The residents west of Granite's property start at 1,300 feet. After seven years of hearing "nothing lay to the west of the site" or the nearest community was two to three miles away, why does Granite's new application now admit there are residents west of the quarry site, though our valley wasn't considered in the certified environmental impact report?
Neither were the eight neighboring wells in our area that the valley relies on for water ---- and we're not the Rainbow Valley.
Granite told us our area's noise level already exceeds the county's noise standard (readings taken from a sound receptor three miles away) and that's why they need a "Noise Ordinance Exemption." Now the new application admits our area would be impacted by their noise. Hey, I thought the certified EIR had no faults.
We were told the quarry won't impact our water table (elevation 1,260 feet). Yet the new application decreased the pit down 700 feet, (elevation 1,310) drawing into question Granite's previous EIR statement. Leeching of contaminates will still enter our ground water and along our seasonal stream feeding local wells. Extensions can come later as did with Granite's Rosemary's Mountain recently to level the mountain, though it still sits idle.
The EIR's geological maps are incorrect, our valley is not of granite. It's porous and fractures easily.
Granite touted that the quarry would generate massive revenues for Riverside County. It was discovered the tax revenues would benefit San Diego. Something the Planning Commission hearings uncovered. So why didn't Granite offer Riverside County an added incentive of $0.20 a ton from the start? What false delusions are enticing the county?
Granite states the aggregate would be mainly for San Diego County, saving truck miles and improving air quality, yet they've shown an interest in the Highway 91 interchange project up north. Loaded trucks, headed north, chug, chug.
The vetting of Granite's first application took a long time, which is now an excuse used for fast tracking. If Granite didn't do such slipshod work, it would have saved time. It took the community to uncover the truth.
Yet, the Riverside County Planning Department found the 8,500-page EIR with not one thing wrong. The Planning Commission on the other hand thought it was biased and the benefits didn't outweigh the negative impacts.
With so many negative aspects of the project, why would Supervisors John Tavaglione, John Benoit and Marion Ashley be poised to fast track it to avoid doing the EIR correctly? Why would our public watchdogs be so quick to push the public away like a banana republic? The California Environmental Quality Act desires input from local residents to uncover any facts the bean counters missed.
It reminds me of that Allstate television commercial where the burglars throw "Mr. Mayhem," the watchdog, a huge bone to distract him, while the burglars ransack the house. The watchdog says, "Thanks guys, you're swell."
Granite's new application is proof that the certified EIR was flawed and unjustly certified. "Too many unknowns," as Tavaglione put it, before he flip-flopped.
No comments:
Post a Comment