Planning Commission tables CEMEX's mining application until Sept. 1

Aug. 18—The Boulder County Planning Commission says it needs more information about CEMEX's request to continue mining at the Dowe Flats Quarry for 15 years before weighing in on the company's application.

Late Wednesday night, after hours of public testimony, the commission voted to table the matter until 1:30 p.m. Sept. 1.

The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners, which will make the final decision about CEMEX's application.

Gavin McMillan, who serves as vice-chair of the Planning Commission, asked a few times why the company was requesting a 15-year extension during Wednesday's meeting and received carefully worded answers.

"Fifteen years is what the applicant asked for in the application," Pete L'Orange, a Boulder County staff planner, said.

Mark Davies, CEMEX director of aggregate and cement resources, said the 15-year timeline was based on the mineable resources still available at Dowe Flats property.

"Every mineable resource is finite," Davies said. "It has an end life at some point and we use those calculations with what's been mined and what remains at Dowe Flats to support the application of an additional 15 years."

A global building materials company, CEMEX operates 10 cement plants and about 50 cement terminals across its U.S. network that extends to Boulder County.

In 1994, the Board of County Commissioners granted CEMEX a special use permit to mine at Dowe Flats Quarry, which is just north of Colo. 66 and east of Lyons, for a 25-year mining period.

Unless extended, CEMEX's permit will expire later this year.

CEMEX has agreed to close its cement plant just south of Colo. 66 at the same time its mining operation would conclude in 2037, should the 15-year extension be approved.

Without that concession, county staff maintained that CEMEX could continue to operate its cement plant indefinitely.