Wake Stone
Hearing over denial of Wake Stone’s mining permit reveals fissures within DEQ
In early February of this year, Brian Wrenn, director of the state’s Division of Energy, Minerals and Land Resources – DEMLR – visited Umstead State Park, one of the premier natural areas in the Triangle. Wrenn and several other top DEMLR officials had assembled there at the behest of Reid Wilson, the secretary of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which oversees the state park system. DEMLR was weighing a controversial mining permit application filed by Wake Stone to expand its existing rock quarry onto 225 acres abutting the Umstead State Park boundary. The decision, to approve or deny, was solely Wrenn’s.
DEQ denies mining permit for quarry next to Umstead State Park
This is a developing story. The NC Department of Environmental Quality has denied a mining permit for a controversial quarry next to the 5,600-acre Umstead State Park in Raleigh, citing “significantly adverse effects” from “noise, visual and truck traffic impacts” that would interfere with the park’s purpose. The proposed quarry has been contentious since 2019, […]
‘Sooner’ or ‘later’? Fate of Wake Stone quarry near Umstead State Park hinges on one word
Former N.C. Attorney General says there was no typo, but the state intended for mining to wind down in 2032, not the 22nd century One word — “sooner” — in a 40-year-old mining permit could alter the future of a quarry and its proposed expansion adjacent to Umstead State Park in Raleigh.
In 7-page letter, DEQ wants more answers about Wake Stone’s plan to mine next to Umstead State Park
The proposed Wake Stone mine in Raleigh has encountered another setback as state environmental regulators have returned the company’s application because it lacked key information. In a seven-page letter dated July 23, the NC Department of Environmental Quality asked for key data: the amount of air and noise pollution from blasting; the potential for light […]
Wake Stone’s proposal to mine next to Umstead State Park faces more opposition — and support from a lawmaker
Two public hearings, six-plus hours and hundreds of people: The controversy over a proposed the quarry on 225 acres of prime wildlife habitat next to Umstead State Park continued this morning as concerned citizens spoke about the effects of the project on a treasured property, as well as on park-goers and neighbors. Most of the […]
DEQ approves Wake Stone mining company’s proposed bridge over Crabtree Creek
The NC Department of Environmental Quality has authorized a buffer request by Wake Stone Corporation for the proposed construction of a bridge over Crabtree Creek. The bridge would be part of a controversial quarry adjacent to Umstead State Park, one of the area’s most popular recreational destinations. DEQ approved the bridge under the Neuse Buffer […]
Umstead Park advocates ask court to declare airport lease invalid; exploratory drilling could begin this week
The Umstead Coalition, Triangle Off-Road Cyclists and three more plaintiffs filed a complaint in Wake County Court today, asking a judge to invalidate a lease between the RDU Airport Authority and Wake Stone for a quarry on 105 acres adjacent to Umstead State Park. Of the acreage nearly half would be used for the quarry, which […]
RDU officials side with mining interests in clash over Umstead quarry
Umstead State Park in winter is at its least beautiful, but in no way is it ugly. Within the park’s palette of gray and rust appear plush pelts of moss in iridescent green and coarse crowns of lichens in dusty mint. Outcrops of ancient rocks, composed of minerals such as feldspar and quartz, are strewn across the forest floor like scattered teeth.