Nature Coast Conservation, Inc. Neighbors Against Mining Project

Nature Coast Conservation, Inc.

Neighbors Against Mining Project

222 East Liberty Street

Brooksville, FL 34601

www.neighborsagainstmining.org

[e-mail]

Public Opposition to the Proposed CEMEX Comprehensive Land Use Plan Amendment to Allow Mining
The public comment record contains more than 1000 pages of written public comments and studies that have been submitted since the second CEMEX application was filed in 2014. Not one comment has been filed in support of this application.
In addition, there is the verbal testimony of 27 individuals took the time to attend and speak out against this proposal at the Hernando County Planning Commission meeting in July, 2014, and the 35 individuals who attended and spoke out against it at the December 9th , 2014 Hernando County Commission meeting. Only a handful of speakers spoke in support of the project, most of them CEMEX employees, who were paid to pack the room during the hearings. Each hearing took upwards of four hours.

The record of public opposition can be summarized as follows:

1. Statements of experts:

Hydrogeologist Noah Kugler of H20Geosolutions

Dr. Philip van Beynen of the USF Department of Geography/Environmental Science & Policy Program

Dennis Clark, Engineer of Mines, Strawberry Plains, Tennessee

Former Hernando County Planning Chairman Robert Widmar

Barret Bassick, sound engineer

2. Statements of opposition by organizations:

Alyce Walker, Trustee, African American Spring Hill Cemetery Association, Inc.

Sierra Club Tampa Bay and Suncoast Chapters

Gulf Restoration Network

Florida Osteopathic Medical Association

Unitarian Universalist Church in the Pines, Brooksville, FL

Democratic Women’s Club of Hernando County

Hernando Green Party

Nature Coast Action Team, Inc.

Nature Coast Conservation, Neighbors Against Mining Project

3. Individuals & Businesses Opposed:

Linda Welker, co-author, Hernando Epitaphs: Cemeteries and Memorials of Hernando County, Florida

Jan Kalnback co –author, Hernando Epitaphs: Cemeteries and Memorials of Hernando County, Florida

Viennessee Black, descendent of many buried at African American Spring Hill Cemetery

Jon Yeager, Archeology Chair, Historic Hernando Preservation Society speaking as an individual

Dr. Karen Wunderlich, Physician, Brooksville

Dr. Mark Hamil, Physician, Brooksville

Dr. Mark Yacht, Physician and former public health officer

Cynthia Dietrich, retired registered nurse, Brooksville, FL

Karen Doulin, retired registered nurse, Brooksville, FL

Cathy Mercogliano, Great Stuff Resale Shop, Brooksville, FL

Dave Curtis, Brooksville Computer

Sunstate Roofing

Robert & Steve Mc Gladler, Frontier Campground, Frontier Mobile Park & Frontier Auto Sales, Cortez Blvd.

Carol Archambeault, realtor, resident, Spring Hill

Diane Goode, owner of family property for generations--13.2 acres on Cortez Blvd. near CEMEX parcel

Nancy Goode, family has owned property near CEMEX parcel for many generations

Jill Graddy, owner 42 acres of longterm family property near CEMEX parcel, retired real estate broker, resident

Steven Wisenbaker, resident & owner of property in family for 83 years, near CEMEX parcel

Evelyn Pijanowski, resident & rental property owner of three properties on Cortez Blvd near CEMEX parcel

Diane Oriza, resident Sam C Road near CEMEX parcel with home office as securities analyst

Anita Stewart, owner, Wise Women Media, veteran, resident, member Hillsborough Soil & Water Board

Dennis Henize, resident, Brooksville, member Hernando-Citrus MPO Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee

Mary Ellen Urban, resident, Fort Dade Avenue

Judith L Smith, resident, Fort Dade Avenue

Rosemarie Grubba, resident, Brooksville

Gwen Bassick, resident, Brooksville

Gary Sechen and Wynn Miller, residents Brooksville

DeeVon Quirolo, resident Brooksville

Debra Holbrook, resident, Peach Orchard Estates near current mining

Jean Cross, resident, Brooksville near CEMEX parcel

Tina Henize, resident, Brooksville

Margaret Quinones, resident near CEMEX parcel

Raquel Cooper, resident near CEMEX parcel

Mary Ann Stanley, resident, Brooksville

Elaine Coyle, resident and hospital volunteer, Brooksville

Jerry Bosworth, resident, Brooksville

Joe Lemieux, resident, Spring Hill

Patricia Skeel, resident, Brooksville

Barbara & Stephen Lashbrook, residents, Brooksville

Katie Leonard, works across the street from CEMEX parcel, lives in Spring Hill

Mary Metzger, resident, Weeki Wachee

And many others since the December 9^th hearing.
4. Petitions:

A petition opposing the CEMEX mine proposal signed by 1,169 people was presented at the Dec. 9th county commission meeting and submitted into the record. Of these, 815 are residents of Brooksville. Several hundred more petitions have been signed since that December meeting and will be presented at the next meeting.

5. Individual Letters of Immediate Residents of the Proposed Mine: A total of 182 residents in the immediate area of the new mine have signed individual letters asking the commission to vote no on this amendment because it violates their residential zoning and the quiet enjoyment of their property in this residential area.
6. Numerous studies:

Many speakers documented their statements by submitting credible professional studies to rebut statements made by CEMEX. Some of the studies are:

• Economic Impact of Mining on Levy County,Florida A Strategic View by Richard Weisskoff, PhD, Economist

• Assessment of the Economic Impact of the Proposed Stoneco Gravel Mine Operations on Richland Township by George A. Erickcek

• The Impact of Surface Coal Mining on Residential Property Values: A Hedonic Price Analysis by Austin Williams

• Property Valuation Model Effect of Traffic Noise on Property Value by Mahmoud El-Gohay

• Potential Environmental Impacts of Quarrying Stone in Karst-A Literature Review, U.S. Geologic Survey

• Prospects for Southeast Lee County, “Limerock Production and Demand” prepared by Dover, Kohl and Partners

• Community Health Improvement Plan Hernando County Sept 2012 by WellFlorida Council

• Health Effects of Overexposure to Respirable Silica Dust by Jay Colinet, Office of Mine Safety &Health Research

• Vital and Health Statistics: Summary Health Statistics for US Adults: National Health Survey 2012, US Health & Human Services, Center for Disease Control & Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics

• County Health Rankings and Roadmaps 2014, Florida Charts, County Health Status Summary Hernando County

• Relative Contamination Potential Upper Floridan Aquifer, by Florida Geologic Survey

• CEMEX South Brooksville Plant Violations provided by Florida Department of Environmental Protection

• Exhibit 17: Revised Old Spring Hill APO showing location of Historic Spring Hill Cemetery

7. Extensive Media coverage: Media coverage of this issue has been ongoing including Baynews 9, Fox News, Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Times and local news outlets and online news services. The Tampa Bay Times has published four editorials recommending denial of this application because it is a bad deal for Hernando County.

Neighbors Against Mining has an active facebook page where many comments in opposition have been posted. Other facebook pages that have extensive discussion of the mining opposition include: Spring Hill, Save Hernando County from Ignorance, Hernando Phoenix, Florida Newsflash, Hernando Sun, Hernando County Democrats and others.
8. Neighbors Against Mining has made presentations to dozens of local civic groups over the past year. There is broad public opposition to this project.
April 10, 2015

For more information, contact DeeVon Quirolo, President, Nature Coast Conservation at [e-mail] or 352 277-3330.