Marble Falls files protest against Huber mine permit renewal
Huber Carbonates LLC, a branch of Huber Engineered Materials, wants to increase mining and rock-crushing production at its plant in southern Marble Falls, just off of U.S. 281. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Marble Falls leaders want more time to review the potential impacts of a major operational permit upgrade for a limestone mine owned by Huber Carbonates within city limits. The City Council on May 20 voted to file an official protest against the permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Huber Carbonates published public notice of its intention to seek an air-quality permit renewal and amendment on April 18, triggering a 30-day countdown for comments and requests for contested hearings.
The permit, among other things, would allow for continued operations of the facility at 849 U.S. 281 South, authorize an increase in operating hours, boost annual production, and allow for three more rock piles.
A significant figure derived from the application is a request to increase large particulate emissions (dust) by about 330 percent, from 2.45 tons to 10.54 tons annually.
SOURCES: Find Huber’s renewal application and amendment here and the numbers behind the application here.
Marble Falls city staff scrambled to file a protest before the window closed on May 18, and the City Council officially ratified the decision Tuesday.
“We aren’t recommending declaring war on Huber or anything. This is really just us, and my recommendation, that we have some time to properly assess everything,” said City Attorney Josh Weber during the council meeting.
The protest is a normal part of the TCEQ’s air-quality permitting process, which allows for public input on projects.
With the protest filed, Marble Falls leaders will spend the coming months doing research on what the permit renewal and amendment would mean for the city and the impacts it could have on residents. A contested hearing will likely be held so the public can voice their concerns.
Huber plant manager Eric Simms attended Tuesday night’s council meeting to speak about the TCEQ permit renewal application. He noted that Humber’s limestone mine on U.S. 281 and its crushing/milling plant on Avenue N would each require their own permit renewals.
“We don’t have any plans to do a large increase in mining out (at the limestone mine), and that’s because we don’t have any plans to increase the size of the plant (on Avenue N). And that’s where everything goes,” he explained. “We can only mine as much as we can mill at that facility.”
Marble Falls Mayor John Packer responded to Simms.
“I think the concern is that you’ve got two different things. What the permit would allow that you’re applying for is one thing, and you say, ‘Well, we really don’t have any plans to do anything like this.’ But the permit would allow (for increased production),” Packer said.
Simms explained that the permit is meant to serve the facility for the next 10 years and the increases were to give Huber some wiggle room and an operational buffer based on future needs.
4 thoughts on “Marble Falls files protest against Huber mine permit renewal”
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I wish we could relocate the plant on Ave. N. (Don’t close it, I understand many families work there, just relocate it.) It doesn’t makes sense to have it on a creek, in a park, in a neighborhood, in the middle of a small town…Kicking up dust and requiring semi-trucks to constantly travel our small streets. Not to mention how loud it is 24/6.
My observation of these quarry and milling operations in Marble Falls is that the TCEQ and it’s permit has virtually no requirements to suppress fugitive dust from these operations (i.e. Wetting roads, milling operations, etc. ) . THERE APPEARS TO BE NO CONTROL OF FUGITIVE DUST WHATSOEVER! The article speaks of large particulate matter. But there is undoubtedly a percentage of fine particulates which present a health concern so close to a large population. These permits and dust controls need serious scrutiny by the city to protect the health of its population.
Why is the city caught on the back foot not being aware of the renewal date PRIOR to the renewal request……prompting the city to take notice just now?
Put it to a vote and let the people say: no more quarrying.