MYTH NO. 1 – THERE IS NO DANGER
You may hear quarries don’t post any threat or danger to the community. You may hear promises from city officials, the property owner, and the mining company that the damage will be minimal, if any. You may hear that if Clay doesn’t annex Butler Mountain, the quarry will never exist. You may hear that there is really nothing we can do to fight big money. WRONG! However, our success depends on you – we are not in this struggle alone. We need your voice, your time, your talent, and your donations. Sign the petition on this website (despite having signed any other petition) and make a donation. Contact your local officials and tell them you oppose re-zoning or quarry activity in your community. Tell your friends about the quarry proposal, share this website, and above all, STAY INFORMED.
MYTH NO. 2 – A mining company is aLWAYS A good neighbor
In many States including Alabama, complaints have been filed against mining companies citing violations of air, storm water, and wastewater regulations. Claims have been filed against mining companies for property damage to homes. Good neighbors don’t destroy property forcing homeowner’s to seek damages. Good neighbors ensure the safety of their children, protect their property values, and respect the natural resources they rely on for sports and recreation. Good neighbors don’t violate local or state regulations and then try to smokescreen it with community outreach and promises for new roads, public buildings or schools.
MYTH NO. 3 – A QUARRY WILL CREATE LOCAL JOBS
While there are a number of mining companies that have been involved in Alabama aggregates, Vulcan Materials is considered the largest producer of primarily gravel, crushed stone, and sand. Headquartered in Birmingham, it employs about 9,172 people at over 300 facilities in 19 states and 2008 of those hires were made in 2019. Vulcan Materials itself doesn’t need more labor – they just need more rock! In the event a mining company hires new employees for this particular quarry, most quarry workers will live near the site while working there and then leave afterward due to the destruction left behind after the quarry effort has concluded.
MYTH NO. 4 – A QUARRY WILL NOT AFFECT PROPERTY VALUE
A mining company may tell you that your home’s value will not be affected by a quarry. Not only will you be subjected to noise, air, and potential water pollution for an unknown number of years, perhaps decades, the value of your home could plummet as much as 30-50% depending on how close you are to the quarry site. Reduced home values do not increase tax revenue, they decrease it.
MYTH NO. 5 – A QUARRY WILL NOT CAUSE PROPERTY DAMAGE
A mining company may tell you that your home will not be affected by blasting impacts, industrial traffic, or other quarry-related nuisances. There have been many reports of property damage caused by earth movement due to blasting in other quarries built near homesteads. Foundation damage is expensive to repair and you will have to sue the mining company or their contractors for damages should it affect your home.
MYTH NO. 6 – A QUARRY WILL NOT AFFECT TRAFFIC OR BE DANGEROUS
While we don’t know what any planned ingress and egress for Butler Mountain at this time, we have a pretty good idea. We do know that the industrial traffic created by mining will necessitate that dump trucks and heavy machinery travel the same curvy (already dangerous) roads as our school buses, the same roads our sons and daughters drive on the way to work, and the same roads our senior citizen’s drive on the way to the doctor’s office. Clay-Palmerdale Road is inherently dangerous now, irrespective of heavy machinery. Regular industrial traffic may cause fatalities. Stop the quarry and help prevent fatalities.