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Riverside County to begin public hearings over proposed strip mine
Granite Construction operations manager Gary Johnson at Rosemary Quarry near Temecula
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Steven Cuevas/KPCC
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Riverside County officials begin public hearings this month over a proposed strip mine near Temecula. County planning commissioners rejected the project last summer. Mine officials appealed the decision to the board of supervisors. The board will take the unusual step of holding the upcoming meetings at the Riverside Convention Center.
That’s because they expect hundreds of people to attend the first all-day meeting later this month. They’ve scheduled a second meeting for February.
The company behind the project, Granite Construction, is seeking a 75-year permit to blast and crush rock for use in cement and asphalt. It would chisel the quarry deep into the foothills above Temecula.
Hundreds of people spoke against the proposed Liberty Quarry during marathon planning commission hearings last year.
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Opponents claim that it would generate pollution and noise, and would threaten an ecological reserve and sacred Indian sites. Supporters believe the quarry would generate millions of dollars in tax revenue and dozens of high-paying jobs.
County planning commissioners voted 4-to-1 last year against granting key permits for the quarry, but the Riverside County Board of Supervisors will get the final say. Its first public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30.
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