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~~ -~ hZB~ April 15, 2002 I~ECEIr/E[~ ~ ~ Division of Minerals and Geology APR 2 2 2002 Office of Mined Land Reclamation 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 Division of Minerals and Geology Denver, CO 80203 RE: GCC Rio Grande, Inc. Mining Permit Application Dear Members of the Office of Mined Land Reclamation, I am writing to request that the mining permit for the proposed GCC Rio Grande, Inc. cement plan be denied. I am also requesting that if any hearings concerning this application will be held that they will be held in Pueblo, Colorado, with ample notification to the citizens of Pueblo be placed in the Pueblo Chieftain Newspaper. As you are will aware, this cement plant will add tremendously to the pollution of air, water and environment of Pueblo, County. I live on 55 acres within two miles of the proposed plant. I fear for our health, My father has allergies and asthma, which will be greatly effected by the dust and pollution if the plant is built. Additionally, I neazly died twice with pneumonia, my asthma is severe and I am currently taking three medications to keep my asthma in check, the cement plant will have very adverse effects on my health I also suffer from seizures, polluted air and water will also effect my health. We recently moved from the City of Pueblo to Lime Road, for the fresh, clean air that is currently on Lime Road South. This will all be gone if the cement plant is allowed to be built. We also have a well that feeds off the St. Chazles Aquifer, which we use for our garden, yazd and home. I am concerned about the pollution to the St. Charles River from a cement plant being built so close to the river. I am concerned about the blasting for the mining purposes and it's effect on the blue shale in the river bottom, how it will be fractured as the blasting shock waves will travel for a tong distance, and the effects on the flow of the river. GCC Rio Grande, Inc. is downplaying the effects of the shock waves. Even in their agreement to purchase property from Douglas G. Thacker, it is noted that disruption and failure of the Dakota water, located near the Blake Ranch may occur. My neighbor who resides within a'/z mile of the proposed plant resides in a home, that was built in 1866, of adobe. It was a way station and fort for early settlers of Pueblo County. It will surely be damaged by the blasting. GCC Rio Grande, Inc, is planning on using dry scrubbers in the process of making the cement. This method is not suitable in preventing pollution. Our Pueblo County Commissioner, John Klomp recently won azguments for wet scrubbers in the destruction of chemicals at the Pueblo Army Depot. The same should be true of the proposed cement plant, they should use wet scrubbers. The record of the GCC Rio Grande, Inc. company is shaky, they have already changed their name once, it was: Rio Grande Portland Cement. They have also stated