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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFW_ _External_ _Mining Permit 92-10_ My concerns regarding Wake Stone's permitJohnson, Robert E From: Sams, Dan Sent: Friday, July 17, 2020 1:32 PM To: NCMiningProgram Subject: FW: [External] [Mining Permit 92-10] My concerns regarding Wake Stone's permit From: Henry Harvey [mailto:info@sg.actionnetwork.org] Sent: Friday, July 17, 2020 12:15 PM To: Sams, Dan <dan.sams@ncdenr.gov> Subject: [External] [Mining Permit 92-10] My concerns regarding Wake Stone's permit l wish to express my concerns about the proposed expansion of Wake Stone's Tidaii Quarry operations Iboirdeirliing Uimstead State Park. l aim opposed to the present operation and any expansion thereof, IprimairHy at this fime for the following reasons: 1. PairticUlate air Ipolllution 2. IL.aclk of airchae6logllcall assessments 3. IL.lilke rubbing salt llin socioeconomic einviroinimeii llinjustice wounds of Afdcain Ameidcaii Reedy Greek Iheirlitage 1. Air Pollution from Wake Stone Operations & Health Despite Ilainguage llin past Ipeirrnitting documents iregairdlling the control) of fline particle air Ipolllution from the miii and traii operations ("The �probleim of dust formerly common to quarry operations has Ibeein totally overcome Iby spraylling moviing stoine with water"), l have irepeatedlly observed clouds of dust generated Iby trucks trav6llling the Wake Stone access road and Harrison Avenue Iby the Tiriaii Quarry eintraince. Over the last year or so, the access road has Ibeein more frequently ((but inot aWays) wetted to reduce dust, (but the stoine and stoine dust lladein trucks are apparently inot adequatelly wetted and at tunes I've seen clouds of dust 1 issue from the trucks from whein they turn onto Hairirisoin Avenue. And that section of the road and vehicles are the oii parts of the huge quarry operation that most Park visitoirs see. The Walke Stone operation, which l have inot visited, wound show ad6fioii dust cointallinirneint issues. One can view a YouTube showing the dust generated Iby a (blast at a Walke Stone quarry Iheire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwFFD7mGhzq It is inot credble to assume that aM this dust stops at the quarry boundary. PairticUlate Ipollllutioin uindoubtedlly dii from the Walke Stone site llinto the Park. Particle levels llin the Park depend on quarry operations, wind speed and wind 6rection, airnoing other factors. 1But without air qualkty rinoii within the Park, oine can oii speculate as to levels of the Quarry's airborne Iparticullates within the Park. What does the "dust" coii Respirable crystalkkine sflkca is oine common byproduct of quarry operations and is a Ikinowin to cause Ruing cairciii sflkicosis, COPD, and Ikidiney disease accor61ng to OSHA. So the Tidaii Quarry operation is generating Ikinowin toxic dust which then drifts llinto the Park wheire rinainy people are vigorously exercising (iruinii Ibriislk waflking, (Milking the NIlIkly teiri4lii bilking). Heavy exercise llincludes Ibreatlhliing deeply �linto the Iluings, and the daingeirs of liinlhallliin ; fline Ipairticles (PM2.5) are welkl Ikinowin. The U.S. Einviroinirineii Protection Agency (EPA) issues guidaince to avoid exercising or even avoid speii time outside during high pairticUlate Ipolllutloin Ipeir9iods (e.g., EPA MrNow). 1But without cointiii operating air qualkty rinoii llin the Park, the dose of quarry generated pairticUlate exposure to Park users is unknown. l don't tNlinlk from a health standpoint that it's reasonable to move forward on issuiling a Ipeirmit uii the air p6lilutaint levels within Uirnstead from Ipreseint quarry operations are �betteir understood. 2. Need for Archaeological Assessments l have seen ino reports of airchaeobgllcall assessments of the proposed quarry expansion. l Ikinow that theire is a smalkl Ilalke off the Ibeatein Ipatlh and i Crabtree Creelk that Mkl Ibe destroyed Iby the (project and aim concerned that Nistoiricall and airchaeologicall settlements existing liin or around that Ilalke Mkl Ibe lost. 3. Salt liin the Wounds of Past Einviiroinirneintall Socioeconomic Injustices? Urnstead State Park and some Ilaind formerly Ibelloinglling to the Park that is inow Ipairt of the (proposed quarry expainsion, was oince segregated liinto two separate Ipairks for use Iby whites and Nacks; the Iblaclk section ("Reedy Greek State Park") Ibeliing the southern Ipairt Iboirdeirriing what inow is the Walke Stone quarry. Possibly as a result of diseinfrainchiseirneint of Iblaclks hiving oin the Reedy Creelk State Park side at the time, Ipairt of that Park was transferred to the RDUAA liin 1958. It wasin't for another decade w1hein the Ibllaclk and wNlte Ipairks were uinllted as Urnstead State Park as we Ikinow it today. 1But, consistent with siting undesirable Bindustrial operations inear more socioecoinomicaEly deprived commu6ifies of the day, Walke Stone's quarry was approved 15 years later oin a site adjoining t1his formerly Iblaclk segregated Ipairk, just 400 yards from the IpopWair Ipicnlic and tral!lIlhead areas. Today, as we as a society are still strugglhling to understand einviiroinirneintall socioecoinomic liinjustices, fuirtlheir expainsion of the quarry liin t1his culturally and IhlistorlicalHy sig16lficaint area seems a fuirtlheir liinsullt to the Afrrlcain Ameirrlcain commu16lty's Iheirritage. Thank you for your coin sid eiration of my concerns. Heiniry Harvey pinellasCaD_protonmail.com 103 Cuini6linglhaim Ct Cary, North Cairohina 27511 3