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Board grants conditional use for surface-mining operation owned by Birdsong Construction / SNC Farms
Summary
Jeff Cox, representing Birdsong Construction and SNC Farms, sought a conditional-use permit for a surface-mining operation that would be phased over years with reclamation bonds and road-routing plans; the board approved the petition after a brief exchange and assurances about permitting and reclamation.
Jeff Cox, who said he is part owner of SNC Farms and owner of Birdsong Construction, told the Madison County Board of Supervisors the long-term plan for the property is surface mining to create four lakes, then parcel and sell acreage over a multi-year reclamation plan.
Cox said the company intends to follow county operating guidelines, that work would be phased, and that trucks would primarily use state routes (Highway 51 to Highway 16 to I-55) to limit impacts on county roads. He also told the board the company would provide a reclamation bond as required by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as part of the surface-mining permitting process.
Cox said the project would take several years (he estimated “maybe a 6, 8, 10 year project”), that the frontage along Highway 51 would be preserved from mining activity to maintain neighbors’ views, and that he would maintain a county road segment as discussed with Supervisor Griffin. He said neighbors had been consulted and some had expressed concerns, and that the company planned phase-by-phase work so that if the conditional use were not renewed it would be feasible to stop operations.
After Cox’s presentation, the board moved to accept the petition and approved the conditional-use request by voice vote. The board noted the permit process would include DEQ review and county conditions, and Cox acknowledged DEQ’s reclamation-bond requirement would be part of that regulatory review. No detailed DEQ permit or reclamation bond amount was provided during the hearing.
