Citizen Group Still Fighting Vulcan Air Quality Permit

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
December 29, 2019
(Subscription required, full print version available here)

The air quality permit for the Comal County Vulcan Quarry may have been officially granted, but local anti-quarry environmental groups aren’t backing down in their fight against the permit and quarry. Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry and Friends of Dry Comal Creek have filed a motion for rehearing their case in opposition to the permit requested by Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC. The permit was granted in November, making way for the construction of a 1,500-acre limestone-mining quarry and rock crushing plant at State Highway 46 and FM 3009….

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Fight Against Vulcan Goes On

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
December 26, 2019
(Subscription required, full editorial available here)

As 2019 draws to a close, Preserve Our Hill Country Environment and Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry are so grateful to all our supporters and volunteers in the ongoing battle against the huge, 1500-acre quarry planned by Vulcan Construction Materials between New Braunfels and Bulverde. Over the past two years, with your help, our team has achieved many key accomplishments. Vulcan has not started construction or operation of the proposed quarry….

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New Braunfels Citizen Groups File Motion Against Vulcan Quarry Air Quality Permit

Community Impact Newspaper
December 23, 2019

A new rock-crushing facility planned to be located on a 1,500-acre limestone quarry between Bulverde and New Braunfels was granted an air quality permit in November. In June 2017, Vulcan Construction Materials LLC submitted an air quality permit request to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The request was granted Nov. 21, 2019 after a hearing in which commissioners heard arguments from landowners and residents that opposed the quarry. In response to the decision passed by the TCEQ, local groups Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry and Friends of Dry Comal Creek filed a motion Dec. 16 for a rehearing of their case. The case was filed by Frederick, Perales, Allmon & Rockwell, P.C., a law firm representing more than 100 individuals and associations opposing the quarry….

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Quarry Opponents Seek Rehearing

San Antonio Express-News
December 20, 2019

Groups opposed to the construction of a 1,500-acre limestone quarry in Comal County for Vulcan Materials have asked for a rehearing by the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Two state administrative judges ruled Vulcan had met its burden of proof to be issued an air discharge permit by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The commissioners granted the air permit in November….

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Quarry Opponents Request Rehearing

myCanyonLake.com
December 20, 2019

Friends of Dry Comal Creek and Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry are challenging the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) November 20 decision to issue an air-quality permit for the proposed Vulcan Quarry. On Thursday, the community activist groups announced they have filed a motion for rehearing their case with the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). Joining in the appeal are citizen groups of 100 individuals and associations opposing the quarry….

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TCEQ Adds Air Quality Monitors, Hoping to Quell Quarry Concerns

San Antonio Business Journal
December 16, 2019

In an effort to appease residents in the San Antonio area unhappy with the proliferation of limestone quarries, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality installed two new air quality monitors. An internet search shows the monitors in Bexar and Comal counties went into operation Friday and join about 20 other air quality monitors according to Google Maps….

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Controversial Limestone Quarry Passes Permitting Hurdle

San Antonio Business Journal
November 25, 2019

A Comal County limestone quarry is one step closer to breaking ground after passing a major permitting hurdle Thursday. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved an air quality permit for a Vulcan Materials Co. rock-crushing facility that will sit on a 1,500-acre quarry between Bulverde and New Braunfels. The quarry will be used for mining limestone, a major component in construction materials….

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TCEQ Approves Air Permit for Vulcan Quarry: Opponents Ready to File Motion for Reconsideration

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
November 21, 2019
(Subscription required, full print version available: part 1, part 2)

Despite a large showing of protestors and a request for postponement from state Rep. Kyle Biedermann, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s commissioners approved the air quality permit for the proposed Vulcan quarry in Comal County Wednesday morning. The approval to grant the permit makes way for the construction of a 1,500-acre limestone-mining quarry and rock crushing plant, and follows the move for approval made by SOAH judges in September….

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Vulcan Quarry Air Permit on TCEQ Commissioners’ Agenda

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
November 20, 2019
(Subscription required, full print version available here)

The proposed Comal County Vulcan quarry’s pending air permit will be the first item on the TCEQ Commissioners’ meeting this morning in Austin, and anti-quarry advocates are hoping to make a strong showing against final approval. The attorney representing Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry and Friends of Dry Comal Creek will speak during a short allotted time before commissioners consider the proposed decision recommended in September by the State Office of Administrative Hearings administrative judges to approve the permit….

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TCEQ to Decide Fate of Vulcan Quarry

myCanyonLake.com
November 15, 2019

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has placed the controversial Vulcan Quarry on its Wednesday meeting agenda. TCEQ commissioners will consider a September 3 decision by the State Office of Administrative Hearing (SOAH) administrative law judges that Vulcan Materials has met its burden of proof and should be awarded the draft air quality permit it needs to proceed with its project in Comal County….

