FILLMORE : Growers, City Argue Against Mine Permit

An attorney for the city of Fillmore and local citrus ranchers argued in court Monday that 500 acres on Boulder Creek west of the city should not have been classified a significant mining resource.

The city and ranchers had sued the state Mining and Geology Board a year ago after Southern Pacific Milling Co., which wants to mine gravel in the area, received the resource designation.

Superior Court Judge William Peck took the issue under study after hearing arguments from both sides and the mining company in the case.

SP Milling has filed an application with the county’s planning division to mine the site. The land is now used for citrus farming, and surrounding ranchers oppose the mining operation, contending that it may harm their crops.

Susan Brandt-Hawley, an attorney for the city and the ranchers, said that securing the mining resource designation would make it easier for the company to eventually get permission from the county to mine the site.

She maintained that the classification should not have been given because SP Milling had not followed required guidelines and shown that there was an imminent threat of losing the mineral resource because of surrounding development. She said the area has always been used for agricultural purposes, and no development is planned.

However, Allen F. Camp, representing the mining company, contended that the threat “doesn’t have to be the taking of a shovel and the digging of dirt.” He said that historically there has been a trend toward large agricultural holdings being subdivided, making mining the area more difficult.

Deputy Atty. Gen. William Cunningham said the designation was properly given by the board. He said it is designed to help communities identify the location of mining resources.