Permanente quarry permit still under review

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this month to start a process to consider revoking or amending Lehigh Southwest Cement Company’s use permit. The decision comes roughly a month after the company announced it would permanently shut down its cement kiln at its 3510-acre Permanente Quarry and cement plant. Lehigh is the only cement manufacturer in the Bay Area. It currently operates as a cement distribution location.

“Any concerns related to a public nuisance or violations of the use permit simply no longer exist because Lehigh will not restart cement production,” Patrick G Mitchell, a lawyer representing the company, said in a statement. “Further investigation of this issue would waste valuable time and effort of all the parties, which would be much better spent focused on working collaboratively with Lehigh (Heidelberg Materials Group) to plan for the future of the Perm Site.” 

If Lehigh and the county fail to come to an agreement soon, the Santa Clara County Planning Commission will host a public hearing to look into the company’s legal violations. The commission will also determine if the operation is a public nuisance and potentially revoke Lehigh’s permit. This would legally prevent the company from producing cement.