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Video Detailing Potentially Devastating Impacts of CEMEX Mega-Mine in Los Angeles County Released

Posted on: Thursday, 2 November 2006, 12:00 CST

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The potentially negative, and even dangerous, environmental and public health impacts of a proposed 69-million ton mega-mine in Los Angeles County are detailed in a new video produced by the community most impacted by the proposed project. The five minute video, released today to state and federal lawmakers, permitting agencies, and environmental and community advocates, was created by the City of Santa Clarita. It is intended to educate a broad audience across California and Washington D.C. about how the mine, proposed by Mexico-based mining giant CEMEX, will hurt the greater Los Angeles region, if permitted to operate.

CEMEX's nearby Victorville plant already ranks among the top three percent of toxic polluters in the state, and top nine percent in the nation.

The massive sand, rock and gravel mining project, slated for Soledad Canyon, still requires various state and regional permits before it can commence operations. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been provided the video as part of an ongoing public advocacy campaign by an 8,000-member Citizens' Coalition, organized to protest CEMEX's mega mine, and urging the governor to not visit CEMEX during his upcoming Mexico trade mission.

"This video details the very real impacts the CEMEX mine will have in the Los Angeles region. It's a wake up call to the general public and lawmakers to either make sure that permits are issued only when, and if, the mega mine operation can meet all state and federal air water and environmental standards, or, to urge CEMEX to work with our community to downsize the mining operations to historic, safe levels. CEMEX simply must balance responsible mining levels and the protection of public health," comments Laurene Weste, Mayor for Santa Clarita.

The video outlines the scope of the proposed mining project, and some of the negative impacts it will cause in Los Angeles County, including:

* The 69-million ton mega mine is 16 times greater than historic mining levels for this area, a 1,600% increase in mining levels; * The mine can exceed maximum risk for new toxic pollutants in the air by 250%; * The mine will add more than 1,164 big truck trips every day to Los Angeles area freeways, putting 18-wheelers and other dirt hauling trucks onto local freeways every two minutes, 24 hours a day; and * The mine will devastate fish and wildlife, including an endangered species.

Concerns that the mining operators may violate state and federal laws and regulations are reinforced by CEMEX's extensive track record of environmental violations at their other plants across the United States. The video details a sampling of CEMEX violations nationwide. It also reinforces a letter sent last week to CEMEX's CEO of U.S. Operations, Gilberto Perez, by an unprecedented national coalition of communities fighting unlawful CEMEX operations in Colorado, California, Ohio, Florida, and Michigan.

A sampling of CEMEX violations in other states include: * Amassing more than 72,000 separate air quality violations in Colorado in 2004; * Being fined more than $1.3 million by federal and state environmental agencies for failure to control limit particulate matter; and * Violations of federal and state air quality standards so severe that the State of New Mexico had to issue health warnings to young, elderly and those with respiratory ailments.

For more information on the 69-million ton mega mine, or to view the video, please go to http://www.stopcemexmegamine.com/.

City of Santa Clarita

CONTACT: Gail Ortiz of City of Santa Clarita, +1-661-255-4314

Web site: http://www.stopcemexmegamine.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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