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' highway repair costs and greatly add to current congestion. Additional highway <br /> Y <br /> ' taxes from DMRM's trucks will not pay for the damage. Worsening congestion will <br /> present a risk to outdoor recreational tourism, including winter sports, constraining <br /> today's expanding economic activity in Summit and Grand Counties. This risk is too <br /> ' large to ignore,while its full effects may only become apparent after the damage is <br /> done - and cannot be undone. <br /> ' Challenges of Rehabilitation: Restored mining sites are generally not as stable as <br /> they were before mining, even with the best of intentions. And they may be much <br /> worse off ecologically. This suggests that the justification for mining projects must <br /> be evaluated carefully in terms of total potential societal costs and uncertainties <br /> before going ahead. Unsuccessful reclamation combined with a series of risks <br /> leading to unintended consequences is the worst of all possible worlds. <br /> ' While the risks of externalities to wildlife,water resources, health, real estate and <br /> traffic congestion, cannot be estimated with precision,they are real and have <br />' potential negative outcomes that are additive with each contingency. The <br /> consequences of multiple sites of risk and vulnerability may well be costly for <br /> Colorado as a whole. If even one, let alone several negative outcomes occur,we will <br />' have failed our communities, our economy, and our environment. <br /> Gravel pit locations could be developed with fewer externalities if they were <br /> situated (i) away from Colorado's most vulnerable wildlife and water resources, (ii) <br /> away from small vulnerable communities, and (iii) away from major interstate <br />' tourism routes. At this point mine owners and operators would be the only winners <br /> if the sand and gravel mine were approved. The losers would be Colorado wildlife <br /> and the environment, Clear Creek residents, travellers on I-70, CDOT, and Colorado <br /> tourism. <br /> 1 <br /> 3 <br />