Retain Local Control Over Mining

The Lakeland Ledger – April 19, 2008


By ALBERT TOWNSEND

In the face of a critical state shortage of building materials, Tarmac America LLC is proposing to open a limestone mine in Levy County. Our plans are to produce construction aggregate that would be used for highways, hospitals and commercial building projects in Central and North Florida. Those types of projects require a special grade of limestone that can only be found in a few places in Florida — such as the King Road area in southern Levy.

King Road Mine is undergoing a rigorous permitting process. Government officials at all levels are closely examining our plans to ensure the environmental integrity of the area is protected and public services such as roads and water will not be negatively affected. Those are top priorities for Tarmac.

Your editorial of April 5 ["Keep Mine Approvals Local"] maintained that legislation being offered in Tallahassee would restrict the county's ability to have a say on the project. Tarmac wants to go on record as not agreeing with this approach. We believe local review of projects such as this is essential.

As part of the permitting process, Tarmac is working with local, state and federal agencies to answer their questions and demonstrate how the project makes sense for the local economy and for Florida. We are incorporating community input wherever possible. Still, some incorrect information about King Road Mine is being distributed by our opponents.

At town workshops and in smaller gatherings in the region we have answered questions and shared specific details about the company's plans on topics such as:

Location: Tarmac America plans to mine about 30 acres a year on a tract along King Road in southern Levy County. The tract covers 4,800 acres — 800 acres of wetlands that will be set aside; 1,300 acres for the quarry, processing plant, roads and buffers, and the remaining 2,700 acres for mining activity over about 100 years.

Water: On a daily basis, fewer than 1 million gallons a day will be required. That's because King Road Mine operations are designed to recycle what's needed to wash the limestone and turn it into aggregate. About 22 million gallons of water circulates from a quarry-side lake to the processing center and then back to the lake — in much the same way a backyard pool filtering system works. To maintain optimal lake levels at the mining site, less 1 million gallons of new water will be needed daily to replenish what is lost from processing and evaporation. As part of the permitting process, Tarmac has conducted extensive studies of the watershed and other hydrological features. These studies show water use for mining will not affect the water quantity or quality patterns of nearby towns or springs.

Economic Benefits: For Levy County, the King Road Mine also would offer a significant economic boost in the form of jobs and tax revenues. In fact, the mine is expected to generate more than $1 billion in new revenue for Levy County during the first decade of operations. That's the combined economic impact of investments in construction, employee spending on goods and services and job growth in other sectors.

Roads: Tarmac plans about 500 truck trips a day, exiting at King Road to U.S. 19, where vehicles that have been wheel-washed and top-covered will head north and south, dispersing to Gainesville, Ocala, Tampa and Orlando. Traffic studies indicate the additional trucks on U.S. 19 would not adversely affect local traffic.

Conservation: The company proposes to preserve about 4,600 acres adjacent to the mine at its western boundary, next to the Waccasassa Bay state park. Our plans also include vegetation management to promote native species diversity, wildlife studies and wetlands enhancement.

Our company has a long-standing history of managing safe, environmentally friendly operations. The King Road Mine is no different. We are committed to being good environmental stewards and plan to be an honorable corporate neighbor in the region.

Albert Townsend is director of Real Estate and Environmental Services for Tarmac America LLC.



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