The Belview Mountain gravel mine is located less than two miles from the trail. Now,North Carolina Attorney GeneralMike Easley says there is no doubt the state made a mistake in granting a permit for the Avery County mine.
"I don't think there's any doubt the state made a mistake in issuing the permit," says Easley. "I mean, this is extremely valuable property. It's on the Appalachian Trail. This mining is not only within view, but it's within earshot."
The controversial mine blew up in the face of the state when theDepartment of Environment and Natural Resourcesgranted a permit for a gravel mine on Belview Mountain. The agency admits it granted the permit without realizing the mine was in full view of the Appalachian Trail.
Easley says his office is there to help.
"If they feel like they want to get a revocation and revoke the permit, we'll take action to revoke this permit. What we want them to do at this point is take some action, but don't let the Appalachian Trail, or the Toe River for that matter, be destroyed over an accident or an unintentional issuance of a permit."
A hearing about the future of the controversial mine will be held March 16 at 7 p.m. at the Avery County Courthouse in Newland.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
