Frank’s got the passion AND the story correct on the proposed rock quarry project on Roblar Road soon to come before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors for a vote. About the project he says, “The Supervisors know that this (quarry project) could be catastrophic – and their response? To ask the developer, North Bay Construction, to carry insurance that relieves the County of responsibility.
Injury to citizens living in the county and destruction of the water supply are not covered – just the County being protected from lawsuits as a consequence of this bad deal. The cost of a clean-up would go into the hundreds of millions — and guess who would pay for that – it would be you and me!”
Help spread the word! For more information see : www.carrq.org.
Yesterday I was sitting in my car before a dentist appointment and heard Paul Loeb on Michael Krasny’s program on NPR talking about his new book, Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in Challenging Times. As I was listening, I was also putting stamps on a hundred or so letters for a mass mailing asking people to oppose the Roblar Rock quarry. All the mailing, writing and fretting I’ve done over this project for years is taking a toll…but I got a boost from listening to Loeb talk about the importance of citizen activism and especially, the story he recounted of his late friend who had been an environmental activist for 90 of her 100 years who said, “Do what you can, then do some more.”
Today I am doing some more.
Check out Paul Loeb’s Website.
Now the County Sups have scheduled the public hearing on the Roblar Rock quarry for Tuesday, June 8–election day. Is this just bad scheduling or a ploy to keep people away from the hearing on what will be another contentious land issue for Sonoma County? Let’s get this changed to another day!
Today Donna Spilman, representing CARRQ on behalf of the group’s president, Sue Buxton, gave a brief update on the Roblar Road quarry project to the Advisory Council of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 948 square nautical miles of water off the California coastline west of San Francisco and includes offshore marine regions of the Gulf of the Farallones and the nearshore waters of Bodega Bay, Tomales Bay, Estero de San Antonio, Estero Americano, and Bolinas Lagoon. Today’s update let the council know CARRQ is still concerned about potential pollution to the Americano Creek and subsequently, the Estero Americano, if the County Board of Supervisors approves the Roblar Road quarry project. You can read more about this worthy organization, perhaps including an update on a project to track white sharks reviewed at the meeting today.
Let’s hope the reporter from The Bohemian who was in the audience and who said he wants to pursue the quarry story will do it. Let’s keep “human sharks” from preying in the creeks and wetlands around the proposed quarry site.
On April 1, the Sonoma County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the Roblar Road rock quarry project to the Board of Supervisors for a vote. After an emotional meeting with many residents speaking against the quarry, the Commission said the project was now at the stage where the applicant (John Barella/North Bay Construction) where the Board of Supervisors needed to decide if the project warrants approval. Through its work the past six years, CARRQ (Citizens Advocating Roblar Rural Quality/Citizens Against the Roblar Rock Quarry) has forced the applicant to make many improvements to the quarry plan at a cost of thousands of dollars—and our fight will continue!
We expect a date for the Supervisors meeting to be set within 2 to 3 weeks.
If you do not want to see another rock quarry in West Sonoma County–join CARRQ (send your name/address to 200 Vlaardingen Lane, Petaluma 94952); bookmark http://www.carrq.org and join CARRQ on Facebook. Spread the word!
The Sonoma County Planning Commission will review the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the proposed Roblar Road rock quarry project on Thursday, April 1 at 1:45 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Permit and Resource Management Dept.’s hearing room at 2250 Ventura Avenue, Santa Rosa. To read the FEIR: http://www.sonoma-county.org/prmd/docs/eir/roblarfeir/index.htm .
Let’s hope the planning commission doesn’t lay an April Fool’s joke on Sonoma County residents by recommending this project for a vote by the Board of Supervisors.
Read more: Citizens Advocating Roblar Rural Quality
"No Quarry" signs along Roblar Road voice opposition to proposed new quarry
Sonoma County is already dealing with a leaking landfill on Meacham Road west of Petaluma. Now, the County is considering the application by North Bay Construction to build a new gravel mining quarry on Roblar Road adjacent to an old unlined and uncapped landfill the County closed in 1975 and just over the hill from the Meacham landfill. The proposed project would include a 65-acre quarry pit that would operate six days a week over a 20-year period. Blasting dynamite next to the old landfill is just a bad idea. The California Regional Quality Water Board questioned the County’s Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (letter to the Planning Commission dated Dec. 17, 2009) saying the contents of the old landfill had not been adequately tested and it is likely leachates from the closed landfill would migrate to the quarry site and potentially to the Americano Estero.
CARRQ (Citizens Advocating Roblar Rural Quality/Citizens Against the Roblar Rock Quarry) is a small grassroots organization of about 300 people who oppose the quarry project. The County has not proven any economic need for the rock from this quarry and has admitted there are more than 160 serious issues surrounding this project. More than 160 issues! To review the Final EIR go to the Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Dept. Website.
No Roblar Rock Quarry 