SHINE — A controversial, 690-acre mineral land resource overlay land use designation was unanimously approved Wednesday by Jefferson County commissioners, reaffirming a decision made in 2002.
“It was expected,” said Dan Baskins, project manager for Fred Hill Materials Inc., which had requested the overlay zone.
“They (commissioners) followed the comprehensive plan and the state’s Growth Management Act.”
John Fabian, spokesman for the opposing Hood Canal Coalition, said the commissioners didn’t follow the edict of the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board to consider Fred Hill Materials’ plan to build a four-mile conveyor belt between the pit and Hood Canal to allow transport by barges and ships.
The hearings board ordered the county to re-examine environmental aspects of the overlay zone, comparing it with two other alternatives that were considered by the commissioners.
“The county attorney made no mention of that,” Fabian said, referring to a synopsis of the hearings board order and steps that had been taken since then.
“The hearings board made it clearly evident that the county needed to evaluate the pit-to-pier aspect.”
Appeal likely
Fabian said a Hood Canal Coalition committee must decide if the group will appeal the commissioners’ decision.
There will be an automatic appeal, according to James Tracy, attorney for Fred Hill Materials. Tracy said he expects the appeal to be heard by the hearings board in August or September.
During Wednesday’s deliberations, Commissioner Dan Titterness, R-Port Townsend, was critical of the hearings board for sending the issue back to the county for further study.
“I think this is a housekeeping issue,” Titterness said.
“It’s clear to me this is what we’re supposed to do; it’s only about protecting mineral resources.”
While Titterness voted in favor of the mineral overlay zone, he voiced a negative opinion of the “pit-to-pier” project.