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June 2, 2009
ForestWatch Demands Detailed
Review of Gravel Truck Impacts in Forest
Proposal
Could Send Up to 100 Trucks Per Day Through the Heart of the Los
Padres Via Scenic Highway 33
Yesterday, ForestWatch
submitted detailed comments to Ventura County's Planning
Division, urging the agency to evaluate a long list of impacts
caused by gravel trucks traveling through the Los Padres
National Forest on Scenic Highway 33. The letter was in response
to a formal notice by the County announcing their intention to
prepare an Environmental Impact Report for the Ozena Valley
Mine, which is proposing to send as many as 100 truck trips per
day near popular recreation and wilderness areas in the forest.
A truck emerges from one of
three tunnels near Wheeler Gorge
in the Los Padres National Forest. Photo © LPFW, Inc.
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 ForestWatch letter 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
The County conducted a public
hearing on the matter in Ojai on May 6. Officials are currently
reviewing all comments received by the public, and plan to
release the draft EIR in February 2010. ForestWatch will
continue to track this issue to ensure that the Los Padres
National Forest is not used as an industrial trucking route.
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