Jacksonville, Fla. (May 16, 2012) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Titan/Tarmac America LLC, King Road Limestone Mine in west-central Florida. The document is available at www.kingroadeis.com and was published in the Federal Register May 11, beginning a 60-day public review and comment period.
Titan/Tarmac America LLC has applied for a permit to impact wetlands in order to mine limestone within southwest Levy County. The proposed mine is located along the western Gulf coast of Florida, about 80 miles north of Tampa. The site is located in southwest Levy County, off King Road west of U.S. Route 19, approximately five miles north of the town of Inglis. About 3,900 acres of a 4,800-acre area would be mined or otherwise impacted over an approximate 100-year period. Under Sec. 404 of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
regulates certain dredge and fill activities in waters of the United States, including wetlands, through Department of the Army permits.
The applicant proposes to impact up to 2,069 acres of wetlands and 1,818 acres of uplands and to provide compensatory mitigation by restoring and/or preserving approximately 4,195 acres of wetlands and 331 acres of uplands in an adjacent area, in addition to preserving up to 522 acres of wetlands and 329 acres of uplands on the proposed mine parcel. The western portion of the mitigation area abuts the Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park.
Because the Corps determined that the scope of the project could significantly affect the environment, a Draft EIS was developed, to provide full and fair discussion of the impacts. Concerns expressed to date include water quality and supply, ecosystem degradation, threatened and endangered species, increased truck traffic, dust and noise, air quality, cumulative impacts, increased greenhouse gases and effects on global warming, and the potential for damage to property from blasting.
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is neither an advocate nor an opponent of any proposed project, and strives to make fair, reasonable and timely decisions on permit applications,” said Ed Sarfert, project manager. “To that end, public participation is an important part of our process and will help to ensure a thorough EIS and a fair and balanced permit decision.”
A public meeting for the Draft EIS will be held on Thursday, May 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the Inglis Community Center, 137 Highway 40 West, Inglis, FL 34449. The purpose of this public meeting is to provide the public an additional opportunity to comment, either orally or in writing, on the Draft EIS. Written comments on the Draft EIS
may also be submitted by 5:00 PM CST July 11, 2012 to: Mr. Edward Sarfert, USACE, Regulatory Division, 41 North Jefferson St., Suite 301, Pensacola, FL 32502-5794; via e-mail: edward.p.sarfert@usace.army.mil; or via the website www.kingroadeis.com. Please contact Mr. Sarfert via the above e-mail or at 850-439-9533 with any questions.