NOTE: As the primary reporter covering the ongoing stories about the proposed RMI quarry expansion, Post Independent Editor Taylor Cramer recused himself from the editorial board discussions and resulting stance on this topic.

The message couldn’t be louder, clearer and more in unison across the political spectrum. 

Don’t Mine Glenwood!

That’s been the rallying cry for over eight years now, as the Glenwood Springs Citizens Alliance and the broader community have remained steadfast in their opposition to repeated proposals for expanding the decades-old Mid-Continent Limestone Quarry that’s carved into the hillside off Transfer Trail north of town.

Even the current scaled-back plan offered by quarry owners Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI) — now under review by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — to expand the quarry’s footprint from roughly 20 acres to a little over 56 acres is an unacceptable compromise to a 2018 plan calling for 321 acres.

And there’s no guarantee the requests for future expansion won’t keep coming if RMI gets what it wants now.

On that front, it’s worth noting that the former expansion plan has never been formally withdrawn. Glenwood Springs city officials who traveled to Washington, D.C. on the lobbying trip in June were also advised that this and pretty much any new mining plans are being viewed favorably by the Trump administration.

Regardless of whether it’s this plan, that plan, or some other variation, the message to the BLM and the current stewards of the agency must continue to be amplified — no mining expansion at the expense of our tourism economy and existing quality of life.

It’s just not worth the very real risk of mining in that sensitive location resulting in damage to the delicate limestone formations that channel groundwater from the Flat Tops Wilderness, and ultimately feed the geothermal hot springs that help drive our local economy.

Not to mention the very real impacts on the community with the increase in truck traffic to and from the quarry that would come with any expansion, a visual scar on the mountainside that would only get bigger, air quality concerns, and increased wildfire risk.

We were elated to see the Republican 3rd District U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd join with Democratic U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper of Colorado in introducing the Glenwood Hot Springs Protection Act last week, in an effort to block the BLM from approving the plan.

Hurd acknowledged that responsible mining and resource development are important, but that the quarry is simply in the wrong location to do it responsibly.

Furthermore, “Responsible resource development … requires respecting the communities that live with the decisions that are made long after Washington has moved on,” Hurd said during a virtual press call with local officials, tribal representatives and community leaders.

Prior to that, a bipartisan group of current and former local elected officials bridged the political divide by coming together near the quarry site for a discussion with Sen. Hickenlooper and a call for action that led to the new bill being introduced.

There, Garfield County Commissioner Tom Jankovsky and former state Rep. Gregg Rippy, both Republicans and both supporters of responsible resource extraction, agreed the line must be drawn in certain locations.

Good corporate players should know that and should act accordingly. 

As Jankovsky said of RMI, “This company does not have a social license. Any mining company that comes into a community needs to have the community’s support, and they do not.”

RMI has already proven over and over again that it can’t play by the rules, with numerous compliance issues and federal, state and county permit violations over the years since it has owned the quarry.

Along the way, the BLM itself has been unwilling to enforce its own rules, or at least slow to do so. If it takes an act of Congress to take the reins out of their hands, then so be it.

Ultimately, it will take a unified effort to ensure a sound investment in Glenwood Springs’ future as a hospitable recreation hub.  

Protecting Glenwood Springs will require a unified effort and a long-term commitment to preserving what makes our community special. We need solutions that respect our environment, our residents, and the future of our local economy.  

Whether we like it or not, our economy depends on the health of our environment. This proposed expansion is not consistent with Glenwood Springs’ identity or values. It represents a short-term corporate decision with long-term consequences for a community that deeply values its land, its people, and its future.

Don’t Mine Glenwood!

The Post Independent Editorial Board is made up of community representatives John Stroud, Mark Fishbein and Amy Connerton, and Post Independent Editor Taylor Cramer.