Over the last several years, your city has spent nearly $7 million fighting the siting of a proposed mega-mining project in our valley by the Mexican-owned Cemex Corporation. It is hard to believe, but a giant gravel mine with its 16-hour-a-day blasting, 1,200 truck-trips a day, noise, dust and pollution is the plan for our beautiful community by the international Cemex Corporation.

As proposed, this mega-mining project involves the surface mining of 69-million tons of aggregate on a 460-acre site just outside the eastern boundary of the City of Santa Clarita, east of the Antelope Valley Freeway in an unincorporated part of L.A. County. The project is planned for a 20-year period, authorizing the mining of five million tons of product per year; this is 1,600 percent more than has historically been mined in our valley.

It is anticipated that the aggregate mined on the site would be shipped throughout the greater Los Angeles market. In addition, a concrete batch processing plant would be operated on the site in order to produce and delivery ready-mixed concrete to users in the Los Angeles market and beyond.

According to the Rose Institute, this project is likely have significant negative effects on the entire region. The project will have excavation activities going on 17 hours per day, six days per week. Processing is scheduled to take place 15 hours a day and shipping activities are expected to take place 24 hours a day. Blasting will occur at least twice a week for the first 10 years of the project and four times a week during the second phase. Concrete batch plant and ready-mixed shipping will occur up to seven days a week, 24 hours a day, depending upon market conditions. The increased dust levels and air pollution will likely have significant negative effects on the health of local residents.

Not only will the Cemex project add up to 1,200 big 18-wheel cement truck trips to our already congested freeways, but these will be large, slow moving trucks that regularly drop loose aggregate onto the roadways, damaging automobile finishes and windshields.

These heavy trucks will degrade our freeways and roadways, all the while commuters will be forced to endure lower-quality roads and increased delays due to road repair. This will increase commuting times and costs for tens of thousands of people in the North Los Angeles County area.

Within the past 10 years, almost all of the Cemex mining projects across the country, especially those with kilns, have polluted their environments. They emit a long list of chemicals that are considered toxic, which can build up in the human, and animal, body and harm pregnant women and children.

In my opinion, and the opinion of dozens of local community organizations, the Cemex Corporation will not be a good neighbor here in Santa Clarita. We definitely don't need this company, with its record of EPA violations, disturbing the fragile environment of Southern California.

I am most appreciative of our congressman, Howard "Buck" McKeon, for introducing HR 5471, the Soledad Canyon Mine Leases Adjustment Act in the House of Representatives this spring. The bill will protect both the needs of our community by limiting Cemex to mining only historical levels in Soledad Canyon. To be fair, the bill also addresses the financial concerns of Cemex.

On a personal note, I have spent the majority of my life here in the Santa Clarita Valley. As a long-time resident, volunteer, former parks commissioner and now as your mayor, I can tell you that I love this community and cherish the people here. I feel strongly that this project, as proposed, will be a detriment to our quality of life. Should you wish to contact me directly, please feel free to call my office at 255-4395 or e-mail me at lweste@santa-clarita.com.

As a resident of the Santa Clarita, San Fernando or Antelope Valley, you will be adversely affected if the Cemex mega-mining project moves forward. Please consider expressing your desire for Santa Clarita to remain beautiful and safe by sending your letter of support for HR 5471 to Congressman McKeon at 26650 The Old Road, Suite 203, Santa Clarita, CA 91381-9916.

For more information, visit www.santa-clarita.com.


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