RIDGEWAY – SC DHEC’s Bureau of Air Quality (BAQ) and Bureau of Land and Waste Management (BLWM) will hold a joint public hearing on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, 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.
The purpose of the hearing is to accept written and verbal comments on the proposed project.
Due to the number of COVID-19 cases in South Carolina, the public hearing will also be online to give interested persons who cannot attend the hearing the opportunity to participate remotely.
Anyone who plans to participate in the public hearing had to complete the registration form prior to August 5, 2021, by going to at https://scdhec.gov/LuckStoneFairfield.
If you have questions about participating in the public hearing on Aug. 5, contact Monica Taylor at (803) 898-7678, or by email at [email protected].
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. The quarry is expected to draw 100,000 gallons of water from the ground each day.
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 other 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].
