Cushenbury Mine Expansion

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has authorized Mitsubishi Cement Corporation to proceed with the Cushenbury Mine Expansion, which includes developing two new quarries—the South Quarry and the West Pit—on 278.2 acres in San Bernardino County. The project involves extensive site preparation such as clearing, grading, excavation, vegetation removal, road construction, and blasting to extract limestone over a 120-year operational timeline for the South Quarry, while the West Pit is already under development and expected to operate for decades. To support mining operations, a temporary construction road and a permanent haul road will be built. The project will result in the incidental take of 2,896 western Joshua trees, a species protected under both the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act and the California Endangered Species Act. The issued Incidental Take Permit (No. 1927-ITP-2024-083-06) legally permits this take as part of the project’s implementation, contingent on compliance with species conservation measures and long-term reclamation requirements. Public points of contact include San Bernardino County Planner Rueben Arceo and California DFW Senior Environmental Scientist Dr. Shankar Sharma, reflecting joint oversight between local and state entities.