|
May 17, 2007
FINAL EIR RELEASED FOR DIAMOND
ROCK MINE; PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE VOTE SCHEDULED FOR MAY 30
IN SANTA MARIA
Proposed Sand
& Gravel Mine Could Send Hundreds of Trucks Through Heart of Los
Padres National Forest
Santa Barbara County has released its final Environmental Impact
Report for the proposed Diamond Rock Sand and Gravel Mine. This
proposal could send as many as 138 truck trips per day on Scenic
Highway 33 through the heart of the Los Padres National Forest.
A public hearing is scheduled for May 30 at 9:00am in Santa
Maria. At this hearing, the Santa Barbara County Planning
Commission may approve the mine.
ForestWatch is reviewing the final EIR in preparation for the
hearing. Check back soon for a summary of where things stand on
this issue. We have posted the final EIR, the staff report, the
agenda, and the meeting notice for your convenience, as the
files on the County's website are too big for most people to
download. To view a specific section of the final EIR, click
on the headings on the right side of this screen.
County planning staff is recommending that the Planning
Commission prohibit trucks from traveling south through the Los
Padres National Forest and Ojai. However, for this ban to
actually take effect, it must be voted on and approved by the
Planning Commission at the May 30 hearing. The ban also contains
some loopholes that could allow trucks through the forest in the
future, if certain conditions occur. ForestWatch is reviewing
the proposed ban to determine whether it adequately protects the
forest from excessive truck traffic, whether the ban can be
adequately enforced, and whether the ban can be made more
permanent.
This means that we still need to pack the hearing room with
people concerned about excessive truck traffic through our
forest and nearby towns. We need to show the Planning
Commission why this ban is important and why it should be a
complete ban, not a partial ban.
Stay tuned for more details, including carpool and bus
information from Ojai to the May 30 hearing in Santa Maria.
|
