The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held public hearings March 26 and 27, in Inglis and in Chiefland, on the Tarmac King Road Limestone Mine proposed for southwest Levy County. Approximately 100 people attended the Tuesday night meeting at the Inglis Community Center on Highway 40. A substantially smaller number attended the Wednesday night meeting at the Tommy Usher Community Center in Chiefland.
Last week's hearings were an early step in the environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for a project of this potential impact. Pending the NEPA-required decision and other governmental approvals, Tarmac America LLC has leased some 10,000 acres of Plum Creek Timber Company holdings inland from Withlahoochee Bay and is operating on site at present, conducting initial studies required for federal agency evaluation of the project's environmental impact.
The area leased by Tarmac America LLC, located a mile west of U.S. 19 and about five miles north of Inglis, is zoned Forestry/Rural Residential. Tarmac has made application to Levy County for a special exception use for the "major mining, excavation and fill activities or operations" required for the mine's operation The NEPA-required environmental review which was the subject of last week's public hearings would be irrelevant if the proposed mine failed to secure all required approvals, including the special exception requested of Levy County.
At a meeting last December, the Levy County Planning Commission tabled consideration of Tarmac's special exception application, requesting additional information regarding the proposed mine's expected impact.
On Monday of this week, March 31, Levy County's building and zoning department received a letter from Tarmac's Tallahassee attorney asking that Levy County postpone action on the special exception application until "at least January of 2009," by which time all studies required by the present EIS process, as well as by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and other permit-controlling agencies, should have been completed.
At last week's public hearings, Edward P. Sarfert of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers' Pensacola office described the EIS process, took questions, and heard citizen comments. Under the Clean Water Act, the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers has responsibility for wetlands. The proposed Levy County mine site includes wetlands; thus, the Corps of Engineers is coordinating the NEPA-mandated environmental review of the proposed Tarmac King Road Mine.
Some 30 members of the public addressed Mr. Sarfert at the March 26 public hearing in Inglis, led by 88-year old town councilwoman Betty Berger and including a number of members of Withlacoochee Area Residents (WAR Inc.), sponsor of the website www.SaveOurNatureCoast.com. All citizens who spoke at the Inglis hearing opposed the mine project on environmental grounds.
Only nine members of the public offered oral comment at the March 27 hearing in Chiefland. Several of those opposing the project had spoken the night before in Inglis. One speaker commented that potential economic benefits of the project outweighed potential negative environmental impacts.
No Cedar Key residents spoke at either hearing; however, two speakers at the Inglis hearing expressed concern that anticipated water contamination from the mine activity would threaten aquaculture as far north as Cedar Key.
No further NEPA-mandated public hearings are scheduled until the Corps issues its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), in late 2008 or early 2009. The DEIS will be followed by a further 45-day "scoping" (public comment) period before the Corps prepares its Final Environmental Impact Statement. The Corps has established a website, www.kingroadeis,com, by which the public may monitor the EIS process.
The Tarmac America LLC proposal for its King Road Mine is available at the Yankeetown and Inglis public libraries. The Cedar Key Library expects to have a copy shortly. | 
