Senate Bill 759, by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., would resolve a 12-year dispute over a proposed Cemex sand and gravel mine in Soledad Canyon. Just outside the burgeoning city of Santa Clarita, Calif., the proposed 56-million-ton mine would cause unacceptable environmental and quality-of-life impacts for nearby residents, diminishing air quality and adding up to 1,164 daily large truck trips to local roads and freeways in the Los Angeles area. S759 presents an amicable resolution to the issue: Cemex and the City of Santa Clarita reached a truce in 2007 and agreed to seek a mutually agreeable solution. Under S759, the Cemex mining contracts would be canceled and Cemex would be compensated through the sale of federal lands near Victorville, Calif., that are currently on the Bureau of Land Management's "Disposal List." The bill would add no costs to the federal budget and would not add to the deficit.
We, the undersigned, urge the expedient passage of S759 (Boxer), the Soledad Canyon High Desert, California Public Lands Conservation and Management Act. This legislation would produce an amicable resolution to the lengthy dispute over a proposed Cemex USA mine in Soledad Canyon, California, and would protect residents and the local environment from the mine's unacceptable impacts.
Thank you for taking the time to review this petition. We appreciate your consideration.
