Washington, DC – Rep. Katie Hill (D-Agua Dulce) has sent a letter to the Interior Board of Land Appeals requesting that immediate action be taken to resolve the dispute between the city of Santa Clarita and Cemex USA.

“The Cemex mine has long troubled this community,” Hill said. “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. While this letter is just the start of my work on this issue, I am committed to doing everything I can to end this dispute and deliver for the people of Santa Clarita.”

Cemex has proposed 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 would encompass 490 acres with a split estate.

The city of Santa Clarita owns the surface, and the Bureau of Land Management owns the underlying mineral estate. The city has strongly opposed the siting of this large-scale mine so close to the community.

“The city deeply appreciates that Rep. Hill and her office are committed to working toward a permanent resolution to this almost three-decades-old issue,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean. “We look forward to working in close partnership with Rep. Hill to ensure we are putting our community first.”

Text of the letter can be found below.

U.S. Rep. Katie Hill, D-Agua Dulce.

* * * * *

March 15, 2019
The Honorable David Bernhardt
Acting Secretary
United States Department of the Interior
1849 C Street
Washington, D.C. 20240
Re: IBLA 2015-0266

Appeal of California State Director’s Decision Regarding Material Minerals Contracts
CA-20139 and CA-22901

Dear Secretary Bernhardt:

I am writing to request your assistance in facilitating a decision by the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) at the earliest possible opportunity in regards to the appeal of the California State Director’s Decision terminating Mineral Materials Contracts CA-20139 and CA-22901. While I recognize that this is an administrative judicial process outside of the direct scope of your office, any assistance that you can provide in facilitating an early decision would be most welcomed.

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. The ongoing dispute over the contracts at hand has gone on for nearly twenty years and my constituents in the City of Santa Clarita and surrounding communities in California’s 25th Congressional district require a timely solution on this matter of critical importance.

The City of Santa Clarita is my hometown. It is one of the busiest metropolitan suburbs in the country, and home to some of the hardest working and most passionate individuals I have ever met. They deserve answers and they deserve action.

Thank you for your consideration of my request and I look forward to working with you to bring this matter to a satisfactory resolution.

Sincerely,

Katie Hill
Member of Congress