Duarte seeks to block mining
Vulcan Materials Co. wants to expand its operations in Azusa
Friday, June 20, 2008
By Nathan McIntire , Staff Writer
Article Launched: 06/20/2008 11:04:46 PM PDT
DUARTE - The Duarte City Council has established a $700,000 fund to combat an expected plan by Vulcan Materials Co. to expand its mining operations in Azusa near the Duarte border.
Vulcan, which has operated in Azusa since 1956, mines stone and gravel near Fish Canyon. The company plans to mine an additional 80 acres west of its current operations.
Vulcan contends the project is within its 190-acre property boundary allowed for under its 1988 agreement with Azusa, Vulcan spokeswoman Atisthan Roach said.
But the city of Duarte disputes that boundary.
"They don't have the vested rights. They still have not proven from a legal perspective that they have the vested mining rights to those 80 acres," Duarte Deputy City Manager Karen Herrera said.
The reasons behind Duarte's opposition to the proposal are both health-related and aesthetic, City Manager Darrell George said.
Mining creates massive amounts of dust, which poses health risks for residents, officials said. Duarte Mayor Phil Reyes said his city already suffers with some of the worst air quality in the Los Angeles area.
Expanded mining also would strip the hillsides, creating unsightly views of the San Gabriel Mountains. Residents have complained about the noise created by vehicles and machinery, officials said.
"All of the negative impacts that come with mining will be borne by the city of Duarte," George said.
When asked about Duarte's plan to fight Vulcan's proposal, Roach said, "We welcome their participation in the process."
While Vulcan owns the rights to mining 80 additional acres in Azusa, their initial plan was to mine the territory east of their current operations. In that sense, Vulcan insists, their proposal does not constitute an expansion.
"This proposed project is not an expansion," Roach said. "We're substituting the 80 acres on the east side for 80 acres on the west side."
Vulcan is currently in negotiations with Azusa about the proposal, Azusa Mayor Joe Rocha said. Rocha said he could not comment on the progress of the talks.
George said the Duarte City Council approved the "Fight Against Vulcan Expansion Fund" in anticipation of a formal proposal, which he thinks could come in August.
"Everyone is still waiting for Vulcan to formally announce they're moving forward with the expansion," George said.
Reyes says the fund could also lure other nearby cities into joining the fight.
"I'm hoping with that type of commitment that we'll get support from the Valley," Reyes said.
If the proposal is approved by Azusa, Vulcan has pledged to reclaim areas that had already been mined, Roach said. The reclamation project would restore some of the hillsides and vegetation that existed before the mining. Residents would begin to see results in two to seven years, Roach said.
But Reyes is skeptical, saying the damage has already been done.
"We've got a monster up there that has scarred the hillside, that has not been a good neighbor," he said. "They basically raped that whole land up there."
Azusa Planning Commissioner Jorge Rosales, a co-founder of Save Van Tassel, a group opposed to further mining operations by Vulcan, said the reclamation project is little consolation.
"It is our belief that there is no way they can restore the mountains to their original condition," Rosales said.
However, he concedes that the company appears to have the right to mine the additional proposed acreage under their current agreement with Azusa.
Vulcan is "in compliance with what appears to be a bad plan approved in 1988," Rosales added.
Still, Vulcan cannot break ground on any additional mining operations before completing a lengthy permit process, George said.
It would need to obtain a new conditional use permit, amend its existing development agreement with Azusa and certify an environmental impact report, a process that could take about two years.
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