for the extension, implementation would have cost $3.4 billion, and triggered the closure of 18 cement plants as well as the loss of 4,000 jobs.

The final amendments are available online. The deadline has been extended to Sept. 9, 2015, but manufacturers can request an additional year if necessary.

Environmental advocates say the extension will be paid for with human lives. According to Earthjustice, an environmental advocacy organization that was advocating for strict adoption of the emissions rules, the delay in implementation will cause between 1,920 and 5,000 deaths, 3,000 nonfatal heart attacks, 34,000 cases of aggravated asthma, and 260,000 missed work days because of related sicknesses.

Oregon has only one cement plant, in Durkee, but is serviced by several out-of-state companies. The Oregon plant is owned by Kansas-based Ash Grove Cement Co. It received media attention in 2009 for emitting high levels of mercury.