Asphalt plant fact sheet misleading

Letter to the Editor

The Valley Springs News, Friday August 7, 2015

Editor:

The asphalt plant proponents’ July 28 “Fact Sheet” is not all facts. Some “facts” are incorrect, some are opinion, others are supposition (without proof), speculation (theoretical), or conjecture (guessing).

The Hot Mix Asphalt Plant is not a “Batch” plant. CB Asphalt’s description is, “Drum Mix Asphalt Concrete Hot Plant” which is “gradually replacing batch mix plants” (pg. 23 of the Air Pollution Control District July 23 Engineering Evaluation).

Job claims of “up to 25 new jobs on site and 300 trucking jobs” are supposition, just as the supervisor’s email “potential to employ 10 plus full time employees from this county” was speculation.

Talk about an “enclosed system” to control fumes confuses and misleads people. The asphalt truck loading area is not enclosed; and asphalt trucks are not enclosed or covered. Residents will be able to smell odors and emissions from trucks.

“Truck traffic will flow…not by any residential areas” is blatantly untrue, as local residents can attest.

Claims of “less than 3 additional trucks per operating day” are doubtful. No information has been provided on existing aggregate production volume or existing truck traffic, so there is no basis for “maximum additional.” The quarry will continue to sell rock to whoever needs it, in addition to using rock for asphalt. Using data supplied by the applicants, there is an annual potential for 10,000 trucks to haul asphalt, 600+ trucks to import liquid asphalt cement, and 2,300 trucks needed to import RAP (recycled asphalt pavement, planned by CB Asphalt to be 25% of the hot mix asphalt as per page 23 of EE). And there will be additional trucks to deliver asphalt burner fuel.

“Will have no impacts on property values” is conjecture, not fact.

“The Authority to Construct permit…is not discretionary and not applicable to the California Environmental Quality Act” is proponents’ opinion only. Calaveras County, County Counsel, and the Planning Department disagree, and the Planning Commission denied the proponents appeal.

The newly‐released engineer’s report does not “allay any concerns on the air pollution issue.” The July 23 Engineering Evaluation does not acknowledge or measure emissions and fumes from asphalt trucks. Potentially, thousands of asphalt trucks will be driving through residential neighborhoods, local highways, and through the 12/26 intersection in downtown Valley Springs.

Don’t be misled by a “Fact Sheet.” Residents need real information. They need a comprehensive review of existing conditions on the ground and potential impacts. They need an Environmental Impact Report on the proposed asphalt plant.

Joyce Techel

President

MyValleySprings.com