September 30, 2022
Boulder County Commissioners Reject CEMEX’s Dowe Flats Mining Application
Boulder County, Colo. -- On Thursday (September 29), the Boulder County Commissioners voted 2-1 to deny Docket SU-22-0003, which would have allowed CEMEX to extend mining operations at the Dowe Flats quarry, north of State Highway 66, for an additional 15 years. The current permit, granted in 1994, expires today (September 30).
At a September 1 Public Meeting (continued from August 17), the county’s Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners deny the request.
The Commissioners’ decision was based on a failure by the applicants to meet Boulder County’s Land Use Code Special Review criteria. At the public hearing, area residents expressed opposition to the application, testifying that CEMEX’s proposed mitigation measures, such as shutting down the cement plant in 15 years and granting the county the ability to acquire 984 acres of open space, were insufficient to offset the impacts from continued operation of the mine.
Docket SU-22-0003 and Thursday’s decision apply to the mining operations at the Dowe Flats quarry only, and not the Lyons Quarry and cement plant (located south of State Highway 66).
The application was submitted to the county on May 3, 2022, and considered by the Planning Commission on August 17 and September 1. The county received written public comment and the Commissioners held a Public Hearing with more than six hours of public testimony on September 14. More information about the application and the application process and hearings can be found on the Docket SU-22-0003 website. The Commissioners’ September 29 meeting and deliberation can be viewed on the county’s website.
