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April 27, 2009
PUBLIC HEARING SET FOR OZENA
GRAVEL TRUCK TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY 33
Proposal
Could Send Up to 100 Trucks Per Day Through the Heart of the Los
Padres National Forest Via Scenic Highway 33
A truck emerges from one of
three tunnels near Wheeler Gorge
in the Los Padres National Forest. Photo © LPFW, Inc.
After months of delay, the
Ventura County Planning Division recently announced that it has
started to prepare an Environmental Impact Report for the
proposed expansion of the Ozena Valley Ranch Mine adjacent to
the Los Padres National Forest. The mine, located along Lockwood
Valley Road in the remote northern Ventura backcountry, is
requesting permission to send as many as 100 gravel truck trips
per day through the heart of the forest via Highway 33, a state
Scenic Highway and a National Forest Scenic Byway.
The planning department will
accept comments on the Notice of Preparation. The department will also take public testimony at a
hearing
on May 6, 2009 at the Chaparral High School Auditorium, 414
E. Ojai Ave. in Ojai, beginning at 6:00pm. ForestWatch
encourages concerned citizens to attend the hearing and voice
their concerns about the impacts of industrial truck traffic on
the wilderness experience.
The route is
designated as a California State Scenic Highway and a National
Forest Scenic Byway, one of only four such highways in all of
southern California. Highway 33 is a narrow, winding mountain
road that takes travelers through some of the most breathtaking
scenery in the region.
The Ozena mine has operated
since 2001. Its most recent permit expired in 2006, but the
County has allowed the mine to continue to operate while it
reviews the mine's application for a new permit. The company has
received at least two violation notices for breaking the terms
of its permit, along with dozens of formal complaints filed by
Ojai residents. The owners of the Ozena mine unsuccessfully sued
the County last year in a failed attempt to weaken existing
trucking restrictions.
The May 6 hearing comes on the
heels of two major victories that will greatly reduce the amount
of truck traffic on Scenic Highway 33. Last year, ForestWatch
and the Stop the Trucks Coalition worked to negotiate a ban on
all truck traffic cutting through the forest on their way to and
from the proposed Diamond Rock Mine.
This proposed mine could have sent as many as 138 truck trips
per day through the forest during peak production. The ban is in
place until 2012, at which time the mine company must submit a
new application if any trucks are to travel through the forest.
Following suit, officials with the GPS Mine - an existing mine
just downstream from the proposed Diamond Rock site - announced
earlier this year that they would not send any trucks through
the forest.
What's Next
After the May 6 hearing, the
County will prepare a draft Environmental Impact Report and
release it for public review and comment later this year.
ForestWatch will attend the May 6 hearing and submit detailed
comments to ensure that all impacts to the Los Padres National
Forest are adequately addressed and minimized.
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