Dear Editor and SJI Community,

I have read the Journal Article from June 12 about the ‘proposed’ concrete plant.

This plant is already built by definition. This occurred many months ago. This plant is not ‘proposed’. It is already there.

I am informed that:

They did receive the required DOE State Permit applied for Feb. 13 that specified no construction or operation without first obtaining said permit. The permit was indeed issued May 22 yet the plant had already been built. The DOE issued this permit knowing that the plant was already violating the rules of the Permit.

The MDNS Issued is in direct conflict with the County Code. The Submittal was on March 29, a Friday, and the approval was the following Monday, April Fools Day, an irony not unnoticed, and the formal signing was the following day April 2.

There is no CUP – Conditional Use Permit specific to this plant. There is no building permit specific to this plant. The zoning, code and laws require both.

The State was to be the Lead Agency on the SEPA, following the protocol by which the aforementioned DOE permit triggers the Lead Agency Review of SEPA. The county issued the MDNS – Mitigative Determination of Non-Significance to void this protocol among other obvious reasons. The SEPA is insufficient and would be found to be if the State had reviewed.

Why do we the taxpayers have to fight these things and keep them from happening? Why can’t the county uphold their own code? How much is this going to cost? Are we going to wait until a health or environmental hazard manifests before we do anything? What about the residents and their wells that predate the plant? Where is the Conditional Use Permit?

Why does it only take a weekend to get a flawed approval for a third concrete plant on an island of 54 squar miles when it takes over a year to get a Building Permit for a simple house?

Why is the same developer waiting on approvals and permits for another project involving land use on another lot in the same area where the actual project has also already occurred? All the associated submittals are still pending yet the Propane Tank Facility is already there.

Why does Mike Carlson Enterprises get preferential treatment by San Juan County?

Any normal person would have to go through all the proper process and protocol. Current Conditional Use Permit, SEPA, Environmental Impact Statement, Building Permit, Etc. Most of the land use documents that they are using are non-specific to the concrete plant and from the original business park and are from nearly a quarter century ago.

The original Conditional Use Permit specific only to the original Business Park Project is from 20 plus years ago and they expire within five years. Nowhere is it mentioned that it is for a Concrete Plant. Even if it had it would have to be renewed.

Drought is a real issue. Water supply is currently threatened and all residents outside of Town are now informed there is no more hauled water as of last week.

We live in a critical aquifer recharge area. There is currently a study underway to chart the crucial water supply and quality issues we islanders face that is being headed up at the county and state.

I think it is glaringly obvious that this plant is Significant. If it didn’t seem like it was to the county before it certainly will now. Determining it is non-significant is impossible in its current location, regardless of any mitigation.

Signed,

Sean Mercer