Senator Scott Wilk announced Tuesday that his bill, which would allow the public to weigh in on the construction of the CEMEX Mega-Mine in Santa Clarita, is set to be presented to the full California State Senate for a vote in the coming days.

Senate bill 520 (SB 520), which was introduced to the Senate by Wilk and has passed through the Senate Committee on Appropriations, would give the public a chance to provide feedback on large projects approved over 30 years ago before the projects could continue construction.

“The Senate Appropriations Committee recognized that the bill would have minimal and absorbable costs to the state, while providing an immense benefit for communities that will be impacted by proposed large mining operations,” Wilk commented.

If passed, the bill would allow members of the Santa Clarita community to voice their concerns regarding the construction of the CEMEX mega-mine in the valley, a project which was first approved about 30 years ago.

In 1991, CEMEX’s owners applied for approval for their project, which would allow them to mine 322 acre-feet per year from the Santa Clara River. There have been concerns the mining could have negative effects on the river’s natural environment.

See Related: Wilk Announces Bill Allowing Public Input For CEMEX Mega-Mine

The application was never moved through the State Water Resources Control Board.

In 2019, the board changed the status of the application from “pending” to “on hold” because of the incompletion of legal procedures needed to process the application.

SB 520 was introduced to the California State Senate by Wilk, who represents the 21st senate district including the majority of Santa Clarita.

The bill was co-authored by Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares of Santa Clarita.

Before its presentation on the Senate floor, the bill passed unanimously through the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee in addition to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The bill is slated to proceed to the senate floor to be voted on by the entire California State Senate.

“I look forward to presenting this bill to the full Senate next,” Wilk concluded.

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