Name: Public Hearing - Mining Rules, 6pm TUESDAY November 18
Start: 2025-11-18T18:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-11-18T20:00:00-05:00
Location: Archdale Building, Ground Floor Hearing Room

Please sign-up and speak at PUBLIC HEARING. You can sign up to speak in person starting at 5:30pm Tuesday, November 18 (Hearing starts 6pm, Archdale Bld, Ground Floor Hearing Room). You can also offer verbal comments via phone or Webex, but must sign up by Monday at 5pm to give comments remotely.

The Mining Commissioner is trying to gut the Mining Rules to prevent meaningful public comments on Mining Permit applications, gut protective buffers and allow trucking and other heavy industrial mining operations right up to edge of property line, exempt logging as a destructive part of a mining operation, and more!

Please ask for the following changes:
● Public and agency comments on a mining application should NOT be limited to a few days after the first version of the mining application submittal, but rather allowed throughout the evaluation – especially after changes to the permit application are submitted to DEQ.
● Logging in preparation for mining NOT be exempted and must continue to be considered a part of “mining operation”
● “Unexcavated buffers” should not be allowed as a type of protective buffer – they allow so much bad – roads, trucks, stockpiling, crushing, conveyor belts, etc. This is NOT what the public considers as a “buffer” and ‘undisturbed” buffers should not be allowed to be converted to ‘unexcavated’ buffers – remember, the public only has the opportunity to provide public comment when a mining permit application is submitted – sequent ‘modifications’ are essentially between the mining operator and DEQ. Loopholes and abuse could abound.
● DEQ should NOT be the determining agency of WHO owns the land – another loophole being ‘slipped in.’ The land owner is on the deeds or stated by law or the court – NOT to be arbitrarily made up by the Mining operator or DEQ.
● Stream protective buffers should NOT be limited by whatever law is or is not on the books. Rather, stream protective buffers for water quality, dust, noise, visuals should not be eliminated or gutted if they are insufficient per other regulations for other purposes.
● Blasting records should record the GPS coordinates and elevation.

**The Proposed Mining Rules (as well as comparison with current rules) can be found at:**
**[https://www.deq.nc.gov/energy-mineral-and-land-resources/demlr/11182025mrcproposedrules/open](https://www.deq.nc.gov/energy-mineral-and-land-resources/demlr/11182025mrcproposedrules/open)**
The link for more information on how to attend the Public Hearing in-person or on-one and/or via written comments is [here](https://www.deq.nc.gov/accessdeq/rules-regulations/deq-proposed-rules#PubliccommentperiodforproposedchangestoMiningRules15ANCACChapter05-19624).

The Umstead Coalition's request for changes are [Umstead Coalition Public Comments](https://cdn.wildapricot.com/70970/resources/Documents/Wake%20Stone/Public%20Comments/2025%20Nov%2018b,%20Public%20Hearing%20UC%20Public%20Comments%20re%20Draft%20Mining%20Rules.pdf?version=1763347878000&Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOiBbeyJSZXNvdXJjZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY2RuLndpbGRhcHJpY290LmNvbS83MDk3MC9yZXNvdXJjZXMvRG9jdW1lbnRzL1dha2UlMjBTdG9uZS9QdWJsaWMlMjBDb21tZW50cy8yMDI1JTIwTm92JTIwMThiLCUyMFB1YmxpYyUyMEhlYXJpbmclMjBVQyUyMFB1YmxpYyUyMENvbW1lbnRzJTIwcmUlMjBEcmFmdCUyME1pbmluZyUyMFJ1bGVzLnBkZj92ZXJzaW9uPTE3NjMzNDc4NzgwMDAiLCJDb25kaXRpb24iOnsiRGF0ZUxlc3NUaGFuIjp7IkFXUzpFcG9jaFRpbWUiOjE3NjMzODk5Njl9LCJJcEFkZHJlc3MiOnsiQVdTOlNvdXJjZUlwIjoiMC4wLjAuMC8wIn19fV19&Signature=C0hdyJVBQUVFWSWBhWhca78XeYv3sWA7Un9ftCi-N64vbvyK3KHID6W8p9X-oU2I7uTqr1Ek46k9Yyu3RsvB9XLjEJhaQCot6X-IhwoZFGNu0HWb6rmUOHCRlNum9d-Xw-tHZizQ7NqwFCdaknK02X~Jd7ydC8KS2nhJ0PfC4Yof1lFal7eEdDhkWQjsLJAPrKFWhYUtiuZnsCjzaahesT15UrLypaEZ14LLMOVxD93etp6Nkt2klkqQWu7jVNu7ScxXohvhsSIM0~ncLAZjPwgropfoCdae42IHz7x3qfFfTKEf5r896sQohcG8S9DLqXSVwkH6SK1ufCTmVI24AQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K27MGQSHTHAGGF) ([Here](https://cdn.wildapricot.com/70970/resources/Documents/Wake%20Stone/Public%20Comments/2025%20Nov%2018b,%20Public%20Hearing%20UC%20Public%20Comments%20re%20Draft%20Mining%20Rules.pdf?version=1763347878000&Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOiBbeyJSZXNvdXJjZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY2RuLndpbGRhcHJpY290LmNvbS83MDk3MC9yZXNvdXJjZXMvRG9jdW1lbnRzL1dha2UlMjBTdG9uZS9QdWJsaWMlMjBDb21tZW50cy8yMDI1JTIwTm92JTIwMThiLCUyMFB1YmxpYyUyMEhlYXJpbmclMjBVQyUyMFB1YmxpYyUyMENvbW1lbnRzJTIwcmUlMjBEcmFmdCUyME1pbmluZyUyMFJ1bGVzLnBkZj92ZXJzaW9uPTE3NjMzNDc4NzgwMDAiLCJDb25kaXRpb24iOnsiRGF0ZUxlc3NUaGFuIjp7IkFXUzpFcG9jaFRpbWUiOjE3NjMzODk5Njl9LCJJcEFkZHJlc3MiOnsiQVdTOlNvdXJjZUlwIjoiMC4wLjAuMC8wIn19fV19&Signature=C0hdyJVBQUVFWSWBhWhca78XeYv3sWA7Un9ftCi-N64vbvyK3KHID6W8p9X-oU2I7uTqr1Ek46k9Yyu3RsvB9XLjEJhaQCot6X-IhwoZFGNu0HWb6rmUOHCRlNum9d-Xw-tHZizQ7NqwFCdaknK02X~Jd7ydC8KS2nhJ0PfC4Yof1lFal7eEdDhkWQjsLJAPrKFWhYUtiuZnsCjzaahesT15UrLypaEZ14LLMOVxD93etp6Nkt2klkqQWu7jVNu7ScxXohvhsSIM0~ncLAZjPwgropfoCdae42IHz7x3qfFfTKEf5r896sQohcG8S9DLqXSVwkH6SK1ufCTmVI24AQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K27MGQSHTHAGGF))

Jean Spooner, Umstead Coalition

Umstead State Park Support | The Umstead Coalition

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Public Hearing - Mining Rules, 6pm TUESDAY November 18

Archdale Building, Ground Floor Hearing Room

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Umstead State Park Support | The Umstead Coalition

Public Hearing - Mining Rules, 6pm TUESDAY November 18

Umstead State Park Support | The Umstead Coalition

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