A fight to prevent a local mining operation from further damaging homes in Piney Grove and Galestown will continue without the Richmond County Commission after multiple county officials said their hands were tied regarding any action they can take against Vulcan Materials Company.
Last summer, more than 20 residents from Piney Grove and Galestown gathered in the Galestown Community Center to discuss the impact local quarry had on their homes, but when those discussions reached Richmond County officials those officials informed the residents state law prevents them from intervening in the situation.
“We do hear you. I wish we had the authority to do certain things, but we hear you. I think we can look into some speed limit things, and things like that, and at least ask questions and see where we can help as a county to come alongside two competing objectives to find a middle ground,” Commissioner Jason Gainey said.
The issue revolves around a gravel quarry operated by Vulcan Materials Company, which multiple homeowners blame for damage to the foundations of their homes, as well as day-to-day operations creating dangers for children and the elderly. Although attempting to find a resolution with Vulcan Materials Company for years, Yolanda Steele and her husband Chris reached out on social media, looking for other residents with a common cause, after believing a significantly large explosion last summer portions of their home collapsing. The Steele family paid Dry-Pro Foundation and Crawspace Specialists $20,000 in repairs, but many families impacted by the blasting are not as financially stable as the Steeles.
“The one thing the guy said that really blew my mind was ‘I’ve done thousands of houses, all over the world, and I’ve never seen this before. Never.’ That’s what he said. The only way you’ll see something like that is in a basement … This is definitely coming from the shifting of the ground,” Steele said.
In previous conversations with Vulcan, the company informed her that studies done by the company indicated explosions related to mining operations were not strong enough to cause damage to foundations. Steele contends an individual explosion may not be strong enough, but constant explosions over time lead to ground shifting.
“I’ve been watching closely what y’all got going on since I heard about it. We heard recommendations about the speed (limits for industrial vehicles) … I hear a lot of what you’re saying, but there is a lot of it we don’t have any control over,” Commissioner Andy Grooms said.
County Attorney Michael Newman said the jurisdiction belongs to the US Bureau of Mines, and enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality handles state and local issues, but the county cannot take action or enforce already existing laws and standards of procedure.
“It’s either going to be NCDOQ or the EPA that controls how mines actually operate and whether they are meeting standards and policies required under federal law. This board, just like every other county board, has no jurisdiction to tell mining operations how they can conduct business. It’s basically an issue of preemption. It’s prevented by federal law and state law,” Newman said.