Arizona's AG is 'deadly serious' about stopping a proposed Chino Valley mine. Here's why

CHINO VALLEY — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is "deadly serious" about exploring every legal avenue available to stop a proposed mine from operating in the middle of a Yavapai County neighborhood, she told residents during a recent public listening session.

“I consider this an emergency and I think we can’t wait until the Legislature reconvenes for us to act on the front end,” Mayes said Friday night.

More than a hundred people packed into the Heritage Middle School gym bleachers to voice their concerns about the proposed aggregate mine in the Cedar Heights neighborhood, a short drive from where Mayes grew up in Prescott.

One of the most moving pleas came from Jen Ashcraft, a 9/11 survivor who envisioned the neighborhood as the perfect place as she continued to recover from health problems brought on that day, including severe lung issues.

"I have asbestos in my lungs. I have sheetrock in my lungs. I have the DNA of dead people in my lungs," Ashcraft said tearfully. "I have suffered greatly and I need a place to recover … I don’t need this in my lungs.”

Mine operator Rock Supply LLC intends to begin operation on Jan. 1, 2024, pending equipment delivery, according to a mining exemption application filed with the county this month.

Its reclamation plan focuses on the removal of over 600,000 cubic yards of aggregate over 20 years of operating on the 25.2-acre parcel in the rural neighborhood between Chino Valley and Paulden.

David Williams, a land planner representing Rock Supply, promised the mine operator will host a public meeting at some point to answer residents' questions about the operation. Details have yet to be announced. No one related to the site, including the person listed as the mine operator, responded to multiple requests for comment.

Mayes after the event said it was "fundamentally unfair" to those who moved there not knowing that this was a possibility.

“It’s really devastating when you think about people who are in their sixties and now they’re being asked to live with a mine that could last until they’re gone,” she said. “That’s not how they envisioned their golden years."

The Attorney General's Office had investigators, including an environmental expert, working on the case since they first received a complaint from a resident a few months ago, Mayes said. They also have a mining expert consulting with them to assess the "appropriateness or lack thereof of this proposed mine," she said.

Investigators have visited the site and spoken with neighbors, but Mayes declined to comment on whether they have been in contact with the mine operator or landowner.

"We have very pro-mining laws in the state of Arizona that all too often are to the detriment of citizens. But we have other laws that can be utilized to protect citizens from the damage that would be created,” Mayes said. “And those are the kinds of laws that I’m looking at using to protect the people of Chino Valley and in particular, this neighborhood.”

In addition to the potential noise and dust problems that have been pointed out, Mayes said a few new things stuck out to her when listening to residents. Those included the immense financial ramifications of the operation on nearby homeowners, and the impact on grazing livestock.

Tone Passarelli, whose family has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years, said the mine's proposal has already drastically changed their lives. He said he's already started getting lowball offers on his property, and believes he'll either have to leave the area or go along with the mine.

Passarelli also questioned whether the requirements in the reclamation plan will be met, considering the LLCs associated with the operation have changed hands numerous times over the years.

"How do we know they’re going to be here in 20 years to fix the giant hole that they put into our hillside?” he asked.

Mayes said she was also struck by how many veterans reside in the area who said they have serious concerns about the impact of a large rock-blasting operation as they live with PTSD.

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Among those who struggle with post-traumatic stress are Ashcraft and her husband, whose son Andrew was one of the 19 fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots. They were planning on moving to the area in hopes that the peace and quiet could aid in their recovery.

“Our goal was to find a wonderful place to heal,” she said.

But they're now considering looking elsewhere because of the proposed mine.

"Please care for us," Ashcraft said.

Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.

The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AG Kris Mayes 'deadly serious' about stopping Chino Valley mine