SACRAMENTO – Yesterday, Senator Scott Wilk, R-Antelope Valley, introduced a senate resolution — Senate Resolution 96 — calling on the federal government to stop, once and for all, the proposed CEMEX, inc. mega-mine near Santa Clarita and bring an end to a decades old battle between residents and the multinational conglomerate.
“The proposed mega-mine project has threatened our community for over 25 years,” said Wilk. “Its implementation would wreak havoc on our roads, our environment, our quality of life and our most precious resource, water. It is absolutely imperative that we do all we can to stop this disastrous project.”
The resolution points to the unique circumstances of the Santa Clara River, which CEMEX hopes to draw thousands of gallons of water per year from for the mine, which represents the last free-flowing river in Southern California. It also raises concerns over increased traffic on Hwy 14 which will see over 1,200 additional truck and vehicle trips daily due to the mine, as well as increased air pollution for the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, water contamination and noise concerns for area residents.
“This mining project was ill-conceived by the company and the federal government that issued the contracts some 25 plus years ago. Its effects will ripple through the entire region and will negatively impact nearly every resident in my district,” said Wilk. “We have fought it since its inception and we will continue to fight until it dies. This resolution will put the entire California State Senate on record urging the feds to act and I am confident our 40 voices will be heard all the way out in Washington.”
Wilk went on to commend Congressman Steve Knight and the City of Santa Clarita for their ongoing efforts to confront this issue on the federal level and said that while the mine, planned on a plot of federally owned land immediately outside Santa Clarita, is largely a federal issue, he is confident that his efforts at the state level will be able to aide in their attempts at bringing an end to the mining proposal.
The resolution calls on Congress, the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, President Trump and Vice President Pence – all of whom have jurisdiction over the mine in one way or another – to take any and all action to stop the further development of the mine. State Senator Henry Stern, who represents a portion of the western Santa Clarita Valley, coauthored the resolution with Wilk.