Is Applying for Mineral Mining Rights within the City Limits of Cleveland Newsworthy?

It would probably depend on your viewpoint.  I would say that the residents on Sky Lane and near Bradley Road would be very interested in Mineral Mining Permit #10428.  The public notice for this application was placed in the Plain Dealer beginning in February.  I went on line to www.Cleveland.com [1] to find one of the public notices by scanning the classifieds but gave it up as a futile endeavor.  The public notices are included with the classifieds and not searchable as far as I could tell.

I decided to call the Ohio Department of Natural Resources [2] to ask for a copy of the permit application.  The very helpful state employee told me that the original application could have been revised several times so that the one he had available to send might not have up-to-the-minute information. He said he would answer my questions if he could.

Who applied for the permit?   Ty Inc. [3] out of Independence Ohio

Where were the public notices advertised? They advertised in the Plain Dealer that they would be mining for sand and clay.

He suggested that he tell me what they planned to do.  They will be using heavy equipment to extract the sand and clay.  This will be open pit mining .  In an open pit mining situation,the site must be reclaimed.  They plan to use the soil and restore the site to a condition as close to original as possible.

 What is the time frame? It is a fifteen year permit.

How do they plan to reclaim the site?  It will be an open, vegetative site with a big pond.  He told me it actually would be a water impoundment feature.  He began to explain what water impoundment is. I asked him if it was like  water impoundment used when strip mining for coal.  The answer was: yes.  He then went on to tell me that the contouring  would be a 3/1slope and rolled erosion webbing around the water impoundment would be used. 

How large of an area are we talking about?  He said well, it is pretty large.  8 and 1/2 acres.  They intend to mine 30,000 tons of clay and soil and expect to reach gray silt at 12 ft with an ending depth of 24 feet  with the average being 20 feet.  The area is along Sky Lane and Bradley Road.

The last thing he told me is VERY IMPORTANT.  The DEADLINE for public comment is March 31st. Here is the address to send letters with questions, concerns, and a request for a public hearing to:

Chief John Husted
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Mineral Resources Management
2045 Morse Road,  Building H3
Columbus, OH 43229-6693
 

So here are some questions :

 How will the strip mining effect residents of Sky Lane and Bradley Roads?
Will the ecosystems of two creeks be compromised?  What will ensure that they are not? 
What particulate matter will be added to the atmosphere?
What will be the effect on the water table and the watershed?
If this permit is granted, will this set a precedent for other vacant land within the city limits of Cleveland?What is the assurance that Ty inc. [4] has the expertise for such an undertaking?

Is the EPA involved in the vetting of this application? Where and when do they step in?

What rights does the city of Cleveland and its citizens have in such a matter?
 

I talked to Councilman Brancatelli who has objected to the application. Monday, March 22 Councilman Brancatelli will formally oppose this application at the City Council meeting so that the City Law Department can take the objection forward.  Councilman Brancatelli has also requested a public hearing but does not know when and where it will be held  yet. 

 I do know from my talk with the state employee that a public hearing is usually held within two weeks after the deadline date.  In this case, March 31.  he said that the downside to a public meeting is that sometimes not all people are able to speak because of time constraints.  He said that letters of objection sent until March 31will be considered and that these letters should be sent.  he said the best way to be heard is to write a letter with concerns  and request a public hearing so that a lot of questions can be answered beforehand and included in information at the public hearing.

There are two things we can do:

1. WRITE a letter of Objection that requests a public hearing to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources 
2. ATTEND Monday’s City Council meeting and support Councilman Brancatelli.

Is this newsworthy? I believe it is.  Every resident of the city of Cleveland and beyond should  know about this mineral mining rights application that would approve mining within city limits. But how will they know?  I  am pushing this information out to as many people as possible.  If you agree, take the time to write a letter requesting a public hearing. Send the information to others who you think will want to support Councilman Brancatelli’s efforts. Find out as much as you can about this latest assault on the residents of Sky Lane and Cleveland.