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A World Rocked: Communities Clamor for Regulation as Texas Mining Industry Explodes

Austin American-Statesman
September 20, 2019

…When some Comal County residents learned two years ago that Vulcan Materials planned to mine for the next 80 years on a 1,500-acre tract stretching nearly 3 miles southwest of Texas 46 and FM 3009, between New Braunfels and Bulverde, they got busy trying to block its air quality permit for rock crushing equipment. They formed a group called Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry and filed paperwork with the TCEQ to oppose the permit after Vulcan received tentative approval….

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Quarries Pose a Risk to Local Caves, Water

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
September 19, 2019
(Subscription required, full editorial and photos available here)

Comal County continues to provide new and exciting underground surprises. The proposal to convert 1500 acres of Hill Country land to an open-pit mine and limestone quarry, and the deluge of recent applications to discharge wastewater into pristine streams and creeks, has ignited interest in Comal County’s natural resources and unique environmental features. In June, local landowners discovered a brand-new chamber in Double Decker Cave on their property. Located in between the proposed Vulcan quarry site and Natural Bridge Caverns, Double Decker now measures over 1100 feet in length, with a depth of over 100 feet….

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Two Proposed Projects Cause Concern for Residents of Comal County

San Antonio Business Journal
September 6, 2019

A controversial limestone quarry set to be built in Comal County moved closer to construction this week at the same time that county residents took on a proposed concrete batch plant in administrative court. On Tuesday, a pair of administrative law judges from the State Office of Administrative Hearings recommended that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality grant an air quality permit to Vulcan Materials Co. for the construction of a limestone crusher and quarry in Bulverde….

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Comal County Residents Fight Proposed Rock-Crushing Quarry

Spectrum News San Antonio
September 4, 2019

After a contested case hearing this past summer, Austin judges issued a recommendation to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to approve an air quality permit for a proposed rock-crushing Quarry that would be located in the Hill Country. The recommendation is a step in the right direction for Vulcan Materials, the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregate like crushed stone and gravel. Judges determined the company “met its burden of proof” and recommended TCEQ approve the draft permit. For residents in the area, it’s a crushing blow. “The fight is clearly not over, this is not a done deal yet,” David Drewa director of communications for Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry said. “We now go on to the next steps in the process and we’ll continue to fight to protect the natural resources of the Hill Country and to protect the health of our families.​…”

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Controversial 1,500-Acre Open-Pit Quarry One Step Closer to Reality

KSAT 12 TV San Antonio
September 4, 2019

The proposed 1,500-acre, open-pit limestone quarry pit project between Bulverde and New Braunfels is one step closer to becoming reality. State Office of Administrative Hearings judges Rebecca Smith and Victor Simonds announced their decision Tuesday to approve an air permit application for the Comal Vulcan Materials Quarry, according to the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. The permit, which Vulcan applied for in June 2017, has been highly contested by area residents. Residents in the area are concerned about air pollution, increased truck traffic, decreased property values, endangered water resources, and additional environmental impacts….

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Controversial Comal Quarry Clears Regulatory Hurdle

San Antonio Express-News
September 3, 2019

A 1,500-acre open pit limestone quarry that Vulcan Materials wants to operate in rural Comal County got the green light Tuesday from two judges in the State Office of Administrative Hearings. In ruling that the company had met its burden of proof to be issued an air discharge permit by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the judges delivered a crushing blow to local groups that oppose the quarry. “While this is certainly not the outcome we had hoped for in the contested case hearing, and we strongly disagree with their conclusion, the SOAH decision isn’t entirely unexpected, and this fight is far from over,” said David Drewa, a leader of the Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry group….

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Judges Clear Way for Vulcan Quarry Air Permit

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
September 3, 2019
(Subscription required, full print version available here)

The proposed Comal County Vulcan Materials quarry looks like it will receive its air permit, moving the 1,500-acre limestone-mining quarry and rock crushing plant another step closer to reality. State Office of Administrative Hearings administrative office law judges Rebecca Smith and Victor Simonds concluded the weeks-long contested case hearing on the air permit application for the proposed Comal Vulcan Materials Quarry Tuesday, announcing the decision that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality should approve and issue the air permit to build the quarry at Highway 46 and FM 3009….

