Wild West
August 1, 2011 By: Pit & Quarry StaffCalifornia’s Office of Mine Reclamation (OMR) is threatening to stop Lehigh Southwest Cement Co.’s Permanente Quarry from selling material to government agencies, and the clock is ticking. In a letter dated July 20, the Cupertino company was handed a 30-day notice that it must comply with state reclamation regulations or be taken off the AB 3098 List. Quarries on this list can sell mined materials to governments but must have approved reclamation plans and the financial assurances that they can cover the associated costs. Lehigh’s violations include the instability of pit slopes as well as surface mining operations occurring outside an approved reclamation boundary, which should have been addressed by December 2007, the letter states. Lehigh must correct these violations to comply with the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975. Lehigh has been working with the Santa Clara County planning department, the lead agency on the issue, and said it’s in full compliance with the law, according to an article in the Los Altos Patch. We probably haven’t heard the last on this West Coast dispute. – Brian Richesson
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