Details about the proposed mining project and our concerns:

Areas of Concern regarding application for a mining permit # #099-9600 on Furnace Mountain, KY General concerns about this mining project evolve around the following topics: • Transportation and safety • Health impacts • Environmental impacts • Community impacts Specific concerns are as follows: I. Transportation and safety During the permit conference at the Stanton Court house, February 2nd, 2016 the company owner announced that his company is planning on extracting 1 million tons of sand from the mining site and hauling 700 – 900 tons of sand daily from the site for the coming 3 – 5 years. This volume of extraction would require approximately 30 dump trucks coming and going to the site per day. Silicon Dioxide LLC has not provided clear information about which routes will be used or if there will be compensation to the county for road damage that will certainly occur. Hwy 1057 is a class A road, allowing 44,000 LBS gross vehicle weight, Hwy 213 is a class AAA road, allowing 80,000 LBS gross vehicle weight. Both highways are not designed to withstand the continuous exposure to heavy mining traffic or the transport of on-site mining equipment. The roads are small, already dangerous and in many places in miserable conditions. The landslide information map of the KGS shows several landslide areas for Hwy 1057 in the proximity to State Rock. In those areas the roads are already unstable. Heavy duty trucks would further the disintegration of the road in these areas. The tax revenue generated for Powell County would not be anywhere close to repair the damage the mining operation would cause to the public roads. There are no emergency lanes or sufficiently large banks on the roads to and from the quarry. Too much speed or a loss of control over one of those dump trucks could cause a disaster. There have been similar accidents in recent years, when dump trucks transporting quarry material lost control over their vehicles and crashed into school busses. The company owner assured that he would try to make sure the dump trucks never encountered school busses, but he could not guarantee it would never happen. He could also not clarify sufficiently how the safety of commuters traveling our small roads will be secured. The traffic volume on Hwy 1057 and 213 would increase drastically and with it the time people need to commute to work through slow moving dump trucks. No dust control plan has been added to the application. Clarification is needed on how the company plans on keeping sand from falling off the trucks (heightened risk for bikers) and silica dust from being dispersed into the air from the moving trucks. (see health impacts) → As neither road safety issues, road maintenance or traffic volume and flow have been in any way addressed by the company owner, and the traffic generated by those quarries pose an enormous risk to the surrounding communities I ask that permit # 099-9600 only be granted after the DOT has conducted a safety analysis and/or traffic impact study. II. Health Impacts The mining of silicon/silica sand poses an enormous health risk, both for the miners but also for residents in the surrounding areas. In their application he mining company has made no statements as to how they plan on controlling silica emissions into the air. The application statement regarding silica dust control are vague: What comprises “dry times” and “times of need”, in which the company plans on water suppression to control fugitive dust? During the hearing the owner was questioned on whether there would be regular and frequent analysis of silica levels in the air, to which he responded that those would be controlled once a quarter. Controlling those levels only four times a year is not enough to ensure safety for the residents of Furnace Mountain. It would be an occupational safety hazard for the miners and a danger for all residents in the area, as crystalline silica can remain airborne for prolonged periods of time. With only four times of monitoring a year the residents are exposed to a permanent carcinogenic risk 20 times higher than that of coal dust. → A dust control plan in compliance with OSHA and MSHA regulations on respirable crystalline silica needs to be presented by the company before a permit is granted. → Performing air monitoring of the worksite/wearing monitoring devices should be required. Metering devices would be the only safe way to continuously and reliably measure the amount of crystalline airborne silica and the only way “times of need” can be verified. The application states nothing about the installation and maintenance of engineering controls to eliminate or reduce the amount of silica in the air and the build-up of dust on equipment and surfaces. Examples of controls include: exhaust ventilation and dust collection systems, water sprays, wet drilling, enclosed cabs, and drill platform skirts and should be added as a requirement before a permit is granted. → The company should also be requested to maintain detailed records of airborne silica levels. Noise levels from the mining operation itself and from the ensuing traffic to and from the quarry: → It needs to be clarified how the quarry and increased traffic might impact noise levels for the residents in the affected area and along side Hwy 213 and 1057, and wether additional abatement measures need to be implemented by the company. → A KYTC noise specialist should be