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Residents urge Santa Cruz County to demand independent monitoring, enforceable protections in FEIS response
Summary
At a county public meeting about the Final Environmental Impact Statement, residents pressed Santa Cruz County staff to strengthen the county's draft response by demanding independent air and groundwater monitoring, specific mitigation triggers, and attention to water quantity, health impacts and truck safety before a Forest Service Record of Decision.
Santa Cruz County officials asked residents for input on the county's draft response to the federal Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the mine project, and residents told county staff the draft letter does not go far enough to protect public health, water supplies and road safety.
Community Development Director Colin Bishop opened the meeting by summarizing the county's approach: the draft response is limited to whether the FEIS addressed the county's earlier draft comments and is intended to identify remaining gaps and recommend a framework for monitoring, mitigation and verification. Bishop said the letter includes a five-page executive summary and appendices that map prior comments to how the FEIS addressed them and that the county will accept additional written input before it finalizes the response.
Residents told the county that framework-level language is insufficient and urged enforceable commitments. "The FEIS response letter . . . reads more like a supportive reaction to…
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