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Proposed Quarry in Comal County Clears a Hurdle

KTSA 550 AM/107.1 FM Radio San Antonio
September 3, 2019

The proposed Vulcan Materials Quarry in Comal County is one step closer to becoming a reality. State Office of Administrative hearings judges are recommending approval of an air permit application, despite opposition from a couple of groups, Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry and Friends of Dry Comal Creek. The final decision on the air permit lies with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. “This is one step in a long process,” said David Drewa, a spokesman for the opposing groups. “There are still opportunities to appeal this decision on the air quality permit….”

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Judge Rules Vulcan Quarry Should be Given Permit

WOAI News 4 TV San Antonio
September 3, 2019

A dispute pitting landowners against a proposed rock quarry was decided by a judge Tuesday. The judge here ruling against the citizens group in Comal County trying to stop the Vulcan Quarry. The group has been arguing for years that the quarry would be bad for their air quality. The judge today ruling the Texas Commission on Environment quality should give Vulcan permits. So now the citizens group is shifting its focus to the TCEQ, telling us the fight is far from over….

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Residents Fight to Protect Texas Hill Country from Hazardous Quarry

Public Citizen
August 21, 2019

Hundreds of citizens and groups in Comal County continue fighting against Vulcan Construction Materials’ proposed 1500-acre limestone quarry, located over the Edwards Aquifer between New Braunfels and Bulverde, just north-east of San Antonio….

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Vulcan, Anti-Quarry Groups Await Judge’s Decision

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
August 8, 2019

Within the next month, residents of Comal County will have an answer about a submitted air quality permit that would allow the building of a Vulcan Quarry. With both Vulcan Quarry and anti-quarry groups having submitted closing arguments in their State Office of Administrative Hearings case, SOAH Administrative Law Judge Rebecca Smith has a little less than a month to render a decision on the permit submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality….

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Neighbors Fight Proposed Quarry North of San Antonio

WOAI News 4 TV San Antonio
June 20, 2019

Homeowners are taking on a multi-billion dollar company that plans to build a large quarry just north of San Antonio. The Trouble Shooters find out why they say the government isn’t doing enough to help. “This was my dream home,” neighbor Milann Guckian says. She saved money for 20 years, and no sooner did the home get built and she retired there that a letter came in the mail saying three miles of ranchland across the street had been sold to Vulcan Materials Company….

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Comal County Residents Fight Proposed Rock-Crushing Quarry

Spectrum News San Antonio
June 20, 2019

The nation’s largest producer of construction aggregate like crushed stone and gravel, Vulcan Materials, is planning to build its next rock-crushing quarry in Comal County. Milann Guckian lives nestled in the Hill Country and was planning on taking it easy after retirement, living across from a working ranch. “I was going to be surrounded by cows and my best friend Lizzie. I was a happy camper when we retired,” said Guckian. But Guckian said that’s no longer the case….

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Dust Left Unsettled in Controversial Quarry’s Case Hearing

Sierra Club, Lone Star Chapter
June 18, 2019

The contested case hearing against Vulcan Materials Company concluded last Tuesday, June 11. The hearing allowed for residents of Comal County, along with organizations like Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry and Friends of Dry Comal Creek, to show their opposition of the proposed site for a new rock quarry, and make their cases for why the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) should not approve Vulcan’s permit. In addition to the risk of severe health effects from the dust from quarry operations, the site would threaten endangered species and the Edward’s Aquifer….

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Vulcan Hearing Wraps Early

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
June 12, 2019
(Subscription required)

The public portion of the contested case hearing on the proposed Comal Vulcan Materials quarry concluded Tuesday, a day ahead of schedule. Closing arguments will be written, and opponents will have a chance to submit a written response to the other side’s arguments within the next few weeks, which will formally conclude the hearing. State Office of Administrative Hearings administrative office law judge Rebecca Smith will have until Sept. 3 to render a decision on what actions the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality should take on the air permit application to build a 1,500-acre limestone-mining quarry and rock crushing plant at Highway 46 and FM 3009….

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Contested Case Hearing Underway for Controversial New Quarry Site

Sierra Club, Lone Star Chapter
June 11, 2019

Residents of Comal County and other surrounding areas are fighting for their health and the environment as the contested case hearing for 3009 Vulcan Quarry is underway. The hearing is to determine whether the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) should grant, deny, or alter Vulcan Materials Company’s air quality permit application. Vulcan, the Alabama-based aggregate mining and production company, is hoping to inflate their portfolio of quarries in Texas by 1,500 acres of pristine Hill Country in order to mine, quarry, and crush limestone. The proposed site is situated between Bulverde and New Braunfels on FM 3009….

