Sarah Atkins
seatkins05@gmail.com
“Our wildlife and communities are not for sale,” said Jeanne Miraglia at a public hearing last week on a controversial new mine.
Hosted by North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (DEMLR), the public hearing discussed Horizon 30’s controversial application for a permit to mine Carter Quarry in Poplar.
At the quarry, Horizon 30 is mining granite and limestone to supply building materials for railroads in the area. If granted, the permit would allow the mine to operate on 50.8 acres of land at a proposed depth of 550 feet.
Horizon 30 contacted DEMLR’s mining program in December, inquiring about mining permits and requirements in North Carolina. In January, DEMLR received reports of potential mining in Poplar, prompting the organization to initiate an investigation. DEMLR inspected the site on Feb. 7, and a Notice of Regulatory Requirement was sent to Horizon 30 in March, notifying them that their activity required a mining permit.
A partial permit application was submitted to DEMLR on April 11. On April 23, DEMLR conducted another inspection of the site and found that approximately 10 acres had been affected by mining operations. The operator was verbally instructed to cease mining operations and submit a permit application.
According to DEQ, DEMLR issued a Notice of Violation for mining without a permit to Horizon 30 on April 30 and again notified the operator to cease all mining activity. However, operations continued.
On May 27, DEMLR conducted a follow-up inspection and found that additional lands had been disturbed by mining operations. A Notice of Continuing Violation was issued by DEMLR to Horizon 30 on June 5, again instructing the operator to cease all mining activities.
This timeline of violations and unpermitted mining fueled frustration among community members who attended the July 29 hearing.
Commenters were asked to address one or more of the seven listed denial criteria, including violating state mining laws, harming groundwater supplies or wildlife, breaching state air or water quality standards and posing a serious safety risk to public health or property. Other criteria include negatively affecting public parks or recreation areas, being likely to cause sediment buildup or pollution based on past projects, or a history of uncorrected environmental violations.
Many commenters addressed these criteria in addition to sharing their testimonies of how Horizon 30’s mine has impacted their lives.
Trey Moore, who lives in Erwin, Tenn., runs a paddle sports instruction company and is chairman of the Nolichucky Outdoor Recreation Association. He described how he sees a large debris fan in the Nolichucky River when he paddles past Carter Quarry due to poor sediment control.
“The resource that I depend on — and I don’t just depend on it economically, but I depend on it emotionally — is getting hammered. And to the people that are supposed to protect it, we’re asking for your help,” said Moore.
Air quality was also a concern.
“Since this has happened, we don’t want our kids to go outside,” said Ryan Forbes, a Poplar community resident. “As we go outside, we get grit in our teeth from this mine, and we have to spit the grit out of our mouths.”
In one of the strongest calls of the evening, Patrick Hunter, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, urged DEMLR to consider bringing criminal charges against the mine operators for their willful violation of North Carolina law.
Horizon 30 made no comment at the public hearing.
The hearing marked the beginning of a 30-day review clock on Horizon 30’s permit application. The hearing record for public comments will remain open through this Friday, Aug. 8.
Written comments may be sent by email to mike.macintyre@deq.nc.gov or ncminingprogram@ncdenr.gov before the Friday deadline. They can also be mailed to the DEQ’s regional office in Mooresville. That address is 610 E Center Ave #301, Mooresville, NC 28115.