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Gary Reaves reports.

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Smoke stacks line the horizon in the Ellis County town of Midlothian.

It's nothing new - cement plants provide many of the jobs for people living in the town.

Also not new are concerns over pollution.

Change is in the air but it won't come without a fight.

TXI is one of three cement plants that make Midlothian the cement capital of Texas.

Until now, the cement companies have won most of their battles over pollution but they were mainly fighting regulators from the state.

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New rules may mean some production moves to China.

Now there are new folks in charge of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.

On Wednesday, they had hearings on their new proposed rules on pollution - rules that could make a big difference to the cement plants and to the air over North Texas.

On a good day, winds blow fumes from the cement plants away from Sal Mier's garden.

A retired CDC researcher, he knows the plants still pump out mercury and trigger ozone.

He is disappointed the state won't make them reduce further.

"In the real world, our community is being exposed to a variety of chemicals, all at one time. I am concerned about the... aggregate affect of being exposed to more than one chemical at one time," he said.

So is the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.

It is holding three hearings before it implements tough new rules that dramatically cut down on cement plant emissions.

The agency got an earful from locals.

"Our orange and red alert days are far too common," said Beth Rozinski from Downwinders at Risk.

Companies say technology to reduce emissions is expensive and still experimental.

New rules could force them to cut production, costing Texans jobs, and move production to plants in China, which pollute even more.

"There's a significant potential to have a detrimental impact on our economy but ultimately an overall increase in environmental impact," said David Perkins, TXI communications director.

Mier doesn't want neighbors to lose jobs but he is praying the EPA does what state regulators have not done, which is crack down on emissions.

"With all those resources they have, they can't tell me they can't endure those additional costs and still do a good job of making a good profit," he said.

New rules are expected in the fall.