The Plymouth Stewardship Alliance, a network of individuals with over 100 years of environmental experience in Plymouth, has submitted a petition to place on this fall’s Town Meeting warrant an article that would limit new large-scale earth removal projects in Plymouth for nearly a year. Smaller scale sand removal for home building, commercial development, and cranberry farming would continue to be allowed.
If the article passes at Town Meeting and is upheld by legal reviews, a moratorium on new, commercial sand mining projects would go into effect for 11 ½ months, the maximum period allowed under state law, giving the town time to review and possibly amend its current Zoning Bylaw, or to make other changes to gain greater control over this industrial activity.
According to the PSA, Plymouth’s natural environment is one of its most powerful draws and economic drivers. Sand mining damages ecosystems in ways that can never be undone. Moreover, current regulations are not sufficient to stop destructive projects that scar the landscape, carry health risks, increase noise and traffic, disrupt natural systems, and impact residents’ quality of life. Because sand is a valuable commodity it can be sold at enormous profit. This incentivizes opportunistic behavior to profit from sand mining. The proposed bylaw is a reasonable way to temporarily prohibit large-scale sand extraction while continuing to allow property owners and developers the right to develop their properties. The group believes it’s time to tighten things up and that Plymouth residents deserve the opportunity to be heard.
PSA members, who occupy leadership roles in a number of local nonprofits and serve on town boards and committees, believe that economic development and preservation of prized natural resources must go hand-in-hand. The group’s mission is to leverage public engagement to protect land, water, and air, maintaining a livable community for all.
– Art Desloges, Hampton Watkins, and Don Williams
The authors are members of the Plymouth Stewardship Alliance.