Thoughts on Mining (Hermosa32) & Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors does not have the power to determine whether or not the Hermosa32 mining project gets implemented in Santa Cruz County--but they do have the power to determine how that mining project is implemented. 

The Board of Supervisors can and should work with Hermosa32--and all the people and powers-that-be--to compromise on how to protect our community from the state's or federal government's decisions. 

I understand that plans were discussed to send 18-wheel trucks full of hazardous materials from Patagonia to Rio Rico for processing by way of the Patagonia Highway (82), likely down North River Rd. or South River Rd. 

I live on South River Rd. and my family's nonprofit, The Santa Fe Ranch Foundation, is on North River Rd. 

In other words, the discussion of where to send these dangerous trucks (aka how to implement the state's decision to allow this mining project to occur here) directly impacts my life and the lives of my family, friends, and neighors. It impacts your life also, given the potential of the hazardous materialson on those trucks to negatively impact the entire County's health if there is an accident. 

And there will almost certainly be an accident, according to statistics. 

In Disctrict 1, it seems like there is no one actively negotiating with the powers-that-be to ensure that plans for this mine focus on protecting our community, on preventing as much as harm as possible.

Kino Springs shows us what NO action, NO creativity, and NO public-private-partnerships leads to. 

I do not want to wait to see what will happen if our local representatives do not publicly and noticeably step up to: 

1) help organize our community so that our unique voices get heard (by neighborhood or section), 

2) hear us and then speak for us to ensure that we get as many benefits as possible with as few costs as possible, and 

3) take responsibility for results. 

Statements have been made that our Supervisor has "been able to really participate at a national level" and that the Board has consistently lobbied to protect local interests. 

So far, on a County level, I have not really noticed. 

It is very important that we see how our representatives have worked to negotiate good deals on the community's behalf, particularly vis-a-vis the Hermosa32 mining project. 

The Board may not be able to stop it, but they can make sure it is done in a way that serves our community as much as possible and hurts us as little as possible.