2022-05-10_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - M1993041

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Dowe Flats Special Use Permit Amendment Application May 2, 2022 governmental agencies; education and outreach; advocacy at the state and federal level; and other programs consistent with the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan. ER 1.06 Land Owners and Nongovernmental Organizations. Boulder County shall work in partnership with private land owners and nongovernmental organizations to protect, conserve, and restore designated environmental resources using a variety of tools. ER 1.08 Assistance. Boulder County shall encourage all private landowners to seek assistance from appropriate governmental and non-governmental entities to protect Boulder County's environmental resources. As a private landowner, CEMEX, Inc. is requesting approval from Boulder County to continue ongoing mining operations at Dowe Flats for an additional 15 years. Dowe Flats is an existing mining site that still contains a valuable mineral resource that requires additional time to extract. While the Comprehensive Plan does not specifically define what an environmental resource is, according to Encyclopdia.com, "An environmental resource is any material, service, or information from the environment that is valuable to society."' The limestone and shale existing at the site are an environmental resource available within the County, requiring extraction to utilize their benefits for the locality. Moreover, no additional land will need to be permitted if mining continues at Dowe Flats. All the material that is planned to be extracted from Dowe Flats will be removed from areas previously permitted. Because Dowe Flats is directly across Highway 66 from the cement plant in which it is used, and all the material mined from Dowe Flats is transferred via covered conveyor and not trucked to the cement plant, the environment is further protected. Public Health Goal 1. Foster Healthy Families & Communities. Boulder County values and creates environments that foster healthy families and communities. PH 1.01 Air Quality. Boulder County recognizes the direct and secondary health impacts of outdoor air pollution produced by industrial, vehicular and other sources. The county collaborates with industry, state and neighboring governments to respond to and mitigate the health impacts of poor air quality due to particulate matter, ground-level ozone, smoke from wildfires, greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. Continuing to mine Dowe Flats for another 15 years will minimize air quality impacts. CEMEX, Inc.'s cement plant will continue to be supplied with material from Dowe Flats, thus avoiding the need for trucking the material from another location to the cement plant. Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) According to the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan, "The EPA describes Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) as a `systematic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles. It represents a change in how our society things about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product's entire life cycle—from materials extraction to end-of-life management—we can find new opportunities to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs."" "Environmental Resources ." Environmental Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia.com. 25 Oct. 2021 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>. 2 US EPA, Sustainable Materials Management, www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-materials-management-basics, accessed October 7, 2016. Review Criteria Statement—Page 5 O TETRA TECH