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Long Anticipated Vulcan Hearing Begins in Austin

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
June 11, 2019
(Subscription required)

The contested case hearing on the proposed Comal Vulcan quarry kicked off Monday morning in Austin with opening statements and arguments. In what many anti-quarry protesters deemed a small victory, administrative law judge Rebecca Smith from the State Office of Administrative Hearings allowed last minute evidence by anti-quarry Harrison Ranch Group to be submitted for review in the hearing….

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Quarry Battle Moves to Austin June 10

myCanyonLake.com
June 9, 2019

The battle to prevent Vulcan Materials Company from turning the old Eric White ranch near FM 3009 and SH-46 into a 1,500-acre limestone rock quarry and crushing plant continues at 9 a.m. tomorrow, June 10, at the William P. Clements Office Building, fourth floor, 300 West 15th St., Austin. State Office of Administrative Hearings Administrative Law Judge Rebecca Smith will hear expert testimony and legal arguments for and against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) air-quality permit needed to greenlight Vulcan’s project….

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Vulcan Quarry Hearing to Start Monday

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
June 9, 2019
(Subscription required)

The contested case hearing to determine what action the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality should take on the air quality permit application to build a quarry between Bulverde and New Braunfels kicks off Monday morning. The hearing is the next step in the legal battle over the construction of a proposed 1,500-acre limestone-mining quarry and rock crushing plant that would be located at Highway 46 and FM 3009. The hearing is set for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. A ruling decision will not have to be made by a judge from the State Office of Administrative Hearings until Sept. 3….

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No Delay in Hearing on Quarry Plan

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
May 16, 2019
(Subscription required)

After an administrative judge at the State Office of Administrative Hearings denied a motion Tuesday to compel Vulcan Materials Company to disclose additional information to opponents, a contested case hearing will proceed in June as regularly scheduled. The hearing is the next step in legal battle over the construction of a proposed 1,500-acre quarry that would be built between New Braunfels and Bulverde. Earlier this month, a motion was filed by attorneys for the Friends of Dry Comal Creek and Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry in ongoing legal proceedings to compel Alabama-based Vulcan to disclose additional core sample data….

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Quarry Opponents File for Continuance

myCanyonLake.com
May 7, 2019

Community activists fighting development of a proposed rock quarry at Highway 46 and FM 3009 say Vulcan Materials is ignoring their request to hand over critical information they need to prepare for a June 10-12 trial that will determine the fate of the controversial project. On May 3, Friends of Dry Comal Creek and Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry filed a motion to compel the aggregate producer to provide core sample data about the silica concentration of the limestone it plans to mine on the 1,500-acre property in the heart of a residential area between Bulverde and New Braunfels….

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Residents Spoke at Final Hearing Before Fate of Project is Decided

Community Impact Newspaper
April 30, 2019

The six-month-long contested case proceeding regarding an air quality permit for Vulcan Construction Materials began March 6 at the Comal County Courthouse. Approximately 200 area residents gathered in the courtroom to protest the permit for a quarry and rock-crusher to be built along State Highway 46 and FM 3009. After two public comment periods in 2017 and 2018, the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) turned the case over to the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) which will conduct the proceedings….

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Biedermann’s Quarry Bill Heads to Committee

myCanyonLake.com
April 16, 2019

A quarry bill introduced by Canyon Lake’s State Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R-73) goes before the Texas House’s Environmental Regulation Committee on Wednesday, and community and environmental activists who oppose the development of a rock quarry in central Comal County plan on testifying in favor of the measure. H.B. 3798 would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to perform an aggregate production-operation (APO) air-quality study that would force the agency to validate its air models based on real-time data and to confirm whether aggregate-production operations like the proposed Vulcan Quarry would negatively impact public health….

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Biedermann’s Quarry Bill Undergoes Hearings

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
April 14, 2019
(Subscription required)

District 73 State Rep. Kyle Biedermann’s bill that would tighten regulatory authority over the state’s rock-crushing aggregate facilities held a public hearing before a House committee on Monday. “Yesterday, I laid out one of my quarry bills, HB 2871, in the Energy Resources Committee,” said Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg. “It would (shift) oversight of the permitting process of rock quarries from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to the Texas Railroad Commission. This bill is common-sense legislation and will provide long-term protections for private property owners living near rock quarries, as well more effective oversight of the industry by the Railroad Commission….”

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A Better View of Vulcan’s Quarry Locations

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
March 24, 2019
(Subscription required)

I read with interest the March 6 article, ‘Vulcan Commits to Comal,’ about Vulcan’s commitment to the needs of Comal County. It did leave me wondering, though, why Vulcan felt the need of an artist’s rendering of the aesthetically pleasing nature of the proposed operation when they could simply have illustrated it with their existing quarries….

