The proposed expansion of a gravel pit south of Lolo remains in limbo while the county has asked the pit owners and the neighbors to try to find a solution.
Missoula County hopes to notch a number of conditions over the proposed expansion of a gravel pit in the Bitterroot Valley, including a bond for reclamation and a specific date for when the mine would sunset.
Missoula County last week convened a hearing on whether to approve an application from Western Materials, Inc., to almost double the size of its gravel pit along Old Highway 93 midway between Lolo and Florence.
Dicki Giuliani writes, "The approval by DNRC and DEQ to use this land for a gravel pit is completely contradictory and undermines a monumental decision made by the State of Montana in 2009."