Lane County OKs rock quarry near Oakridge

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Lane County commissioners have tentatively approved a rock quarry near Oakridge.

The Register-Guard reports (https://is.gd/ommRQR ) that 30 opponents watched the board’s discussion Tuesday, following a rally in downtown Eugene.

Local winery owner Ed King proposed the quarry in an area known as “TV Butte.” It’s estimated to hold as much as 17 million tons of high-quality rock that could be crushed into gravel for road construction.

Though voting in favor of the quarry, the commissioners moved to add operating conditions, including periodic noise monitoring, regular watering of access roads to limit dust pollution, and requiring the use lower-emission diesel trucks.

Left unaddressed was concern about the possibility of Native American artifacts and burial sites on the hillside. A firm hired by King found no indication of potentially significant archaeological sites, but opponents say the study wasn’t thorough.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com