Santa Clarita City Council is considering support for legislation that could slow the effort to put a massive mine on the east side of the Santa Clarita Valley.

Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, authored SB 57 — which was later swapped with legislative language for SB 146 by the Santa Clarita Valley’s other Senate member, Senator Henry Stern, a bill pertaining to the Aliso Canyon gas leak.

The bill was aimed at creating “common sense” legislation, according to Wilk, although it could provide a huge benefit to Santa Clarita Valley residents that Cemex might move to Soledad Canyon to open a 56 million ton mine.

“If there’s a project that’s been on the books (or approved and permitted) for 25 years or more, then (the applicants) have to go through the public process,” Wilk said, explaining his bill’s intent. “It actually makes common sense.”

Where this comes into play locally is the proposed plan by Cemex, which is currently appealing a Bureau of Land Management decision to cancel the mineral rights contracts the company previously held for city-owned land in Soledad Canyon.

A mining operation was given a water permit by the State Water Quality Control Board back in 1991, when Santa Clarita had a significantly different landscape.

According to the city’s agenda:

“A review of the current role of the Santa Clara River, as it relates to habitat of the protected unarmored three-spine stickleback found in portions of the river near the proposed mining site and as a source of recharging the local aquifers, would appear appropriate when considering the permit application. Since 1990, Santa Clarita’s population has more than doubled from approximately 110,000 residents to the current population of approximately 225,000.

As these examples illustrate, a number of significant changes have occurred in the area over the past quarter-century. Therefore, it is appropriate for the State Water Resources Control Board to fully consider present day dynamics rather than relying on information that is significantly out-of-date in making decisions with long-term impacts.”

City staffers, who have long been responsible for battling the council’s longstanding fight against the proposed mine, are recommending support for SB 146.  

“I just think that’s rational, reasonable public policy,” Wilk said. “Santa Clarita is now the third-largest city, there are 100,000 commuters that travel (Highway 14) every day, and there’s going to be 1.1 million coming to the area in the next 20 years, so we need to take a second look at (that project).”