Today there is a battle that is being waged in Southwest Riverside County; an industry giant, Granite Construction, is attempting to obtain permits to quarry a 311 acre site to meet the growing need for aggregate in Southern California. The residents of several communities are committed to keeping the quarry from opening due to potential health risk, the traffic the quarry will bring to the area and the severe impact the quarry will have on the natural environment.
Stewart A. Alexander
Views and News
January 31, 2007
Today there is a battle that is being waged in Southwest Riverside County; an industry giant, Granite Construction, is attempting to obtain permits to quarry a 311 acre site to meet the growing need for aggregate in Southern California. The residents of several communities are committed to keeping the quarry from opening due to potential health risk, the traffic the quarry will bring to the area and the severe impact the quarry will have on the natural environment.
Liberty Quarry will be one of the largest open surface mines in United States and will border North San Diego County and will be located on the southwest tip of Riverside County. The site will be adjacent to Rainbow, Fallbrook, Temecula, Murrieta and some unincorporated county areas. The populations of these communities are close to 250,000.
Liberty Quarry will also be next to a 4,300 acre nature ecological reserve that is operated by San Diego State University. There are many schools that are less than four miles down wind from the proposed site and opponents to the quarry say there are many reasons why the project is not right for the area.
The City of Temecula is prepared to take legal action to prevent the mine from opening until the greater voice of the community can be heard and to evaluate all the potential health risk. Most recently the Temecula City Council move forward with plans to annex 4,600 acres south of the city, where the quarry will operate, putting the city on the front lines in determining the destiny of the local communities.
The efforts of two grassroots organizations, Save Our Southwest Hills or SOS, and Rainbow Against the Quarry, have kept the pressure on local governments, the community and the press to prevent the opening of Liberty Quarry.
This area is the fastest growing area in the entire State of California and the potential health risk, from silica dust, is the greatest concern. Also the quarry will bring 1,500 trucks daily to the local freeways which will increase the air pollution in the area from diesel fuel.
Liberty Quarry will operate for 75 years; however the quarry will impact thousands of acres and the wild life in the area for thousands of years.
Granite Construction has chosen this site for the mine because it will help the company cut cost, and the company is quick to point out that the mine will generate over 0 million in tax revenues; however a greater cost will be paid by the communities, during operations and long after the project has been completed.
The City of Temecula has taken a giant step to protect life and the welfare of these local communities; however, that may not be enough. It is time for Governor Schwarzenegger to take action on behalf of the tens of thousands of concerned citizens that are doing their best to protect their families, their communities and their future.
For more information search the Web for Stewart A. Alexander; or Stewart Alexander: Liberty Quarry vs. Reason; and Alexander Declares War Against Liberty Quarry.
http://www.salt-g.com
stewartalexander4paf@ca.rr.com
Original: Schwarzenegger M.I.A. On Liberty Quarry