Fruitland quarry opponents to attend hearing in Jefferson City

A bill to keep mines from locating near schools and other public buildings will be reviewed Tuesday by the Missouri House's transportation committee in Jefferson City.

House Bill 299 was sponsored by Rep. Donna Lichtenegger, R-Jackson, after two companies applied for mining permits near Saxony Lutheran High School in Fruitland last summer.

Abby Petzoldt, spokeswoman for Save Our Children's Health Inc., and Jim Maevers, president of Saxony Lutheran High School's school board, are scheduled to testify at the hearing at noon Tuesday in House Hearing Room 7.

If approved, Lichtenegger's bill would allow the Missouri Land Reclamation Commission to deny a mining permit if the mine site is within one mile of a school, child care facility, church, nursing home, public building or cemetery.

Saxony Lutheran High School and Save Our Children's Health Inc. last month filed a petition in Cole County circuit court asking for judicial review of three decisions made by the Missouri Land Reclamation Commission in February to allow Heartland Materials LLC to move forward with its proposed 161-acre mine. A hearing on the motion will take place before Judge Daniel Green in Cole County at 1:30 p.m. April 11.

Saxony was also granted a formal hearing by the Land Reclamation Commission to review a permit application for a 76-acre mine proposed by Strack Excavating. A date for that hearing has not yet been set.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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