The Lane County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted on a tentative denial for an application to dig a long-planned, controversial gravel quarry on an Oakridge-area butte.
Commissioners voted 3-2 against amending the Lane County Rural Comprehensive Plan to add a quarry to the inventory of significant mineral and aggregate sites and authorize mining there. Oakridge-area residents have fought to protect the site, commonly known as TV Butte, from mining operations since it was proposed in 2015.
The tentative denial instructs county staff to draft language for another vote in October that would outline specifically why commissioners are denying the application, as the law requires. The commissioners decision was based on findings from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife concerning conflicts with an elk herd living in the area.