There are alternatives to quarries in our area

We don’t need a quarry and 1,800 more gravel truck trips on I-15. There is another option.

That option is Polaris Minerals, a young company exclusively focused on two large high-quality aggregate quarries located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Their principal target is the Western seaboard of North America.

They ship aggregate by barge – 1,000 miles by barge is equal to that of 25 miles by land. Transportation costs by truck increase the cost of aggregate.

Orca Quarry ships sand and gravel.

Eagle Rock quarry is a hard rock granite quarry permitted six million tons (to start) per year for 100 years.

Polaris has a long-term contract with CSL International for bulk transportation of aggregate to California on vessels of 79,000-ton capacity using low sulfur fuel.

A SANDAG fact sheet states, “Aggregate-based material now costs $40 per cubic meter and the statewide average is $22 per cubic meter. Aggregate cost doubles if shipped more than 25 miles. Shipping costs less than trucking.”

No negative impacts! A marine transport solution such as Polaris is most advantageous from the environmental, logistical and economical viewpoint.

In September 2007, Polaris entered into a long-term distribution agreement with CEMEX for California, Oregon and Washington. CEMEX has port space in San Diego.

So, what would politicians stand to gain by allowing a quarry to be built in an area that will affect 300,000 people? That’s the question.

Jerri Arganda

Rainbow