Cemex still trying to mine sacred Jesse Morrow Mountain, which is on the way to Kings Canyon Nat'l P

[annm4peace]

Friends of Jesse Morrow Mountains purpose is to prevent mining on Jesse Morrow and protect Jesse Morrow Mountains cultural, historical, biological, water and visual significance as a gateway to the National Parks and Monuments.

On a clear day, many view it from afar such as the freeway section of Highway 180 heading East without realizing how strip mining might change the view...
n just one year the Fresno County Board of Supervisors has approved expansion of one mine and approval of another.







http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/04/23/18645547.php

On April 22, 2010 The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) a business which claims to serve Fresno County, hosted a "Special Mountain Tour for Industry Clusters" which claims that within 50 years, there will be a shortfall of 411 million tons of aggregate. Because of this CEMEX is hiring "stooges" through the EDC to sway public opinion that the proposed mine is good for Fresno County. EDC hosted two tours where only 20 persons were allowed per tour. Watch this video and see for yourself if you think CEMEX is "good" for Fresno County.

The public was invited to this tour on the notion that they would be able to learn more about the proposed CEMEX mine project and be allowed to ask important questions. This was not the case when participants asked two representatives of CEMEX to provide very credible and what should be common knowledge answers. Most sadly was the way the presentation was conducted and the offensive remarks made towards the local Choinumni tribe which have been at the forefront of this battle.


In the end, CEMEX representatives could not answer questions that community members were told would be the opportunity to do so at this tour.

CEMEX reps stated that this mega-billion dollar corporation has had no violations. Apparently they never heard of the incident with the Davenport site in Santa Cruz County. They had a bad case of amnesia when it comes to the Lyons cement plant in Boulder County Colorado. Did they also go blank when it comes to the lawsuit filed by Evironmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Riverside California for failing to cut air pollution at its Victorville cement plant?

As beautiful as the presentation may sound, lets try and refresh the CEMEX reps on how ugly the landscape will become and toxic the earth will be by asking the people who live near the Clayton California project. What is the toxicity levels there? Still think there are no violations? Let us move to another country, oh say... Mexico for example. The home of CEMEX Corporation itself.

The San Luis Potosi plant must clearly be a GREEN initiative. Better yet, there is a nice big hole in the earth over in Rudersdorf Germany. What are the environmental impacts there?

Watch the video and learn how our precious resources are being stripped away.

http://www.jessemorrowmountain.com/jmm.htm

http://www.jessemorrowmountain.com/

[zonkers]

1. Thanks for posting.

[annm4peace]

2. some pictures at the protest at the so called public hearing.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/04/24/18645603.php


Earth Day event sponsored by the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation on behalf of Cemex disrupted by Earth First!





On Earth Day, the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation, a non-profit agency that promotes regional economic development, hosted a presentation by Cemex. Cemex headquartered in Mexico City, is the largest cement producer in the world with operations in over fifty countries. *

** They are proposing a one-hundred year long aggregate mining project that will shave 400 feet off the top of Jesse Morrow mountain, a major foothill mountain fifteen miles east of Fresno that lies directly north of freeway 180, the gateway to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.*







National, regional and local officials of Cemex were on hand to lie and distort their way through a presentation that was laughed off the mountain by opponents.

The air would be cleaner, the mountain would be no different, there would be no significant water impacts, development would be less costly if only Cemex, which has local interests at heart, would be allowed to blow up the mountain. With blasting, 900 truck trips a day, 24 hour operations with lighting at night, and 150,000 gallons of water usage per day, the lies were adding up fast.

Local yokel Cemex man who was giving the presentation could not name a singe threatened or endangered species that would be harmed by the project even though their own environmental impact report names several including the Adobe Sunburst, the Tiger Salamander, Burrowing Owls, Golden Eagles, and the Elderberry Beetle.

Jody Osborne, from the Traditional Choinumni Tribe took exception when the local yokel Cemex good ole boy stated that the Indians used to have "fandangos" on the north side of the mountain.*

She pointed out that those are actually called ceremonies and included cry dances, a mourning ceremony for her ancestors buried there.

In a nod to the history of genocidal, divide and conquer tactics Cemex paid off five Choinumni to state that the mountain had no cultural or historical significance.

Local yokel told Jody that the Choinumni were contacted and that she should support Cemex if she wanted to protect her cultural heritage. Jody informed local yokel that she knew how to protect her heritage and that involved stopping Cemex from buying off a tiny faction of her people and blowing up a mountain sacred to her people where her own ancestors are buried.

He also referred to Cemex's violation of state law in its falure to contact Choinumni elders named on the California Native American Heritage list.

The presentation got off on the wrong foot, at least for the first two or three minutes, until Earth First! activists interrupted the dog and pony show with banners and challenges to the Cemex clique.

Cemex's Houston-based person told activists that they would have to leave, the activists told her that Cemex would have to leave.

As the event was invite only Cemex lady said activists were now uninvited and would have to leave. Activists told Cemex lady that Cemex was uninvited and they would have to leave.

Cemex lady threatened to call the sheriffs, and activists pointed out that armed force (and corrupt local"representatives") was exactly what multi-national corporations used to stop people from protecting their local land base. Sheriffs showed up, but no arrests were made.

Celebrate Earth Day! Blow up a mountain! Sponsored by Cemex. Rearrange the words.

[annm4peace]

3. Please sign the petition

http://www.jessemorrowmountain.com/petition.shtml

Please read the following petition, complete the form below and press submit.

To: Fresno County Supervisors and Planning Commission
Subject: Petition opposing Mining Jesse Morrow Mountain On a Scenic Highway in a Gateway Community

We the undersigned want you to use your authority to see that the gravel mine proposed for construction and excavation on Jesse Morrow Mountain by Cemex and others is never allowed to move forward.