Citizens’ Alliance v. U.S. BLM over withheld documents

Glenwood Springs Citizens’ Alliance vs. U.S. Bureau of Land Management 2024 case over BLM withholding documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act The Glenwood Springs Citizens’ Alliance is seeking a federal court order to compel the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to release important documents related to the limestone mine. Suit filed as

Determination of Common Variety (DCV)

BLM releases Determination of Common Variety report RMI must fork over escrowed funds Most of mined limestone fails to qualify for Mining Law of 1872 On Jan. 31, 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management released its long-awaited Determination of Common Variety report for the Rocky Mountain Industrials limestone mine. The Determination report, or DCV,

Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety

The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety has regulated operations at the limestone quarry since it was first opened by Mid-Continent Resources in 1982. The quarry continues to be recognized by the state agency as the Mid-Continent Quarry. Prior to the 2023 rockslide, permit enforcement by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety

Rock Failure Analysis

View of the Rocky Mountain Industrials limestone quarry. The rockslide occurred on the western / left side of the quarry. Photo by the Glenwood Springs Citizens’ Alliance, May 16, 2023. Use this page to access the geotechnical report prepared by Kilduff Underground Engineering Inc. of Denver for Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI). The report was submitted

Impacts and Consequences

Impacts and Consequences of the Mine Expansion Proposal The impacts we face A mine scar running 1,800 vertical feet down the mountainside, visible from most of Glenwood Springs. Constant truck traffic between mine and rail yard, one truck each direction every 96 seconds, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Noise from rock blasting, crushing, loading

Quarry Rockslide

Massive Slope Collapse at Limestone Quarry; Enforcement Actions Ensue Around 3 p.m. on Jan. 18, 2023, a massive slope collapse struck the Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI) limestone quarry. The collapse caused a rockslide about 300 feet wide. It brought boulders and huge slabs of limestone tumbling down onto the mined slope below. A person in

Permit Enforcement

Mining operations at the Mid-Continent Quarry have not complied with county or federal permit requirements for more than a decade. Because the quarry is on federal public land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), it is regulated by BLM as well as by Colorado state government and Garfield County. When Rocky Mountain

U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Background When Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI) first purchased the quarry operation in 2016, U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials informed the company that several compliance problems carried over from the previous mine operator, CalX Minerals. BLM gave RMI a temporary pass on dealing with permit violations. The agency agreed that the violations could be

Garfield County

In the fall of 2018, a few months after RMI announced its proposed mine expansion plan, the Glenwood Springs Citizens’ Alliance (GSCA) asked Garfield County to review operations at the  quarry. We suspected that several aspects of the mining operation did not comply with the special use permit that Garfield County issued for the quarry.