Utah County approves expansion of vested mining rights for CMC’s Jim Gay operation

The Utah County Commission voted to approve an expansion of vested mining rights for the Jim Gay mine, allowing Construction Materials Company (CMC) to add parcels titled to Waldo that the operator says are part of the same mineral trend.

County staff noted the commission must find the new parcels are contiguous or geologically related to the existing mine. Todd Cusick, owner of CMC, told commissioners the company provided geological cross sections tying the Waldo parcels to Lake Mountain deposits and argued expanding vested rights would reduce hauling distances for county projects. “Allowing us to access the materials available closer to the use point is the key,” Cusick said.

Cusick said CMC owns or operates on thousands of acres on Lake Mountain and that closer access would cut hauling costs and environmental impacts for projects such as the Mountain View Corridor and a county road project on 8000 North. He also said CMC “is not interested in hauling our material further than it needs to be,” and that establishing vested rights would let the company serve nearby public works more efficiently.

Commissioner Gardner, who reviewed preliminary reports, said he believed the technical record supported the finding that the parcels are part of the same vein and indicated readiness to vote. Commissioners pressed Cusick on truck traffic and local-road impacts; Gardner said his principal concerns were ensuring the operator would be a good neighbor and that potential road damage and safety effects from heavy truck traffic be addressed. Cusick said CMC plans to distribute operations to minimize impacts and pointed to specific projects where haul distances would be shorter.

With the presentation in the record and no substantive public opposition at the hearing, commissioners moved and seconded approval and voted unanimously to grant the expansion for the parcels presented. The commission directed staff to accept Cusick’s supplemental materials (a reduced PowerPoint and additional notices) for the record and noted the operator could return to request inclusion of other parcels later.

The finding and vote allow CMC to exercise vested-mining rights on the Waldo-titled parcels included in the notice; commissioners said future petitions for additional parcels would be considered separately.

The commission made the decision during its September 18 meeting and recorded the motion and unanimous vote. The matter will remain on the county record in the mining expansion file.