In Friends of the Kings River v. County of Fresno, No. F068818 (Cal. Ct. App. 5th Dist., Dec. 8, 2014), the Fifth Appellate District upheld Fresno County’s (County) approval of the Carmelita Mine and Reclamation Project (Project) in 2012.  The Project includes a proposed aggregate mine and related processing plants on a 1,500-acre site located approximately 15 miles east of the City of Fresno.  Stoel Rives attorneys Tom Henry and Michael Sherman represented the applicant, Colony Land Company, L.P., during the approval process with the County.

This decision is important because: (1) the County was not required to mitigate the loss of farmland with agricultural conservation easements (ACEs); and (2) the Court addressed the scope of the State Mining and Geology Board’s (SMGB) authority to review reclamation plans on appeal.
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