Pima County Department of Environmental Quality to hold public meetings June 27 and June 28

Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) will hold an Open House on Wednesday, June 27, and a Public Hearing on Thursday, June 28, for an air quality permit for Oracle Ridge Mining, LLC. Oracle Ridge Mining is seeking a permit to reopen an inactive existing underground copper mine in Pima County approximately seven miles north of the Summerhaven community on Mt. Lemmon.

The meetings will be held at the Coronado K-8 School gymnasium at 3401 E. Wilds Road in Catalina. The Open House will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27. PDEQ staff will be available to answer questions from the public regarding aspects of the proposed air quality permit, including permit requirements and PDEQ enforcement of proposed permit provisions.

The Public Hearing will be at the Coronado K-8 School gymnasium on Thursday, June 28, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The public will have an opportunity to speak about the proposed Oracle Ridge Mine air quality permit or to drop off written comments about the permit at the hearing.

The draft air quality permit requires Oracle Ridge Mining to control emissions of particulate matter from above ground material processing, unpaved roads and tailings storage operations as per federal and Pima County standards. Particulate matter, tiny particles suspended in the air we breathe, is one of the most significant air pollutants in Pima County and has serious impacts on human health and the environment. Oracle Ridge Mining is also required to submit a Tailings and Dust Management Plan for approval by PDEQ.

The official public comment period for the proposed permit began on May 16 and will end on June 29, 2012. Copies of the permit application and relevant background material may be reviewed at www.deq.pima.gov or during normal business hours at the PDEQ offices, 33 N. Stone Ave., Suite 700, in Tucson. For additional information, please call (520) 243-7400.

Pima County, Ariz. – (Aug. 23, 2011)  Pima County’s Department of Environmental Quality has written a proposed Air Quality Permit for Rosemont Copper Company’s planned copper mine in Sonoita, sited at 12700 E. Greaterville Road.

The proposed Air Quality Permit was written after the company indicated to the county’s DEQ that it will meet county, state and federal air quality requirements for operating the mine.

The proposed permit does address “the potential emissions of several air pollutants, including particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants,” said Ursula Kramer, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Quality.

She said the company has provided the county with data to show it can meet air quality requirements.

The proposed permit has been sent to Rosemont Copper for its review.

The public has 90 days to review the proposed permit and comment on it, Kramer said.

The public comment period begins on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011 and ends on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011.

Written comments can be made throughout the comment period and only individuals who submit written comments can challenge the permit decision with a legal appeal.

Anyone can comment orally at a public hearing on the proposed permit. The date, time and place of that hearing have not yet been set by Pima County.

Written comments on grounds for objecting to an air quality permit for the copper mine must be limited to whether the proposed permit meets the criteria for issuing such a permit, as prescribed by state law and Pima County Code.

The applicable law is Arizona Revised Statutes, Sections 49-480 and 49-481.

The applicable County Code is Title 17.   It states, in part, that “issuance of an air permit shall not relieve the permittee from compliance with all local, county, state, and federal laws, statutes, and codes.”

Copies of Rosemont’s permit application, the county’s proposed permit and background information about the permit process are available at:

http://www.deq.pima.gov/permits/RosemontCopper.htm

This site includes a link that lets individuals sign up for email notifications of DEQ actions on the Rosemont Air Quality Permit Application.

Here are the guidelines for written comments:

• Each written comment must include the name and mailing address of the writer
• It must be signed by the writer or his agent or attorney
• It must clearly explain why the permit should or should not be issued by Pima County
• Mail or email or hand-deliver comments to: Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, ATTN: Mukonde Chama, 33 N. Stone Ave. Suite 700, Tucson, AZ 85701

The documents may be reviewed during regular business hours at DEQ offices. Call Karen Wilhelmsen at DEQ at (520) 243-7449 for more information.