Duarte Mayor Finlay and Councilman John Fasana Address Azusa Council on “Facts and Speculation” in Vulcan Mining Expansion Discourse

On April 19, the Azusa City Council will begin its public hearing on the Vulcan Materials Environmental Impact Report concerning a mining expansion plan. A vote on the matter could come as early as that evening. In the meantime, Azusa and Duarte residents are continuing to speak out on the issue and some got a jumpstart at making their views known to the Azusa City Council at its April 5 meeting, among them Duarte Mayor Margaret Finlay and Councilman John Fasana.

Over the past couple of weeks, in various newspaper reports, Azusa has accused Duarte of seeking secret settlement agreements with Azusa and Vulcan.

“I want to talk to you about facts and speculation tonight,” said Finlay. “First fact, Duarte is opposed to this project,” she said.

Finlay told the Azusa Council that “it was the Azusa City Attorney who requested a meeting with Duarte and Vulcan on Oct. 1, 2009 to discuss negotiations.” Finlay said Duarte responded to the City of Azusa’s request to negotiate with four fundamental components:

• Mitigation to Duarte’s satisfaction.
• Land use control, allowing the City of Duarte to take jurisdiction and control over the properties surrounding the Azusa Rock Quarry “to ensure that Duarte residents are in the future protected against the type of disregard of their environment, their quality of life and their property values that is embedded in the mine expansion proposal”.
• Protect the public amenities of Fish Canyon Falls.
• Establish a community facilities fund of $500,000 a year for the extent of the mining, for the benefit of the public that could possibly be used to purchase land for open space.

“In our view that amount would not nearly compensate for environmental and other damages that would be caused by the expansion project,” said Councilman John Fasana, in addressing the Azusa Council.

“When you look at the thousands of people in Duarte that will be affected, the amount is extremely minimal given the long term and permanent scars that would be put forward.

In his remarks to the Azusa Council, Fasana also took issue with a recent story in the Pasadena Star News, in which Azusa City Manager, Fran Delatch, was quoted as saying “we believe that Duarte representatives have initiated secret negotiations with Vulcan Materials and have asked for money in return for removing their opposition to the project”.

Fasana said, “The implication in the Star News is that is the case. That is not what has happened. As the mayor has already indicated, Azusa asked Duarte to commence settlement discussions.”

As to the accusation that Duarte has not been forthcoming with documents requested by the City of Azusa, Fasana stated, “Duarte has produced information in the same manner and on the same time frame as has been used by your city. Azusa withheld attorney/client privilege documents from the materials that have been produced for Duarte and Duarte never said it was improper,” he said.

Duarte residents Ronnie Blackburn and Michael Paisner reminded Azusa Mayor Joe Rocha and Councilmembers Robert Gonzales, Uriel Macias, and Angel Carrillo that they are on record as being against an expansion by Vulcan. Their comments were recorded during a 2007 Candidates Forum when they were running for election. The video is still available on YouTube.

Paisner, an engineer and former certified safety professional who has performed testing of exposure to airborne hazards, criticized the EIR for, among other things, “failing to include results of the air monitoring performed at Royal Oaks Elementary School that clearly shows that particulate matter of 2.5 and particulate matter 10, and annual exposure already exceed California EPA limits. Most disturbing of all is that the EIR is no way impartial but is clearly a marketing document promoting Vulcan’s proposal, as Lilburn [the mining consultant hired by Azusa] has publicly admitted, based on data developed by Vulcan or consultants paid by Vulcan,” he said.

The Azusa City Council also heard from several Azusa residents including Emilio Sanchez, a Citrus College student studying forestry and wildlife resources.

“This proposal will destroy untouched land and it will also significantly contribute to the already polluted air in the Los Angeles basin and the San Gabriel Valley. These mountains represent the San Gabriel Valley, especially Azusa, the Canyon City. Have respect for the beauty and history of our mountains. Vulcan does not have the right to destroy for the next generation,” said Sanchez.

Vulcan Materials Company currently has a permit from the City of Azusa to mine 190 acres of its 270 acre property. It is seeking approval to move its mining operations from 80 partially disturbed acres on the east side of Fish Creek to 80 pristine acres on the west side of Fish Creek immediately above Duarte.

If Azusa approves the plan, Vulcan has pledged to immediately begin reclamation work, using a new microbenching technique on already mined out areas. The much touted microbenching technique has to date, not been utilized by Vulcan at any of its facilities with the exception of a small demonstration project at Azusa Rock primarily encased in soil, not rock.

If the Azusa City Council rejects the plan, Vulcan has threatened to sue the City of Azusa and delay reclamation work until 2038.

In 2008, the Duarte City Council established a $700,000 fund entitled the “Fight Against Vulcan Expansion” fund (FAVE) in response to the anticipated expansion plans by Vulcan and its potential adverse impact on Duarte residents.

For more information about the City of Duarte’s Fight Against Vulcan Expansion activities, call Duarte Deputy City Manager, Karen Herrera at (626) 357-7931, ext. 221.