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April 15, 2002 <br />Division of Minerals and Geology <br />Office of Mined Land Reclamation <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />RE: GCC Rio Grande, Inc. Mining Permit Application <br />Deaz Members of the Office of Mined Land Reclamation, <br />~13--I~' h'ITB~ <br />RECEIVED ~~ <br />APR Z 2 20~? <br />Oivisian of Minerals and Geology <br />I am writing to request that the mining permit for the proposed GCC Rio Grande, <br />Inc. cement plan be denied. I am also requesting that if any hearings concerning this <br />-application-wil}-be-held thatik~ey will-be-held in Pueblo, Colorado, with ample _ <br />notification to the citizens of Pueblo be placed in the Pueblo Chieftain Newspaper. <br />As you are will aware, this cement plant will add tremendously to the pollution of <br />air, water and environment of Pueblo, County. I live on 55 acres within two miles of the <br />proposed plant. I fear for our health, My father has allergies and asthma, which will be <br />greatly effected by the dust and pollution if the plant is built. Additionally, I neazly died <br />twice with pneumonia, my asthma is severe and I am currently taking three medications <br />to keep my asthma in check, the cement plant will have very adverse effects on my <br />health. I also suffer from seizures, polluted air and water will also effect my health. We <br />recently moved from the City of Pueblo to Lime Road, for the fresh, clean air that is <br />currently on Lime Road South. This will all be gone if the cement plant is allowed to be <br />built. <br />We also have a well that feeds off the St. Charles Aquifer, which we use for our <br />gazden, yard and home. I am concerned about the pollution to the St. Charles River from <br />a cement plant being built so close to the river. I am concerned about the blasting for the <br />mining purposes and it's effect on the blue shale in the river bottom, how it will be <br />fractured as the blasting shock waves will travel for a long distance, and the effects on <br />the flow of the river. GCC Rio Grande, Inc. is downplaying the effects of the shock <br />waves. Even in their agreement to purchase property from Douglas G. Thacker, it is <br />noted that disruption and failure of the Dakota water, located near the Blake Ranch may <br />occur. My neighbor who resides within a''%Z mile of the proposed plant resides in a <br />home, that was built in 1866, of adobe. It was a way station and fort for early settlers of <br />Pueblo County. It will surely be damaged by the blasting. <br />GCC Rio Grande, Inc. is planning on using dry scrubbers in the process of <br />making the cement. This method is not suitable in preventing pollution. Our Pueblo <br />County Commissioner, John Kfomp recently won arguments for wet scrubbers in the <br />destruction of chemicals at the Fueblo Army Depot. The same should be true of the <br />proposed cement plant, they should use wet scrubbers. <br />The record of the GCC Rio Grande, Inc. company is shaky, they have already <br />changed their name once, it was: Rio Grande Portland Cement. They have also stated <br />Permit #: .Z - Confidental?: <br />Class: Type-Seq.: <br />From: ~f?/EC'TaR To: <br />Doc. Name: G'~Ri?fSt~Yl~Eil'!E <br />Doc. Date (if no date stamp): S~ 1~-a~ <br />