MRL Decision

June 30, 2004

 
In the face of enormous public opposition, the Jefferson County Commissioners today approved a 690-acre Mineral Resource Land (MRL) Overlay for the second time.  They originally approved it in December 2002, but lost an appeal to the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board (WWGMHB) because of inadequate environmental impact studies.

The decision today ignored guidance from the WWGMHB to include certain aspects of the infamous pit to pier project in the environmental review.  It also ignored the guidance of the WWGMHB which concluded that the mineral resources in question were already protected by the existing commercial forest zoning.

Nonetheless, the three commissioners approved a mining district of about a square mile for Fred Hill Materials who plans to dig a large hole in the ground, crush rock into gravel and ship it by conveyor belt to a nine-story tall,1000-foot pier on Hood Canal.  There it will be loaded onto acre-size barges and aircraft carrier-sized ships for transport to markets on the West Coast and beyond.  Fred Hill Materials has already applied for permits to mine gravel and build the conveyor belt and pier.

To soften the obvious negative, political implications in an election year, the commissioners indicated as part of the approval that they currently feel that the pit to pier project may not be able to satisfy various environmental requirements when the permitting process matures. Commissioners Glen Huntingford and Dan Titterness are both seeking re-election in November, 2004.