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Biedermann Introduces Two Quarry Bills

myCanyonLake.com
March 19, 2019

Two bills introduced to the Texas legislature earlier this month by Canyon Lake’s House Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R-73) could strengthen the state’s regulatory authority over mining operations like Vulcan Materials’ proposed rock quarry at Highway 46 and FM 3009. One of the bills might even halt development of the controversial 1500-acre open-pit limestone quarry in a high-density residential area of central Comal County, between Bulverde, Spring Branch, Garden Ridge, and New Braunfels….

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Residents, Vulcan Materials Bicker Over Proposed Comal County Quarry

News Radio 1200 WOAI
March 12, 2019

Vulcan Materials Corporation has received a draft air permit for its proposed rock crushing plant in Comal County, but opponents of the facility say the fight has just begun, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports. The permit indicates that the Texas Commission on Envrionmental Quality is convinced that the plant will meet all specified air quality standards. The next step is a public hearing before a hearing examiner, which is expected to take place this summer….

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Local Group Trying to Stop Vulcan Projects

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
March 12, 2019
(Subscription required, full article available here)

The Texas Hill Country boasts a wealth of environmental, cultural, and economic resources within its 18,000 square miles. Defined by unique geologic features, vistas and bluffs, canyons and caves, valleys and streams, plants and animals, it presents an ideal setting for habitation and recreation by those who enjoy nature. Unfortunately, our beautiful Hill Country and natural resources are endangered by the aggressive expansion of mining corporations purchasing agricultural land to take advantage of the extremely profitable demand for cement, gravel, asphalt, and other aggregate products. The aggregate industry and their shell companies now own over 25,000 acres in Comal County (seven percent of the entire county land area)….

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SOAH Judge Rules in Favor of Quarry Opponents

myCanyonLake.com
March 8, 2019

An extremely vocal coalition of area ranchers, business people, ex-military personnel and retired professionals convinced Administrative Law Judge Rebecca Smith to grant them “affected-party” status at a March 6 hearing to determine who has the right to challenge a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) air permit that would allow Vulcan Construction Materials to turn the old Eric White Ranch near FM 3009 and SH-46 into a 1,500-acre open-pit limestone quarry….

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Hundreds Arrive for Vulcan Quarry Permit Hearing in Comal County

WOAI News 4 TV San Antonio
March 6, 2019

Residents fighting back against a rock crushing plant that they say will have an immediate impact on their lives. Right now, the air is clean, the roads are smooth and there’s not much noise, but the people here fear that could all change with the opening of a 1,500-acre quarry….

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Packed House for Vulcan Quarry Permit Hearing

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
March 6, 2019
(Subscription required, more information available here)

The Comal County Courthouse had a full house Wednesday morning for the SOAH preliminary hearing for the proposed Vulcan quarry permit. People who were not named an affected party were hoping for their last chance to be named such at the preliminary hearing for the upcoming contested case hearing. When all was said and done, about 80 households, or about 200 people, were added to the affected persons list….

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Is Comal County at a “Point of Deciding?”

myCanyonLake.com
March 5, 2019

The fight over Vulcan Quarry isn’t just about aggregate. Elected officials say it’s also about property rights and local control. Activists say it’s about quality of life and determining whether Comal County wants to be a tourist destination or a quarry county….

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Quarry Hearing Scheduled for Wednesday

myCanyonLake.com
March 5, 2019

Property owners and other stakeholders trying to keep Vulcan Construction Materials from developing a 1,500-acre open-pit limestone quarry at FM 3009 and SH 46 are expected to pack Comal County Commissioners Courtroom 9 a.m. Wednesday for a preliminary administrative hearing to determine who has the legal right to challenge the air quality permit Vulcan needs to proceed…..

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Senate Bill 694 Doesn’t Go Far Enough

San Antonio Express-News
February 25, 2019

State Sen. Donna Campbell is touting her latest piece of legislation, supposedly aimed at tightening restrictions on aggregate production operations (e.g., quarries, cement batch plants, etc.) Careful reading suggests Senate Bill 694 is nothing more than an attempt to not alienate the industry….

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Quarry Foes Prepare for March Hearing

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
February 2, 2019
(Subscription required, more information available here)

Opponents to a permit for a proposed limestone quarry in Comal County will have a chance to plead their case in March. A date has been set for a preliminary hearing to a contested case hearing on Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC’s controversial air quality permit for a proposed limestone quarry. Set for Wednesday, March 6 at 9 a.m. in the main courtroom at the Comal County Courthouse, the preliminary hearing by the State Office of Administrative Hearings will be a chance for people or groups to request to be named an affected party….

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