Washington County commissioners voted unanimously to accept recommendations by county land planners to allow a gypsum mining operation that has been fiercely opposed by residents in the Bloomington and SunRiver areas in the southwest corner of St. George. The commissioners will issue a conditional-use permit to Good Earth Minerals within the next 15 days, contingent on the company’s ability to “show us some sort of guarantee” that GEM will abide by the conditions of the permit established during a July meeting of the county Land Use Authority, Commissioner James Eardley said.
Those conditions will address residents’ concerns about the mining operation’s effects on the environment and on the health and well being of those who live closest to the mine. The permit will be valid for one year, after which GEM will have to reapply if it wishes to continue the operation. The Spectrum
