Craven Pit Quarry Expansion Project

The Merced County Planning Commission certified the Jaxon Enterprises, Inc. Mine Expansion and Reclamation Plan, Merced County, California, Final Environmental Impact Report (State Clearinghouse [SCH] No. 2003021087) in May 2008 for the expansion and continued operation of an existing aggregate mining operation in an unincorporated area of Merced County, California. The certified 2008 Environmental Impact Report (2008 EIR) evaluated the environmental effects associated with expansion of the existing mining operation, increased aggregate extraction, modifications to mining operations, and implementation of a revised reclamation plan (original project). Following certification of the 2008 EIR, the County approved the original project under CUP No. 99-009. Consistent with State CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15378, since the project applicant is proposing changes to a previously approved project that was the subject of a certified EIR, the proposed project consists only of the changes to the previously approved project that could have a direct or indirect physical effect on the environment. These changes include expanding the permitted area of disturbance to allow the mining of aggregate material at the 160-acre Jeepster Farms parcel through 2047, which would increase the lifetime extraction of aggregate material from 6 million tons to 8 million tons. The proposed project would also increase the active disturbance cap from 60 acres to 80 acres at any one time and would remove all phasing limitations. The depth of excavation is anticipated to increase from 23 feet bgs to 33 feet bgs. No other changes to operations or the reclamation plan as described in the 2008 EIR are proposed, with the exception of a minor increase in internal truck trip length for transport of material from the Jeepster Farms parcel to the processing facilities at the existing mining operation. The proposed project would authorize extraction of an additional 2 million tons of aggregate material between 2027 and 2047. Annual extraction and marketed material across the existing aggregate mine and the Jeepster Farms parcel would be limited to 550,000 tons and 500,000 tons, respectively, consistent with the 2008 EIR and CUP No. 99-009. The proposed increase in the active disturbance area from 60 acres to 80 acres is intended to provide additional operational flexibility by allowing mining to occur in different portions of the combined mining area based on aggregate quality, sequencing, and market demand while maintaining an overall limit on the acreage actively disturbed at any one time. Mining operations at the Jeepster Farms parcel would use the same general mining methods, equipment types, processing facilities, workforce, and operational practices as those described in the 2008 EIR. Aggregate would continue to be extracted using conventional surface mining equipment, including excavators, loaders, and haul trucks, and transported via internal haul roads to the existing processing facilities. No expansion of the processing plant, asphalt batch plant, or permanent support facilities is proposed. The project would not increase annual extraction or processing capacity, require additional employees, or result in increased truck traffic on the public roadway network. Site access would continue to use the existing entrances, with only minor extensions to the internal haul road network necessary to serve the Jeepster Farms parcel. Lastly, the proposed project would also amend the reclamation plan for the existing aggregate mine to include an area that was mined outside of the permitted area and approve a new reclamation plan for the Jeepster Farms parcel. Consistent with the plans for the existing aggregate mining phases, reclamation of mined areas would occur as soon as feasible, with slopes graded at a 3:1 ratio followed by the replacement of overburden and topsoil, and revegetation to match existing nearby vegetated areas. Mining activities proposed for the Jeepster Farms parcel would be authorized under a newly issued Conditional Use Permit, CUP No. 24-004, which is being processed independently from the existing CUP No. 99-009. Although the proposed operation represents an expansion of the existing aggregate mining area previously associated with CUP No. 99-009, CUP No. 24-004 would govern all mining-related activities within the Jeepster Farms parcel and would function as a distinct entitlement from the original permit. Mining and reclamation activities at the existing aggregate mine would be permitted under CUP No. 25-018 as described herein going forward.