KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Despite the 10-year mega-mining battle with CEMEX coming to a close at the expiration of their contracts in 2020, the United States District Court reinstated mining contracts for Soledad Canyon on Wednesday – a decision expected to create lasting devastation on traffic, pollution and native species.
The ruling by the United States District Court on Wednesday vacated the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) Decision in 2019 and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Decision in 2015 that confirmed the expiration of the contracts on July 31, 2020.
“This week’s decision by the U.S. District Court is irresponsible and sets an egregious precedent on federal mineral contracts,” said Mayor and CEMEX City Council Ad Hoc Committee member Laurene Weste. “These contracts were canceled by the Bureau of Land Management, and that decision was subsequently reaffirmed by the Interior Board of Land Appeals.”
The controversy comes after a pair of decisions in December 2019, in which the BLM stated for the current mining contract, and the prior 10-year contract, no actual production had occurred and no annual payments in lieu of production were made, and therefore annual in lieu of production payments were due.
“To reverse the action and reinstate the CEMEX mining contracts puts our residents, natural environment, wildlife and our community’s quality of life in danger,” Weste said. “This issue is far from over, and we will continue to fight and oppose any and all mining in Soledad Canyon.”
The City of Santa Clarita has been fighting to prevent mining in Soledad Canyon since the CEMEX contracts were issued by the federal government in 1990, according to Weste.
The mining contracts, according to the City, are expected to result in the mining of 56-million tons of sand and gravel from Soledad Canyon, which would add up to 1,164 truck trips a day on already overpopulated roads and freeways.
The mining and transport of sand are likely to cause air quality issues and potential negative impacts to the Santa Clara River, the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and wildlife corridors connecting the Angeles National Forest, as well as fish, wildlife and sensitive habitat and endangered species in the area, according to the City.
“This court action reverses the decades of dedicated work by our community leaders, environmentalists and local organizations,” said Mayor Pro Tem and CEMEX City Council Ad Hoc Committee member Jason Gibbs. “Mining in Soledad Canyon would create lasting devastation to our air quality, add traffic to our roads and negatively impact our local environment. The City is exploring any and every option – and will remain vigilant on this crucial issue.”
The City is working with special counsel and seeking information from the federal government on potential next steps in an effort to assess all options, according to officials.
For more information on the 25-year-long battle over mining rights in Soledad Canyon, click here.
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Hooray! Sand and gravel are building blocks of civilization since Roman Empire days. Sand and gravel are NEEDED. The further the distance it has to come from, the more ACTUAL TRUCK MILES are needed. The city and vocal opponents do not have any competent consultant opinions to back up their false claims.
Next closest Sand and gravel is a few miles South of Fillmore. That means 126 and city streets will get even more truck miles.
City of Santa Clarita lacks an effective sanity check.
Hopefully I’ll be out of Santa Clarita, indeed California entirely, before the first cemex gravel truck hits the 14 freeway. Santa Clarita is on a downward spiral in terms of overpopulation, urban sprawl, crime and liberalism, barely resembling the city it once was when I became a resident almost 2 decades ago.
CEMEX is owned by the Rothschild’s via the 10th richest man in Mexico, and is tied to human trafficking and The Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative in Haiti. CEMEX received a $7 million dollar contract from The Clinton Foundation after the 2010 Haitian earthquake “to build houses” and only 750 have been built to this day. Thank you, City of Santa Clarita, for fighting this most evil of all evils.