The Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposal to restrict applications for new limestone rock mining in the County for one year.

If approved, the moratorium will allow time for the BOCC to consider changing the way mining applications are approved- a process the County is in the midst of reviewing that could give them greater discretion to consider the impacts of new mines.  Audubon and conservation partners support changes requiring a land use change to the County’s Comprehensive Plan and reviewing the cumulative impacts of such mining on Everglades restoration and other environmental issues.

More than 20,000 acres of new rock mines have been approved in the past few years.  This temporary freeze on mining applications should allow the BOCC to develop new rules to address ongoing debates and recognize changed circumstances, including the importance of maintaining lands for sustainable agriculture and Everglades restoration in the Everglades Agricultural Area.

The BOCC has already taken the first step toward putting this moratorium in place, but Thursday’s vote is critical to moving it forward.  If you live in Palm Beach County, please write your Commissioner and ask that he or she approve the mining moratorium.  To find your Commissioner, click here.