News
Written by Crystal Howard.
Mining is an essential part of California’s economy and history. The state’s mineral wealth was responsible for its rapid growth and continued development. Regulation of the state’s mining industry began in 1975 with the adoption of the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA). A number of amendments have strengthened its protections, but increased regulatory burdens have raised the bar for access to all but the largest producers.
Written by Crystal Howard
Mining has been an important part of California’s economy and history for generations. The California Gold Rush propelled San Francisco from a 200-resident settlement in 1846 to a boomtown of about 36,000 by 1852. As a result, California became the center of global imagination and a desirable destination for hundreds of thousands of people. From an economy that was too small to measure before the Gold Rush, California is now the eighth ranking economy in the world and mining has been there to support its growth from the beginning.
Written by Alyssa Burley.
San Diego County’s Fiscal Year 2015-2016 recommended budget was introduced on May 5, 2015 to the Board of Supervisors by Chief Administrative Office Helen Robbins-Meyers.
According to the San Diego County News Center, within the budget, $58.7 million is allocated towards transportation and infrastructure projects:
This means the region will need to ensure local construction aggregates supplies are available for these projects.
Written by Alyssa Burley.
On April 24, 2015, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) released its draft San Diego Forward: The Regional Plan (Draft Regional Plan) for public comment. The Draft Regional Plan combines the Regional Comprehensive Plan (RCP) adopted in July 2004 with the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) adopted in October 2011, into one comprehensive document.
Photo by Terry Marshall.
At a recent Leaders of Change luncheon hosted by The North San Diego Chamber and partnered with the San Diego Regional EDC, San Diego County Taxpayer Association, San Diego Workforce Partnership® and KPBS, the minimum wage debate continued. The panel discussed the impact a minimum wage increase would have on San Diego’s economy. The event was held on October 7, 2014 at Sony Electronics, Inc. in Rancho Bernardo.
The Development Services Department (DSD) of the City of San Diego recently launched its new web-based Project Tracking System (PTS). The public’s online portal to this system is called OpenDSD.
According to the City’s website, it “is committed to serving the public and improving how information is provided to its citizens.”
Assembly Bill 2355 (Levine) encourages local agencies to adopt standards for recycled materials. The Bill was approved by Governor Brown on September 26, 2014.
AB 2355 requires, by January 1, 2017, local agencies with jurisdiction over streets or highways to either a) adopt the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) standards for recycled paving, base, sub-base and previous backfill materials, or b) publically discuss why they are not being adopted.
On May 23, 2014, the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) reform bill, Senate Bill (SB) 1270 (Pavley), did not make it out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, thus killing the bill for this session. However, like the phoenix, the legendary Arabian bird, SB 1270 rose from the ashes in June by Senate leadership through a rule waiver. The new version of the bill includes further amendments; however, the changes do not address many of the issues that negatively impact the industry. SB 1270 is a toxic bill drafted with the intent to transfer SMARA authority to the State, substantially increase fees to the industry, and create several mandatory provisions that would result in further cost increases and uncertainty within the mining industry. We also suspect that the change in annual fees is an attempt to funnel money to The Sierra Fund to facilitate remediation of a number of legacy metal mines.
Mine Permitting & Project Management
Mine Permitting
Mine & Reclamation Planning
Project Management
Interim Management Plans
Public Relations & Community Outreach
Public Relations & Community Outreach
