Azusa’s “SAVE OUR CANYON” Presents to a Packed Duarte City Council Meeting on March 23; Azusa Public Hearing Set for April 19

“Save Our Canyon”; a growing grass roots group of Azusa residents strongly opposed to the proposed Vulcan Expansion plan delivered its hard hitting power point presentation succinctly examining the inaccuracies of the proposed mining plan and its draft environmental impact report (DEIR) at the March 23 Duarte City Council meeting.

The Duarte City Council invited Save Our Canyon to speak as part of an ongoing campaign to inform residents and others in the San Gabriel Valley about the Vulcan expansion plan’s heavily flawed Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) as well as its concerns regarding the DEIR review process in general. The Azusa City Council will conduct its first public hearing on the controversial matter on April 19 at 6:30 p.m. and could vote on the plan as soon as that evening.

Over 200 persons including representatives from the City of Hope and Santa Teresita Hospital listened to the 45-minute presentation that dissected the plan into three main discussions involving tonnage, reclamation and health issues.

Richard Deem, and Xilonin Cruz-Gonzales, co-founders Save Our Canyon, conducted the “tag team” presentation with Deem focusing on tonnage inaccuracies and unsubstantiated reclamation claims with Cruz-Gonzalez emphasizing health concerns. Specifically in the area of tonnage, Deem presented a host of visuals that discredited Vulcan’s claim that it is an acre for acre swap yielding similar amounts of rock from each side. Instead, he presented information illustrating that the east side has already been disturbed by approximately 20% thus, the swap really nets Vulcan a full 80 acres on the west side as opposed to just 60 acres on the east side. He also noted the discrepancy in the amount of rock that will be mined between the current DEIR reporting that 105 million tons will be extracted through 2038 versus 125 million, which was originally reported by the City of Azusa in 2005 through its Greystone Report.

Cruz-Gonzalez spent the majority of her time focusing on how the current DEIR does not properly address the air quality impacts of the removal of the Van Tassel Ridge causing an increase flow of pm10 and silica particles directly into Duarte plus, how the 450% increase in mining will also dramatically increase the use of heavy equipment and diesel trucks in and around the facility.

Prior to the presentation, City Manager Darrell George read a statement authorized by the Duarte City Council concerning the Azusa Rock Quarry mine expansion project. This statement, (available in its entirety as a link to this article) was in response to a number of newspaper articles that have made reference to a confidential letter from the City of Duarte to the City of Azusa.

“This letter, a byproduct of the dialog initiated by Azusa, was part of a larger effort by Duarte staff to identify potential ways to mitigate the impacts of the Vulcan mine expansion project, if that project must go forward,” said George. “The City of Azusa, after initiating the discussion in the first place, rejected the concepts put forth by the City of Duarte and offered nothing in their place. At this point, we will take whatever action is necessary, including litigation, to ensure that our city and our residents are protected,” he said.

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.

Vulcan Materials Company, which has a permit from the City of Azusa to mine 190 acres of its 270 acre property, is seeking approval to move its mining operations from the currently approved 80 acres on the east side of its property to 80 acres on the west above Duarte. If the Azusa City Council approves the plan Vulcan has pledged to immediately begin reclamation work, using a new micro-benching technique on already mined out areas. If the city rejects the plan, Vulcan said it will delay reclamation work until the end of its current agreement in 2038.

As further incentive to approve the plan, a draft development agreement proposes in part that Vulcan will pay $1.5 million in advance mining taxes to the City of Azusa within 30 days of approval, and $500,000 annually in mining taxes regardless of how much material is mined. According to Azusa public records obtained by Save Our Canyon, Vulcan has paid a total of only $44,000 in mining taxes to the City of Azusa in the past eight years, while Cemex, another company doing mining in Azusa paid $5.7 million in mining taxes over the same time period.

Both Duarte and Azusa residents are concerned about the potential risk to public health if Vulcan is allowed to expand mining. Of utmost concern is the danger of increased emissions of crystalline silica dust from the 105 million tons of rock proposed to be mined over the next 28 years in close proximity to thousands of residences and just 3,300 feet from the schoolyard of Valley View elementary school.

In response to this, both the City of Duarte and Assemblyman Anthony Portantino have arranged for officials from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) to address residents’ health concerns about the mining dust and discuss resuming air quality monitoring in the City of Duarte at a Town Hall meeting in Duarte on April 8. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Duarte Community Center, 1600 Huntington Dr. The public-at-large is invited to attend the meeting.

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.

Letters to the editor: Standing together
Letter to the editor: What about Glendora?
Azusa City Manager questions Duarte's motives, credibility regarding mining proposal
City Manager Darrell George's Statement
Vulcan Hasn't Kept Promises
San Gabriel Mining Proposal Upsets Residents, March 18, 2010, ABC Local
Azusa mining battle sounds familiar to old timers
Duarte Letter to Azusa City Council
Glendora Comment Letter
No major impact on air from Azusa mining, regulators say, February 28, 2010, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
AQMD Comment Letter
Antonovich Letter
Sierra Club Comments on EIR
Pasadena Star News Article by Mayor Margaret Finlay & Councilman John Fasana

Azusa Planning Commission agenda and documents (below)
PC Staff Report Final 2-24-10
ExhibitA-D
CUP Reso Final 2-24-10
EIR Reso - Final 2-24-10
Development Agreement Reso - Final 2-24-10
Development Agreement

Save Our Canyon Comments
Duarte City Official Comments on Vulcan EIR 80 pages, February 18, 2010
DUSD Resolution
Letter from Duarte Legal Counsel to Azusa
Letter from Congressmember Judy Chu
Material Safety Data Sheet on Vulcan
Air Quality Report
Vulcan News on www.dctvduarte.com
Letter to the Planning Commission February 2010
Portantino Support Letter February 2010
Impact to Mountain Aesthetics January 2010
Letter from Duarte Attorneys to Azusa Planning Commission January 13, 2010
Azusa Notice of Preparation EIR Letter May 12, 2009
Notice of Preparation Response Letter June 9, 2009
Notice of Draft EIR December 2009
Request Response to EIR December 2009
Report Outlines Azusa Mining Impacts on Duarte, December 23,2009, Pasadena Star News

Azusa City Politics and Dust from the San Gabriels San Gabriel Valley Tribune June 29, 2009
City of Azusa Response to San Gabriel Valley Tribune Article June 30, 2009