RIDGEWAY – SC DHEC’s Bureau of Air Quality (BAQ) and Bureau of Land and Waste Management (BLWM) will hold a joint public meeting on Thursday, July 22 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Geiger Elementary School, 150 TM Cook Ln, Ridgeway, to discuss an application by Luck Stone Corporation to operate the proposed Fairfield I-77 Quarry.
In addition, a joint public hearing will be held on Thursday, Aug. 5 to accept written and verbal comments on the proposed project. The public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m., also at Geiger Elementary School.
Due to the number of COVID-19 cases in South Carolina, each public session (the meeting and the hearing) will also be online to give those who cannot attend the opportunity to participate remotely.
Anyone who plans to participate in the public hearing should complete the registration form prior to Aug. 5 by going to at https://scdhec.gov/LuckStoneFairfield.
If you are unable to access the webpage, or have questions about participating in the public hearing on Aug. 5, contact Monica Taylor no later than July 29 at (803) 898-7678, or by email at [email protected], to register and receive the meeting materials.
Luck Stone Corporation has requested environmental permits from DHEC to mine granite at a site located in the vicinity of the intersection of S.C. Highway 34 and Simpson Circle in Fairfield County, approximately 3.5 miles west of Ridgeway. A proposed reclamation plan to restore the site to lake/pond, grassland, and commercial has been submitted with the application.
The hearing will be conducted by a hearing officer designated by SC DHEC. If necessary, based on the number of requests for verbal comments received, a time limitation may be imposed on each commenter. The time may not be transferred to another speaker. Commenters will be called upon in random order. Written and verbal comments will be considered equally and included in the record of the decision.
Of the 416 acre site, 259.9 acres will be affected, and 77.9 acres will be reserved for future use. There will be 77.9 acres of buffer.
According to the permit, the mining process will include drilling, blasting, hauling and crushing the stone to usable size.
Interested parties may review the materials drafted and maintained by SC DHEC for this facility and submit written comments on the draft permit by the end of the public notice period listed above. Written comments will be accepted through close of business (5:00 p.m.) on August 20, 2021. Comments made during and after the public hearing may be considered when making a decision regarding the draft air construction permit.
Written comments can be submitted to the BAQ Public Notice Coordinator at the above SC DHEC address or by email at [email protected]. Comments should specify, in as much details as possible, the air quality related issues and if possible, identify the portion(s) of the state and/or federal air quality regulations that are of concern and have not been adequately addressed in the draft permit.
Copies of a draft permit or related documents may be requested in writing to the Freedom of Information Office; fees may apply.
The public notice, along with the draft permit and draft statement of basis, may be viewed through the end of the notice period on SC DHEC’s website at: http://www.scdhec.gov/PublicNotices/ and https://scdhec.gov/LuckStoneFairfield.
For more information, contact Jeremy Eddy, Bureau of Land and Waste Management Project Manager at 803-898-7609 or [email protected].
I am deeply concerned about the impact this will have upon our fresh water resources.