‘CLOSE THE QUARRY’
Officials call for permanent ban due to natural asbestos
State, federal and county officials are asking that the temporary ban on quarrying at Rockhill Quarry be made permanent.
Naturally occurring asbestos was found at the quarry on North Rockhill Road in December of 2018, after which the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ordered quarrying operations halted. The quarry is also in a separate legal battle with East Rockhill Township after the quarry, which was started in the 1800s, attempted to resume operations that had appeared to have ended in the 1980s. Those plans also include an asphalt plant. Residents in the area have raised concerns about the plans, including noise, blasting, air and water pollution and safety concerns about increased truck traffic on narrow country roads.
“This quarry is unsafe,” state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, D-10, said at a Feb. 21 press conference at the quarry. “There is no way that any operator who’s trying to operate a quarry operation of taking stone from the ground or an asphalt plant can make that operation safe given the presence of naturally occurring asbestos.”
A Pennsylvania Department of Health letter in mid-February of 2020 advised that the asbestos at the site should be avoided and left alone for the health of residents in the area.
“We are urging the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Department of Health to issue an order causing for permanent cessation of any operation of a quarry or an asphalt plant at this site,” Santarsiero said, bringing cheers from residents at the press conference, some of whom carried signs opposing the quarry plans.
“This is what community organizing is all about,” U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1, said of the residents
on hand and the Rockhill Environmental Preservation Alliance, known as REPA, the grassroots citizens group formed around the quarry concerns.
Efforts have been made to reach out to the quarry owners and others involved in the plans to get their side of the story, he said.
“I will tell you I’ve been very, very disappointed in the response, in the demeanor, the attitude where they feel that they have the finances, they feel they have the law on their side and they’re just gonna do what they want to do without any consideration for the neighbors, for the kids in this neighborhood,” Fitzpatrick said.
More than 11,000 students attend schools within five miles of the quarry, the officials said.
“Any time a corporation tries to take advantage of citizens who feel that they don’t have a voice, that’s when community organizing comes in,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s what this is.”
Katie Zackon, who spearheads REPA, said she first got involved with the quarry issue about two years ago.
“The more I learned, the more concerned I became. I quickly realized these are real serious issues affecting my family and our community and cannot be ignored,” the mother of three who lives about a mile from the quarry, said.
“While the Rockhill Quarry has not been operating for the last year, we know that the order from the DEP is a temporary cessation order. It is not a permanent cessation order which is why we will continue to bring our elected officials the facts, continue to ask them to advocate for us, continue to engage our expert to produce more asbestos reviews and reports and continue to keep pushing,” Zackon said.
Pennridge School Board member Megan Banis-Clemens said the district has been closely following the asbestos situation at the quarry because of concerns about the proximity to district schools.
“The district’s interest and priority here is the health and well-being of students, staff and families,” she said. “From my perspective, this is not about whether or not people want a quarry in the community. This is about protecting people and preventing the exposure of asbestos.”
Scott Bergey, administrator of Upper Bucks Christian School and Day Care, said the school has kept abreast of the quarry plans and had concerns, including truck traffic, but didn’t previously take an official public position. The Department of Health warnings should be given full consideration and the recommendations followed, he said.
“As a school administrator, the health and well-being of my students, faculty, and parents and visitors is a very serious matter,” Bergey said.
Santarsiero said the Rockhill Quarry is the only one in the state where there is naturally occurring asbestos with a residential area surrounding it.
The Bucks County Commissioners, in a letter sent Feb. 19 to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, have also gone on record to ask that the quarry be permanently closed.
The quarry is owned by Hanson Aggregates Pennsylvania, which is leasing the property to Richard E. Pierson Materials Corp.
Asked for a response to the press conference, Jeff Sieg, Hanson director of corporate communications, provided the following statements:
“Hanson Aggregates continues to work closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and remains committed to an operating plan that includes appropriate mitigation measures along with ongoing asbestos monitoring to protect the health and safety of our employees and the surrounding community.
“Many of the recent comments made by public officials and others in the media and community are simply not accurate. For more than a year periodic meeting requests by the company have been turned down. The objective of these meetings was to provide an overview of how the quarry is run and to show the stringent safety and environmental controls that are in place. The company remains interested in meeting with Senator Santarsiero and Rep. Fitzpatrick, and will reach out to their staffs to do so.”