Lehigh Permanente Quarry Reclamation Plan Amendment Draft EIR

691 Pages·2011·34.57 MB·English

APPENDIX A
Scoping Report
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Draft Environmental Impact Report December 2011
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LEHIGH PERMANENTE QUARRY
RECLAMATION PLAN AMENDMENT
Scoping Report

Santa Clara County November 2011
Department of Planning & Development
Planning Office

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LEHIGH PERMANENTE QUARRY
RECLAMATION PLAN AMENDMENT
SScoping Report
Sannta Clara County NNovember 2011
Department of Planning & Development
Planning Office

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................1
2. Description of the Project ...........................................................................................2
Project Summary............................................................................................................2
Project Location..............................................................................................................2
3. Opportunities for Public Comment ............................................................................3
Notification......................................................................................................................3
Previous NOPs for Related Projects..............................................................................3
4. Summary of Scoping Comments ...............................................................................3
Commenting Parties.......................................................................................................4
Comments Received During the Scoping Process......................................................11
General Comments......................................................................................................11
Comments Not Relevant to CurrentProject.................................................................12
5. Consideration of Issues Raised in Scoping Process ............................................ 12
List of Tables
Table 1 Scoping Periods Included in this Report..................................................................2
Table 2 Parties Submitting Comments During the Lehigh Permanente Quarry
Reclamation Plan Amendment EIR Scoping Process.............................................4
Appendices
A. Notice of Preparationfor Project EIR........................................................................A-1
B. Notice of Preparation for the Comprehensive RPA EIR ..........................................B-1
C. Notice of Preparation for the East Materials Storage Area RPA EIR ......................C-1
D. Notice of Preparation for the 2007 ProposedRPA EIR ...........................................D-1
E. Written and Oral CommentsReceived During Scoping Periods..............................E-1
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SCOPING REPORT
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1. Introduction
This report summarizes the comments received by the Santa Clara County Department of
Planning and Development Planning Office during the public scoping period for the Permanente
Quarry Reclamation Plan Amendment (RPA, or Project) Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
The County is preparing this EIR to consider the environmental impacts that could be caused if
the application filed by Lehigh Southwest Cement Company (Lehigh, orApplicant) for the Project
were approved.1 The application for this Project supersedes three previous applications made by
the Applicant: the 2007 application to amend and expand the 1985 Reclamation Plan (the “2007
Proposed RPA”), the 2009 application to include the East Materials Storage Area (EMSA) within
the approved reclamation boundary (the “EMSA RPA”), and the 2010 application for a
comprehensive reclamation plan amendment (the “Comprehensive RPA”).
CEQA Guidelines Section 15083 provides that a “Lead Agency may… consult directly with any
person… it believes will be concerned with the environmental effects of the project.” Scoping is
the process of early consultation with affected agencies and the public prior to completion of a
Draft EIR. Section 15083(a) states that scoping can be “helpful to agencies in identifying the
range of actions, alternatives, mitigation measures, and significant effects to be analyzed in depth
in an EIR and in eliminating from detailed study issues found not to be important.” Scoping is an
effective way to bring together and consider the concerns of affected state, regional, and local
agencies, the project proponent, and other interested persons (CEQA Guidelines Section 15083(b)).
Scoping is not conducted to resolve differences concerning the merits of a project or to anticipate
the ultimate decision on a proposal. Rather, the purpose of scoping is to help ensure that a
comprehensive and focused EIR will be prepared that provides a firm basis for the decision-making
process.
This report is intended for use by the public to have access to and understand the comments
received during the scoping period. It includes written and oral comments received during the
scoping period for the Project, as well as comments received during the scoping periods for the
three prior applications to amend the existing reclamation plan: the 2007 Proposed RPA, the
EMSA RPA, and the Comprehensive RPA. The scoping periods for each project were as follows:

1 The County of Santa Clara Planning Office is the lead agency pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) for the preparation of an EIR for the Project.
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Scoping Report
TABLE 1
SCOPING PERIODS INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT
Project Name Scoping Period Began Scoping Period Ended
2007Proposed RPA EIR May 25, 2007 July 29, 2007
EMSA RPAEIR April 14, 2010 May 14, 2010
Comprehensive RPAEIR March 10, 2011 April 10, 2011
Lehigh Permanente Quarry RPA(Project) August 18, 2011 September 26, 2011
EIR
The Countywill use this report as a tool to ensure the preparation of a comprehensive and
focused EIR. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15082, all public comments will be
considered2in the EIR process.
2. Description of the Project
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The Project is a proposed amendment to the existing 1985 Reclamation Plan for the Permanente
Quarry.The Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) requires that surface mining
operations, such as the Permanente Quarry, have a lead agency-approved reclamation plan. The
Permanente Quarry has been in operation since at least as early as 1903, and in continuous
operation since 1939. Existing operations consist of mining of limestone and other materials and
processing these materials for use in aggregate rock products and cement.The Project proposes to
reclaim all areas at the Permanente Quarry that have beendisturbed by surface mining operations
since the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA)was adopted in 1975. Reclamation
activities would begin immediately upon Project approval and continue until 2025 or until
reclamation standards are met. The reclamation process would include backfilling the main
mining pit (the “North Quarry”) primarily with overburden materials now stored in the West
Materials Storage Area (WMSA). Overburden materials now stored in the EMSA would be
subject to final grading, contouring, and revegetation.
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The Project site is located in unincorporated Santa Clara County near the City of Cupertino, about
2miles west of the intersection of Interstate 280 and State Route 85, at 24001 Stevens Creek
Boulevard.The area proposed for reclamation (the “Project Area”) consists of the approximately
1,095-acres of the Applicant’s 3,510-acre ownershipthat has been disturbed by surface mining
operations since SMARA was adopted in 1975.
2 Comments not within the scope of CEQA will not be addressed as part of the CEQA process.
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