It's a no go on the Jesse Morrow Mine project. For more than 10 years the mining project has been in the making. Fresno County Board of Supervisors heard an appeal of the project filed by the construction company Cemex after the County Planning Commission rejected the mine in May.“I couldn't be happier with the decision and in some degree I'm a little surprised,” said Jim Compton-Schmidt.
Hundreds of people were at the meeting Tuesday, mostly against the project that would have allowed the multinational construction company Cemex to mine 824 acres of the Sierra Foothills along highway 180. Leni Reeves spent 20 years in the E.R. at Children's Hospital Central California and she was concerned about air quality.
“You can't escape finding out that there are a lot of kids with asthma in this county and the environmental quality,” said Reeves.
It was the Environmental Impact Report that was the ultimate deciding factor. Some board members felt the date was too old and they wouldn't certify it. Meaning the project could then not go through.
“I'm open to it but I think all the questions have to be answered before we make a final call and obviously I wasn't ready to make that call today,” said Henry Perea, Board member.
There were many on hand supporting the company Cemex, wearing shirts saying “vote yes on jobs.”
“We're understandably disappointed that the board did not approve our application, we felt and we still feel that this is a great project for the county. it would generate jobs and bring a lot of benefits to the citizen's of Fresno county,” said Sara Engdahl, rep. for Cemex.
Cemex says it's too early to know where they'll go from here, whether they will appeal the decision or rewrite the environmental impact report and present it again to the board.
