Actually, Johnson Controls just opened it's Florence, S.C. lead smelting facility in Sept. of 2012
http://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/lead-smelter-johnson-controls/This new state of the art facility smelts over 130,000 metric tons of spent lead batteries per year. Lead acid batteries are America's most recycled product, with over 99% of lead batteries used in the U.S. being reused and recycled. There are quite a few other lead smelting and recycling operations in the U.S., where laws governing pollution are much more strict than either Mexico or Canada. The vast majority of lead for the lead shot and lead bullets we use comes from U.S. lead recycling facilities. However, as a result of strict controls here, and as a result of insane trade deals like NAFTA, a lot of former U.S. smelting and recycling has moved to Canada and Mexico. One out of five scrap car batteries now finds it's way to Mexico, but the vast majority are still recycled right here. A loss of control of the southern border has also been responsible for increased transport of scrap lead going to Mexico where Drug Lords operate dirty, polluting facilities as a means to launder drug money. Liberals who may feel good about driving away lead smelting facilities here are mostly blissfully unaware that their actions have sickened many more children and adults than they have helped. Bunch of racists and misogynists if you ask me.
Obviously, responsible lead recycling involves much more than simply saying lead is bad, and as a result, tightening regulations here, thus driving the trade where regulation is lax. But all of this nasty lead pollution in Mexico should also make California shooters wonder just how it can be possible that the California Condor is being reintroduced in Mexico.
https://www.fws.gov/news/blog/index.cfm/...pread-to-Mexico
