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1 254 active construction sand and gravel operations in Colorado and 385 active pits. <br /> In addition, there were 118 portable processing plants. These operations produced <br /> ' 33.8 million tons of sand and gravel in 2015 and 35.8 million metric tons in 2017, an <br /> increase of 2.8 percent over a two-year period. The U.S. has the highest usage rate of <br /> ' crushed stone of any country in the world,when measured as a percentage of total <br /> aggregates demand, accounting for 55 percent of sales in 2014, according to the <br /> study.14 <br /> Table 1: Projected DMRM Production Schedule <br /> Description Mining Time Material Quantity <br /> Initial mining of the site. Production 2018-2020 1500" Tons <br /> ramp up as the pit comes online. <br /> ' Mining and reclamation under full 2020-2029 9000000 Tons <br /> operation. Mining proceeds north <br /> and west from the initial cut in the <br /> ' southeast corner of the site <br /> Final reclamation of the site. 2029-2031 40 Tans <br /> Revegetaton of last portions of <br /> ' disturbed ground and removal of all <br /> portable equipment from the site. <br /> Two years of vegetation monitoring <br /> ' prior to release of bond. <br /> Total 20 Years 10,500,000 1 Tons <br /> The DMRM documents indicate that the bulk of the material mined will be used for <br /> ' construction in the Denver area.15 Typically gravel mining operations prefer to have <br /> their final product delivered close to the source as sand and gravel are low value <br /> products and expensive to transport due to their weight. Likely this is one reason <br /> ' why the site close to Empire is attractive to the developers. <br /> However, recent research evaluating transportation costs against negative <br /> ' externalities concludes: "when accounting for the social costs associated with <br /> extraction, attaining gravel from a mine that is a greater distance away may be more <br /> cost effective."16 In other words, "This research thus challenges the common <br /> ' perception that the low unit-value of gravel in combination with its high <br /> transportation cost necessitates its extraction in close proximity to its market." <br /> 1 <br /> 14 http_//www.acgmaterials.com/study-u-s-aggregates-market-hit-2-8-gt-2019-2/ <br /> 15 See DMRM-July 2018, p 12. <br /> 16 Campbell, Brett Afton. 2014. "Aggregate Resource Extraction: Examining Environmental <br /> Impacts on Optimal Extraction and Reclamation Strategies," Masters Thesis,Agricultural <br /> ' and Resource Economics,University of Alberta, p. 60. <br /> 9 <br />