Rock crusher meeting draws big crowd
Hundreds of locals gathered at a town hall meeting at Hill Country Fellowship in Burnet on Sept. 14 to protest a proposed rock-crushing facility that would be located just outside Burnet’s city limits. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Ortiz
Hundreds of concerned residents gathered Sept. 14 at Hill Country Fellowship in Burnet to protest a proposed rock-crushing facility to be built on a site just south of the Burnet city limits at 3221 FM 3509. Organized by the newly formed SaveBurnet.com, the meeting featured speakers who outlined strategies for fighting the plant they say would threaten the community’s environmental and economic well-being.
Asphalt Inc. LLC of Austin recently applied for an air quality standard permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to build the rock crusher on 715 acres of land south of the city of Burnet. The location is near Camp Longhorn, Delaware Springs Golf Course, and Longhorn Cavern and Inks Lake state parks.
“This is a heavyweight championship fight,” said Fermin Ortiz, a founding member of Texans for Responsible Aggregate Mining, and one of several speakers at the event. “We have to keep fighting every round.”
Other speakers included Burnet Mayor Gary Widemen, Burnet County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Luther, and Stacy Smith, a representative of state Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R-District 19).
Troxclair and state Sen. Pete Flores (R-District 24) requested the TCEQ hold a public meeting on the plant. Smith confirmed at Saturday’s town hall that efforts are underway to schedule that meeting with the state agency.
Ortiz recommended waiting until after the Texas legislative session, which starts in January, to hold the public meeting.
“This will give us time to educate, get more people involved, and allow state officials to be involved,” he said.
He also discussed the potential legal path SaveBurnet.com would take if the TCEQ approves Asphalt Inc.’s permit.
“(If) the TCEQ (goes) through their process and the executive director signs the permit, then we will continue with ours,” Ortiz said. “Then, we have to go to the next step, which is called a contested case hearing, and that would go into the judicial side of things.”
The proposed rock-crushing facility requires several permits, including one from the Lower Colorado River Authority for quarry operations. In a statement issued on Sept. 13, the LCRA confirmed it had not yet received a permit application from Asphalt Inc. for the Burnet plant.
As of Sept. 16, the TCEQ had received over 3,000 comments from the public regarding the project. The online comment page can be found here. The permit number is 176835.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Ortiz continued. “You can make a difference. You know, we’ve got some good educated people that live out here. If you know a geologist, an environmental attorney, we need some. Ask them to come help us.”
He warned those against the plant not to become discouraged.
“Sometimes, you’re going to wonder is it worth it?” he said. “But all you have to do is go outside and breathe this good, clean Hill Country air and understand the investment we have in protecting our natural resources.”
To learn more about the community efforts against the rock-crushing facility, visit saveburnet.com.