FACT: That is false. Opponents imply in their slick videos that quarries make the winter inversion worse, but they leave out some inconvenient facts. For one, during winter there is far less demand for aggregate as construction generally slows down. Also, quarries during the winter, if not covered by snow, generate almost zero dust due to ground moisture.

In warmer weather, no chemicals are used to process aggregate, so no additional air quality problems result. Dust is mitigated and any dust particles generated pose no significant health risk, nor do they add to existing air quality problems.

 Emissions from heavy equipment and trucks from the new quarry will be fairly static, since equipment now operating at other sites will simply shift to the new mine.

FACT: Reality check – the way a new quarry could do the most harm is to locate it a hundred miles or more away from where its products are needed – like our opponents would prefer. Every mile of transport adds wear and tear to the roads and more particulate emissions to the air, not to mention greater costs. We will require the aggregate products no matter what – the closer we can keep production to actual construction use, the more beneficial economically and environmentally.

FACT: Pristine? Maybe if you ignore the fact that the canyon is home to a major multi-lane Interstate Freeway carrying over 60,000 vehicles daily.

 Within three miles from our quarry site, we find a decommissioned gun range, an active law enforcement gun range, a wedding reception center, an existing quarry, dozens of exclusive cabins, a large UDOT installation alongside a 36-hole golf course, a dam and reservoir. And from Parley’s Summit on, the area is fully developed residentially and commercially.

FACT: That is false. A quick internet search brings up the following: “Any person responsible for construction or maintenance of any existing road or having a right-of-way easement or possessing the right to use a road shall minimize fugitive dust to the maximum extent possible.” We agree with that, our regulators will insist on it, and we have the plans, the means and technology to make it so.

FACT: That is false. While gravel pits obviously do produce dust, the size and chemical composition of the dust particles have been shown not to pose a significant health risk or contribute to existing air quality problems.

 Natural crustal fugitive dust is recognized by US EPA to be hazardous only at elevated concentrations above 150 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m 3 ) of air averaged on a daily basis as PM 10 . EPA has determined that only PM10 and smaller particles need be regulated to protect human health.  EPA has concurred with Utah that west desert windstorms are exceptional events and infeasible to control. The amount of dust that gravel pits may contribute during windstorms is tiny, given the quantity already airborne from such a storm.

 The quarry site is separated from the Mt. Aire gated cabin development by a major mountain ridge. Only under the most extreme conditions could our dust ever reach that gated community in any any measurable amount, as documented scientifically in our permit applications.

FACT: That is false. The chemical composition of particles is an important factor consider when assessing potential health and cancer risks. Limestone consists primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which is associated with low levels of quartz and thus very little respirable crystalline silica.

 As part of the permitting process, a health risk assessment assuming total amounts of metals that may be present (i.e., as opposed to much smaller amounts that are bioavailable) was performed, showing that health risk at nearby receptors would be minimal.

FACT: That is false. Blasting is strictly regulated. The site is surrounded by an engineered buffer area, and blasting will occur only in the interior of the project area, controlled by carefully designed blasting patterns and sequencing.

 Plus, a major mountain ridge separates the cabins from our quarry site.

Several Utah quarries located in or near urban areas conduct blasting operations within a thousand feet of occupied residential housing, without adverse events. And that is without a major mountain ridge between the dwellings and the quarry.

FACT: That is false. No chemical processing is used in aggregate production. That means no waste dumps, leach pads, evaporation ponds or hazardous stockpiles. In addition, all the material produced at the quarry is marketable and will be sold as basic construction materials, or set aside as part of the future site reclamation. There are no naturally occurring deleterious or acid-forming materials on the site, thus no toxic tailings or outflows.

FACT: That is false. Site reclamation will be designed in from the very start. This will include the redistribution of stored topsoil and the seeding and vegetating of the area with native plant species. Adequate bonding for reclamation, regulated by DOGM, will be in place prior to mining.

FACT: That is false. The proposed mine poses no risk to the water supply. Based on a technical review and analysis of relevant geochemical data water quality data, it will comply with applicable water quality criteria. The mine site is also well downstream from any reservoir tied into a potable water system.

Current testing already shows potentially hazardous human bio-contamination of Parley’s Creek, which has yet to be properly addressed by authorities.

FACT: That is false. There is no reason to assume increased fire danger due to the quarry. That has not been the case for other quarries. In reality, having the area under constant observation, developing a fire control strategy, and having trained personnel and suppression equipment on site will likely improve the fire situation.

FACT:  The proposed mine directly addresses a major economic need for more locally sited and permitted aggregate production facilities to meet and accommodate growth.

 The quarry’s proximity to urban construction projects will reduce, not increase, vehicle and other emissions.

FACT: State and federal authorities have invested millions in game control fences up and down the canyon wherever large animals might try to migrate. The fences and other measures have had reasonable success. It can be argued that the presence of the quarry will divert larger wildlife away from the highway without depriving them of significant habitable space. A comprehensive report on the site shows impact to wildlife and habitat would be negligible.

FACT: That is false. The land in question is privately owned and inaccessible. There are no recreational opportunities to be lost.

FACT: The mine is well separated from Mt. Aire by a major mountain ridge. The mine will not be visible from Mt. Aire through the ridge.  Mt. Aire residents are more likely to hear the nearby six-lane freeway than to hear the mine during normal operations.

FACT: That is false. The existing parking area at Exit 132 is on UDOT Right of Way and does not belong to cabin owners. The adjoining private properties hold historical land rights to improve and maintain UDOT ROW from the interchange to those properties along I-80.  Access rights were specified by Federal and State authorities back when US 40 became I-80, to replace previous access points that were eliminated.

It is true that Mt. Aire residents may be displaced by losing access to winter parking on land they do not own, but that arrangement was merely a courtesy and never permanent.

FACT: Opponents may not say this out loud, but they imply such at every turn. DOGM, DEQ, DAG and other regulatory agencies are made up of dedicated professionals who work every day to protect the health and environment of Utah. Our economy cannot shut down at the whim of radical opponents or self-interested neighbors. Utah’s business climate, growth and quality of life are testament to the good work done by state regulators.

FACT: Salt Lake County did pass a measure intended to retroactively rezone the private land in question, which is highly questionable from a legal standpoint. Prior to that, designation as FR-20 allowed for mineral extraction on private land. The clear intent of the Legislature in recent years has been to protect mineral and other resource rights from local zoning encroachment.

While that matter may have to be resolved via taxpayer-funded litigation, legal precedent clearly favors private property and mineral rights.

FACT: That is false. At no time will the quarry be 1/3 the size of the Kennecott pit, nor anything close to it, as the opposition knows perfectly well.

FACT: That is false. It is more misinformation typical of the opposition. Actual acreage of the Kilgore mine is not 11 acres as they claim, it is over 90 acres. Just as Kilgore’s operation directly involve only a portion of the overall parcel, so will be the case with the I-80 South Quarry. Our mine is also well away from the highway and will be far less conspicuous to passersby.

FACT: 140 trucks per day will create minimal disruption on I-80, given that 60,000 vehicles travel the route each day. It is also likely that net truck traffic on Wasatch Front highways will increase very little if at all.

FACT: No historical sites or monuments lie within the mine area. Only owners of those exclusive cabins and their guests are allowed past the locked gate to see Mt. Aire landmarks.

FACT:  Granite Construction has a solid reputation as a quarry operator and for cooperating with its neighbors in busy areas. That particular 2004 court decision was decided on issues unrelated to the proposed project.