Supervisors Continue Quarry Talks

Sonora, CA — The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing Tuesday regarding plans for a rock quarry near Jamestown.

The hearing lasted nearly three hours with numerous speakers, both in favor and in opposition of the project. Some Tuolumne County residents spoke about possible negative environmental impacts to the project.

Officials in Stanislaus County also voiced their concerns about possible pollution, emergency vehicle response times, environmental impacts and the increased amount of rail traffic going through their cities.

Stanislaus County Supervisor Bill O’Brien said, “First, your project will emit ten times the pollution than what is allowed in Stanislaus County. My residents will be breathing this higher level of pollution that sees no boundary between county lines. I’m concerned about the number of trains coming through the cities of Oakdale and Riverbank and the impact on Stanislaus County roads. This project gives Tuolumne County the benefits, but Stanislaus County the impacts.”

O’Brien asked the Tuolumne County Supervisors to conduct an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) study.

The Cooperstown Quarry, a project already recommended for approval by the Tuolumne County Planning Commission, would be located on around 280 acres in the southwest corner of the county. The property is owned by Jack and Tricia Gardella.

Because additional project information will need to be discussed and reviewed, the Tuolumne County Supervisors agreed to continue talks in a future meeting.

Public comment is closed. The board will meet Tuesday, April 5th at 1:30 pm in the Supervisors Chambers.

Written by tina.falco@mlode.com