Stop the Transfer Trail Limestone Quarry expansion

The Glenwood Springs area community is standing together in opposition to a proposed expansion of the Transfer Trail limestone quarry.

Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI) is proposing to expand the existing Transfer Trail limestone quarry from the current 20 acres to a highly visible open pit mine of 321 acres.

Here’s what the proposal looks like:

Don't Mine Glenwood Springs

Mining the Mountain

Scraping all vegetation up to the horizon. Blasting and digging 175 feet deep to mine out the limestone layer.

Hauling the rock

Hauling crushed rock by truck to the rail yard, up to 450 round-trips per day. Loading rock, car by car, all day long, into an idling freight train.

20 years of disruption

Blasting, crushing, loading and hauling operations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., 365 days a year, for at least 20 years.

The quarry and the expansion area are all on public land

These public lands are managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). A public process now under way by BLM will determine whether the mine proposal is approved or denied.

We have a say in what happens!
Please join us in this cause to protect our community, our economy and our environment.

Sign our online endorsement here.

Our thriving economy is under threat

Our thriving economy is under threat

Mountain beauty, relaxing hot springs and family fun have drawn people to Glenwood Springs for decades. People vacation here to enjoy our hot springs resorts and healthy activities, including skiing, hiking, cycling, boating and fishing. Business and jobs thrive in our stable economy.

Mining impacts are unacceptable

Mining impacts are unacceptable

The quarry expansion would create a barren scar up to the horizon line and nearly a mile wide – a wound that would never heal. Other daily impacts include truck traffic, noise, dust, glaring lights, air pollution, carbon emissions, and destruction of a forested slope and wildlife habitat.

Help us stop the mine expansion

Help us stop the mine expansion

The quarry and all of the expansion area are on public lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. We have a say in what happens! Learn about the proposal put forth by Rocky Mountain Industrials, track the permitting process, and find out how you can make a difference.

Recent News Posts

  • BLM issues 'Noncompliance Order' to RMI over quarry operations

    RMI must bring its plan of operations up to date or face suspension On Tuesday, Aug. 30, BLM Field Manager Larry Sandoval sent a ‘Noncompliance Order’ to Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI), citing four compliance issues at its limestone quarry. BLM documents show the agency knew of ongoing permit violations from the previous quarry operators dating back to …

  • Paul Andersen regales Crested Butte’s fight against mining in new book

    The Glenwood Springs Citizens’ Alliance and the Hotel Colorado present a talk by Paul Andersen about his new book, The Town that Said ‘Hell, No!’: Crested Butte Fights a Mine to Save its Soul. The free talk and book-signing is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, at the Hotel Colorado, 526 Pine St., in …

  • A Colorado cave expert explains why it's important to protect karst formations

    By Richard Rhinehart Rocky Mountain Caving In the brilliant autumn foliage on the southern flank of Colorado’s White River Plateau rising above the city of Glenwood Springs, I stood in wonder. Below me, among the brilliant aspen leaves, was a low cement structure several feet across, clearly of some antiquity. This was the Transfer Spring, a limestone karst …

  • Witches’ Pantry Cave awaits paleontological study prior to deeper exploration

    Permission from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for cavers to explore the Witches’ Pantry cave network is on hold until the agency can study bones scattered in the cave entrance. In a Zoom meeting of the Colorado Cave Survey (CCS) on Jan. 20, 2022, BLM recreation specialist Justin Jones told CCS members that the …

  • BLM permit process ‘in holding pattern’ while study of limestone continues

    U.S. Bureau of Land Management decision-makers are “in a holding pattern” as they wait for the results of a study of the 320-acre limestone deposit that Rocky Mountain Industrials seeks to mine. “We are hoping to have a draft DCV ready by mid-2022,” said Larry Sandoval, field manager for BLM’s Colorado River Valley Field Office in …

  • The fight is not over

    RMI proposal to expand limestone quarry still in play; Voices of opposition remain essential The proposal by Rocky Mountain Industrials to expand its 20-acre limestone quarry above Glenwood Springs into a 320-acre mine is still active, and remains a serious threat to the community’s economy and environment. “We are still working for you, and for everyone who …

  • Judge ends RMI lawsuit against Garfield County

    RMI claims challenging county authority to regulate limestone quarry are rejected On June 26, Garfield District Court Judge Anne K. Norrdin issued an order granting Garfield County’s motion for summary judgment in the lawsuit filed by Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI) against the county two years ago. “Judge Norrdin’s order is truly great news for our community,” said …

  • New signs inform Transfer Trail users about mining impacts

    City of Glenwood Springs Streets Department staffers Travis Payne and Brett Blodgett, center, work with Jeff Peterson, right, to install the large informational sign at the lower Transfer Trail parking lot. Glenwood Springs Post Independent photographer Chelsea Self, left, captures the action. A City of Glenwood Springs maintenance crew installed signs at the lower Transfer Trail …

  • 2020 in the Rear-view Mirror

    Just like you, we are eager to close out 2020, the year of life upside down. Before we chuck that calendar, let’s take a look back at what we accomplished and the things that did – and did not – happen in the year past. FEBRUARY: Bus shelter ads, Family Fun Fest, and Witches’ Pantry Cave Advertising …

  • New "I Spy Energy" video focuses on mine expansion issue

    A new episode of the YouTube video blog “I Spy Energy” takes a fun look at the not-so-fun impacts of the Transfer Trail limestone mine expansion proposal. “Glenwood Springs is justifiably defying this monstrosity,” says Emily Beck of Boulder, star and producer of I Spy Energy. Beck uses the 6-minute episode to break down the mine expansion …

I Spy Energy video: 7 Facts About the Mine Expansion

The YouTube video blog “I Spy Energy” takes a fun look at the not-so-fun impacts of the Transfer Trail limestone mine expansion proposal.

Emily Beck of Boulder, star and producer, uses the 6-minute episode to break down the mine expansion proposal into seven basic facts, using football fields, pickup trucks, haul trucks and freight trains to show just how big and obnoxious the mine would be.

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