DRMS Comment Objection Intake 7/21/2021 4:47:15 PM

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Comment/Objection Narrative* July 20,2021 Amy Eschberger Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety 1313 Sherman Street Room 215 Denver,CO 80203 Dear Amy Eschberger: I am writing on behalf of EMERGE,a citizens group located in Eastern Clear Creek County,which represents its membership on issues impacting'resources,growth and the environment'in the area of Clear Creek which is located to the east of Mt. Evans. We are submitting these comments in order to express our concerns and questions and to ensure that we can participate in future proceedings on this matter(Young Ranch Resource Quarry(File No. M-2021-009)). Please keep us informed on the status of this application." It has recently come to the attention of EMERGE that there is an application into Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties for a proposed 335 acre rock quarry to be built northeast of Idaho Springs near the Central City Parkway.The Board of EMERGE has some serious questions and concerns about this proposal. Transportation of the quarry product would lead to increased heavy truck traffic on Central City Parkway, 1-70 and Hwy 6. If approved,the increased traffic added to the existing Frei quarry traffic would further congest and degrade these roads, particularly Hwy 6 which is a main route to Golden from Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties. The economy of Clear Creek County relies heavily on tourism and recreation.Any proposed application that would negatively impact this section of our economy needs to be seriously examined.A new rock quarry would seriously degrade the air quality from dust and particulates and raise the noise level of the area.What will be the visual impact,especially from the highways and view corridors?Because Clear Creek County has significant tourist use,we wonder how would a new quarry with the accompanying dust, noise and degradation of the views impact tourists wanting to recreate in the area. Water and the lack thereof is becoming a significant issue in Colorado and CCC because of climate change and increased drought. How much water would be required for this project for dust mitigation? How will wildlife be impacted, especially with regard to sheep lambing? Will the tax generated by the quarry offset the possible decrease in tourism dollars? We sincerely hope that these concerns and questions will be taken into account when making a decision on the application. Thank you, The Board of Directors EMERGE Permit Number* Enter valid letter and then numbers,for example M122112211 or C123456789. M2021009 Permitting Action Type Permit Revision Permitting Action Sequence do not know what this means Permit Type proposed quarry