Court to Decide on Gravel Mine Project

A decision by a federal judge in Los Angeles is expected today on a consent decree that would allow a Mexican concrete company to build a gravel mine near Santa Clarita.

Long opposed to the project, the city of Santa Clarita recently won the right to intervene in a lawsuit that the company, Cemex Inc., brought against Los Angeles County after the Board of Supervisors blocked the project in February 2002. City officials are planning a protest outside the Roybal Federal Building at 10 a.m., when U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian is expected to consider the consent decree.

The proposed settlement was reached by Cemex, Los Angeles County and the federal government, which granted the concrete company the mineral rights to the property just east of the Santa Clarita city limits.

Opponents of the project, which could produce 56.1 tons of sand and gravel over the life of the mine, have criticized the terms of the decree for allegedly failing to protect the environment.

But Cemex officials say the decree represents a true compromise with the county. In it, the company promises to address a number of environmental concerns raised by opponents, including limiting hours of operation, widening a two-lane road leading to the site and closing the mine during serious smog alerts.

City officials have said they would appeal any ruling that approves of the plan.