Rep. Katie Hill, D-Agua Dulce, sent a letter Monday to the Interior Board of Land Appeals requesting immediate action to resolve the dispute between the city of Santa Clarita and Cemex.
Cemex is a multinational building materials company that previously proposed the construction of a 56-million-net-ton sand and gravel mine in Soledad Canyon, near the junction of Agua Dulce Canyon Road and Soledad Canyon Road.
The mine is expected to encompass a 490-acre site, but the city of Santa Clarita owns the surface and the Bureau of Land Management owns the underlying mineral estate, according to a news release sent Monday from Hill’s office. The city of Santa Clarita has strongly opposed the siting of a large-scale mine so close to the community, which is why Hill directed a letter to David Bernhardt, acting secretary of the Department of the Interior.
Hill could not be reached for comment Monday, but said in a news release, “The Cemex mine has long troubled this community. Every year, the city of Santa Clarita outlines its list of priorities and every year, resolution on this issue is at the top of the list. Sending this letter to Secretary Bernhardt of the Department of the Interior gets us one step closer to that goal.”
City officials said Monday the congresswoman’s commitment to working toward a permanent resolution on the almost three-decades-old issue is appreciated.
“We look forward to working in close partnership with Rep. Hill to ensure we are putting our community first,” Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean said in the release.
“While this letter is just the start of my work on this issue,” Hill added, “I am committed to doing everything I can to end this dispute and deliver for the people of Santa Clarita.”
