Item #76 on the agenda for next Tuesday’s San Bernardino County Board of Supervisor’s meeting is an overhaul of local surface mining rules. The proposed change would remove the county from the permitting of mining operations that obtain a federally approved plan of operation or authorization (such as through the Bureau of Land Management).

The proposed bypassing of county permits would remove strict local California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) reviews, public notices, and local oversight. This would potentially impact sensitive desert areas near Joshua Tree National Park from the proposed 20,000-acre Music Valley Mine.

This mine would be operated by the same company that was recently the subject of a lawsuit requiring them to halt operations at the Colosseum Mine in the Mojave Preserve. Here is a link to a report on Z107.7.

The San Bernardino County Planning Commission voted to advance the recommendation after a heavily attended July 9, 2026 hearing. A recording of the meeting can be found HERE.

The Friends of Wonder Valley have published information and a sample letter about this ill-advised proposal to revise the Development Code.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) has started a petition to Stop Automatic Greenlighting of Federal Mining Projects.

We encourage attendance at the meeting either in-person or virtually by telephone.

Visit this website for information on how to register and speak virtually by telephone:

https://publiccomment.sbcounty.gov/ 

Written comments should reference Project No. PMISC-2026-00029.

Thanks for your ongoing support for our desert environment!