County commissioner outlines permitting process for proposed Scofield-area mine as residents press environmental and business concerns

Larry Jensen, a Carbon County commissioner, told the Scofield Town Council and residents on March 9 that a proposed mine site partly inside Scofield and partly in unincorporated Carbon County would need several approvals before work could proceed.

"There has been no decision made," Jensen said, explaining that the mine’s prior conditional-use permit issued in 2011 has expired and that any new operation would require a new conditional-use permit from both Scofield Town and Carbon County and the approval of the state Division of Oil, Gas and Mining. He added that the company seeking to operate has struggled to secure a reclamation bond required by state regulators.

The county commissioner outlined the sequence the public can expect: the town’s planning and zoning and board-of-adjustment processes would be the local review points for the portion inside Scofield; the county’s appointed planning commission would review the county portion and make its own decision. Jensen said the county had not received a permit application and that, in practice, "if Scofield doesn't issue a conditional-use permit, we won't either." He urged residents to bring specific questions to county staff and offered to return with the county planner to explain the process.

Residents at the meeting voiced a mix of economic and environmental concerns. One business owner told the council the mine’s placement "would be devastating to my businesses, the town, and the recreational valley" and asked whether the county had run figures comparing potential tax or lease revenue to the long-term costs of placing an industrial operation in a tourism-dependent valley. Jensen said he had not prepared that comparison and reiterated that past efforts to secure the required bond had repeatedly stalled.

Other speakers asked about noise, light and traffic. A nearby resident asked whether a rope or road could be routed from the east side of the ridge to keep traffic and impacts away from Scofield; Jensen said he had not seen a site plan and could not answer specific routing questions but said those details would be addressed as part of any conditional-use review. Another resident asked whether ordinances existed to limit commercial noise; Jensen said local development codes can include noise limits and that enforcement and ordinance language would be considered through the planning process.

Jensen also described potential financial implications. He said larger projects the county is courting could bring significant new tax base, and he contrasted those larger prospects with what he called a "small operation" for the mine under discussion, which he estimated would produce substantially less mineral-lease money than larger mines historically did. He cautioned residents that mineral-rights ownership and state law complicate local control and noted the county must weigh legal exposure if it denies activities that mineral owners can lawfully pursue.

Next steps: Jensen said no permit application had been filed; if one is submitted the town’s planning body and the county planning commission will hold formal reviews and public hearings. Jensen offered to bring county staff, including the county planner, to a future council meeting to answer technical questions and to point residents to the county web pages and staff contacts for updates.

At the meeting several residents requested the county and town keep local people informed; council members and Jensen agreed to that request.