Gravel firm faces record fine

Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2001 | 11:28 a.m.

A Clark County sand and gravel mining company faces potential fines that may be the largest for dust violations in the county's history, officials said Tuesday.

Southern Nevada Liteweight Co., which operates the mining operation about seven miles east of Sloan, faces proposed fines of $343,000 for failing to control dust along a "haul road" the company uses and maintains and for exceeding production limits at the mine.

The company and the Air Quality Division, which enforces the rules and proposes fines, will go before a hearing officer Thursday. In that meeting, the hearing officer can impose the fine as proposed or reduce it.

A $343,000 fine could endanger the viability of the company, which employs 70 people, Spencer Apple, Southern Nevada Liteweight president, said.

The penalties date from incidents in June and failure to comply with Air Quality Division orders to correct the problems in June and July. Of the total, $310,000 in fines are proposed for failure to comply with the division's corrective orders.

Air Quality Division Director Christine Robinson said the proposed penalty is the largest that she knows of for dust violations.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency considers fine dust a serious pollutant and health hazard in the Las Vegas Valley. The Clark County Health District began enforcing new, stricter dust-control rules in January.

Robinson noted that the fines were levied under the old dust control rules.

Apple said the company is working with the Air Quality Divison to achieve the same goal -- controlling dust from the operation.

"I'm trying to resolve the dust issue," Apple said.