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Rocky Mountain Resources (RMR) has submitted a plan to the Colorado Bureau of Land Management office that proposes a 5,000% expansion of its current limestone quarry mining operations near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, a popular tourist destination. This would entail mining 24 hours a day, blasting from 9am to 4pm, and hauling as many as 500 trucks per day from the mine site that overlooks the town. In addition, the mine's owner has ties to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, the law firm that employed current Interior Secretary David Bernhardt when he lobbied on behalf of oil and gas clients across the West.
Understandably, the communities nearby are voicing their opposition to this disruptive and potentially dangerous proposal. Jeff Peterson, Glenwood Springs Citizens’ Alliance executive director said, “We view this as a serious threat to our community with long lasting implications. We have had almost 2,000 residents sign a petition opposing this and have a couple hundred businesses on board as well.” The community is famous for its natural hot springs that attract substantial economic activity to the region. Even RMR's request to drill test wells for baseline analysis has the potential to cause irreparable damage to the geothermal aquifer that feeds the springs.
Developing the California desert
For more than two decades, Congress and past administrations have worked to protect millions of acres in the California desert. But after decades of progress, the Interior Department is set to roll back hard-won protections in the name of energy development, making the California desert just the latest casualty of the Trump administration’s push for “energy dominance.”
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We understand there is a balancing act between developing our natural resources and protecting them. The proposal to expand a limestone operation near Glenwood Springs, however, strikes no such balance.”
