Letters to the Editor: Opposition to concrete plant grows

Opposition to concrete plant grows

The effort to prevent construction of a concrete batch plant (CBP) on Airport Road has grown and intensified. The Alto Coalition for Environmental Preservation (Alto CEP) has been formed, comprised of residents, property owner associations and businesses in the Alto and greater Ruidoso area. The mission is to provide a coherent legal opposition to the permitting, construction and operation of the proposed CBP.

The New Mexico Environmental Department will hold a local public hearing on the facility’s air quality permit, date and time as yet unscheduled. Information on commenting to NMED by email or letter is at the Alto CEP website: www.altoCEP.org. Also at the website is information regarding donations to the legal fund, a form to join the nuisance lawsuit and general information.

This is the wrong facility in the wrong place for obvious reasons, not the least of which is a location directly across from housing where 50% of the homeowners are retirees, individuals for whom noxious emissions, nighttime lighting, noise and traffic would be especially punitive. Enormous amounts of water are used in cement manufacturing along with potential ground/surface water contamination. The list of objections is long.