by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief

Arizona 

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved the expansion of a Benson sand and gravel pit owned by Huachuca Concrete Inc. According to the Arizona Daily Star, the BLM issued its decision after a “finding of no significant impact” based on an environmental assessment by the agency. The mine’s operating plan has been modified to require the use of a soil binder on roads to reduce dust and water consumption. Operating hours for the crushing operation and wet plant are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

California 

A planned land swap between the federal government and a regional water agency could help expand gravel mining in the Santa Ana River wash. The Press-Enterprise reports that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would transfer to the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District at least 315 acres near existing gravel mine pits, which are expected to be leased for mining. In return, the district would give the BLM about 320 acres east of the mining area to be used for habitat conservation. Endangered species in the area include the San Bernardino kangaroo rate and the Santa Ana River woolly-star, a flowering plant. The water district currently leases land to Robertson’s Ready Mix and Cemex Inc., which together have paid it about $1 million during the past two fiscal years.

Georgia 

Georgia Limerock Co. LLC is trying to have 854 acres in Houston County rezoned for use as a limestone quarry. The Sun News reports that the land is zoned as agricultural/residential, and the company wants to have it reclassified as general industrial. If approved, site development could begin this fall, with the operation opening in early 2010. Approximately 15 jobs would be created and an estimated $4.5 million in property and equipment investments would be generated. Slightly less than half of the site was previously mined from the 1920s to the 1970s. A 25-foot wooded buffer would separate the mining area from adjacent property owned by Georgia Limerock Co., while a 200-foot wooded buffer is planned to separate the mining area from other properties.