SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board has approved a new blasting permit for the quarry operated by Aggregate Industries (AI) that places stricter limits on blasting and requires more frequent testing of dust and noise.
The new permit, drafted by the Earth Removal Advisory Committee (ERAC), will go into effect on July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
The permit puts in place a new limit of 50 blasts in the quarry per year and no more than two per week. The new, lengthy section on blasting in the draft permit also includes requirements for expanded seismographic monitoring and reporting, the hire of an independent blasting consultant paid for or supported by AI and a cap on vibration at 0.5 inches per second, well below the state-mandated limit of two inches per second.
In addition, the proposed new permit requires that AI perform dust testing three times per year and submit a dust improvement plan to the town. It would also reduce the quarry’s hours of operation by one hour every evening — outside of summer hours, which are already reduced — among other requirements.
At the Wednesday night Select Board meeting, Chris Drucas, an attorney representing AI, requested that the Select Board postpone its vote until the company was able to further negotiate certain terms included in the permit.
“My client believes we can create a permit that will be beneficial to all parties concerned if we continue to work together through a comprehensive process,” Drucas said. “We recognize the need to meet and mitigate the factors that the board wants addressed while allowing my client to conduct its business with regulations that are supported by science and existing state and federal laws and regulations.”
At its June 2 meeting, the board had requested AI submit comments on the draft permit by the following Monday; AI later reached out to ask that that deadline be extended to June 11. Drucas explained that they had had to consult with the corporate owners of the quarry and had not been able to submit comments until June 15, the day before the board met to vote on the permit.
Because of that delay, the board was unable to fully address the company’s requests before voting, but suggested that AI continue to meet with ERAC and bring any concerns to the Select Board for changes to be made at a later date.
In addition to approving the permit, the board requested that the town come back within 45 days with a plan for a new online complaint-reporting system that includes geolocation services so that they can track potential issues with blasting.
