SCV Reader March 2016

8 • THE Reader
Canyon Country
Cemex Bill calls for re-opening of permitting process
Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R- Santa
Clarita, introduced AB 1986, which
would re-open the permitting process
of CEMEX’s proposed mega-mine.
CEMEX’s mega mine would be larger than
Irwindale and would wreak havoc on our environment
and quality of life,” stated Wilk.
“Our children and seniors won’t be able to
breath, our roads will be choked daily with
an additional 1,200 18-wheelers and the
mega-mine will soak up our most precious
resource, water. I’m committed to killing this
project.”
In 1990, the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) issued two 10-year contracts to mine
56-million tons of aggregate from a site near
Soledad Canyon Road and the 14 Freeway.
Through the years there have been a number
of owners, but the current owner is CEMEX.
Last August, under pressure from Rep.
Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, and California’s
two U.S. Senators, the BLM announced it had
canceled CEMEX’s Soledad Canyon mining
contracts. However, CEMEX has appealed
that decision and it could take as long as two
years to get a final adjudication.
Although a federal issue, there is a role for
the state to play in the permitting process of
the mega mine. Back in 1991, CEMEX’s predecessor-in-interest
(Transit Mix Concrete)
filed an application with the California State
Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) for
a water appropriation permit. The application
requested 322 acre-feet of water per
year from the Santa Clara River for use related
to mining and industrial operations.
Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R- Santa Clarita, introduced AB 1986, which would re-open the permitting process
of CeMeX’s proposed mega-mine.
Under current law, the administrative
process allows for a protest period and the
SWRCB is required to hold a hearing as long
as a protest remains unresolved or there is a
disputed material fact.
No hearing was held and the SWRCB has
essentially suspended activity on the application,
although the status of the application
is still considered active.
Existing law requires the publication of a
notice of application to appropriate water
and requires protest to be filed within a certain
period of time after publication of a notice
of application.
AB 1986 would amend the water code to
require the publication of a new notice of application
if the SWRCB has not rendered a
final determination on an application within
20 years from its original filing date. The
new notice would re-open the protest period
and any other administrative processes, as if
it were being undertaken for the first time.
Wilk declared, “I’m hopeful that our community
will prevail at the federal level to kill
this ill-conceived project. AB 1986 is a ‘Plan
B’ that would allow us to make the case with
state regulators on why this mega mine doesn’t
work in our community.”
March 2016
Alleged car thief Josue hernandez was found stuck
in a storm drain in the 1800 block of Walnut Springs
Avenue, after being chased by an off-duty Ventura
County sheriff's deputy. hernandez was arrested
after being extricated by firefighters.
Alleged Canyon
Country car thief
found in storm drain
Aman who fled from a deputy in Canyon
Country after allegedly trying to steal
a car was found stuck in a storm drain
and later arrested according to Lt. Derek
Sabatini with the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station.
The alleged thief was spotted by an offduty
Ventura County sheriff's deputy attempting
to steal a vehicle in the 1800 block
of Goodvale Road, Sabatini Said.
The man fled and the deputy chased after
him, only to find him stuck in a storm drain
in the 2700 block of Walnut Springs Avenue.
The suspect, identified as Josue Hernandez,
was extricated out of the drain by firefighters
and then arrested.