Local News in Brief : Santa Clarita Council Protests Forest Service Hearing Format

The Santa Clarita Council has voted to file a formal protest with the U.S. Forest Service over the unusual format of a public meeting held this week on a controversial proposal to open a mine just outside the city in the Angeles National Forest.

The council Thursday night labeled the meeting outrageous and appalling and said the Forest Service was trying to stifle public discourse on the proposed Black Diamond mine in Sand Canyon. United General Corp. has asked the Forest Service for permission to operate an open-pit mine that would produce iron silicate. The mine would be near several expensive homes.

The Forest Service held a public meeting Tuesday to collect testimony for an environmental impact report on the proposal but refused to let speakers address the audience. Instead, people spoke one-on-one with court reporters who entered their remarks into a record to be turned over to Forest Service officials.

Councilman Carl Boyer III said the format was “designed to defuse all public opposition” to the project. The council voted unanimously Thursday to file protests with the Forest Service and the area’s congressman, Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale). The council also instructed its attorney to study ways to block the project.

Richard Borden, a special projects coordinator for the Forest Service, defended the meeting, calling it an efficient way to record public comments on the proposal.