considered to determine if the Meditation Center at 8640 Hardwicks Creek Road is considered A, C or D as defined by the Activity Categories and their respective Noise Abatement Criteria as established by the KYTC. → Hours of operation need to be specified and adhered to by the company. → The company does not clearly state where their water comes from. The application states that they will either use municipal tap water or “haul in water from a nearby source”. Many local residents use water from their own wells, the company needs to state clearly where the water comes from if they do not use municipal tap water and how much they are going to use of that “nearby source” water. They need to ensure that the water table does not go down because of their operation, that the well water remain safe for household purposes and that the ph-level of nearby wells does not become more acidic through the silica mining. Regular pH level monitoring of the groundwater should be included before a permit is granted. An analysis of the probable hydrologic impacts of the mine and the cumulative hydrologic impact, as well as a description of protective measures to protect surface water quality and groundwater quality and recharge should be requested before a permit is granted. (See environmental concerns) III. Environmental Impacts Furnace Mountain sits on land designated “Karst Prone” by the National Geological Survey. Karst topography is renowned for its caves, sinkholes, instability, and poor drainage. There is a significant body of literature detailing the negative environmental impact of mining in Karst prone areas, including the inability of karst systems to sustain blasting and the consequent cracking of cave and associated rock formations and the expansion of sinkholes. In addition to the Karst topography State Rock on Furnace Mountain is part of the Irvine-Paint Creek Fault System. → The proposed mining site is only a little bit over 0.5 miles as the crow flies from State Rock. State rock has a complete vertical cliff fracture of more than 150’ on top of listric fracturing at the base that is causing major slumping. We have been told that any blasting in the area could result in parts of it coming down. There are residential structures beneath, they are part of the Meditation retreat center. It’s vital to the safety of the residents and guests at the center that there will be no blasting permitted (for example in a future amendment to the permit), as the seismic waves of blasting can travel for miles through the karst and cause further damage. Open pit mining is a threat to local vegetation and wildlife as it radically strips the land of its flora and topsoil. A number of Kentucky endangered and threatened species are found at Furnace Mountain. → Of great concern is that species of endangered bats in caves on State Rock. The Virginia Big Eared bat and Indiana Bats, both species already protected by the Endangered Species Act, are likely to roost within the proposed mining region. The bat shelter on State Rock has been inspected by a team of biologists and been reported to KDFWR recently. → The company does not state clearly how it plans on handling spoil: Where will toxic/acidic material be placed? The application states that such material will be covered, but what about toxicity leaking into the soil below? What will the company do to assure this can never happen? → The application states that sediment from the ponds will be removed and transported to a “suitable location within the permit area”. Here the sediment would be spread out and allowed to dry. This area should be specified, as reject material from the washing process can leak into the ground. → One of the sediment ponds is in close proximity to a sinkhole. It’s a clear requirement that all drainage from disturbed areas be passed through a sediment pond designed and demonstrated through modeling to meet all applicable effluent and water quality limitations. Sediment control measures need to be demonstrated to be effective in meeting the requirements of the KPDES program. With a sinkhole nearby, how is the company going to make sure these requirements will be reliably met? → A clear spoil handling plan containing spoil calculations, spoil handling, sediment, dust and erosion control, and permanent disposal of the spoil, to allow a reasoned determination that the manner of spoil handling, storage and redistribution is consistent with law is not part of the application and should be added. → The application said that a KPDES permit is pending. During the permit conference the company owner stated that they have yet to apply. Given all the above issues the permit should be denied until the KDFWR has been consulted and a KPDES permit has been obtained. IV. Community Impacts → State Rock Petroglyph Site 15PO106 is a rock formation listed in the National Register of Historic places for its prehistoric significance and informational value about prehistoric and Native American culture in the area. It is only about 0.5 miles as the crow flies from the proposed mining area. → The proposed mining site is close to a Meditation Retreat Center with several residential homes. This non-profit organization since 30 years runs an internationally renowned retreat center that depends on clean air, quietude, stillness and the recreational value of Furnace Mountain. → Home and land owners fear for the safety of their homes and the loss of property value along Hwy 1075 and 213.