Here are just a few of the expressed concerns Hwy 53 community members have.

Air quality:
· Many of our Hwy 53 residents moved to this pristine area for health reasons. Our climate and elevation are good for people with asthma and other respiratory difficulties.
· Many of our residents have spent their life savings to retire in our beautiful mountain community. Health reasons are a common theme for retiring in our clean mountain air.
· Our elderly and our children will be the first to suffer from the tons of pollutants emitted each day.
· Our pristine forest lands and the wild life will suffer the impact of the pollutants released.
· No one from C& E or the EPA have made mention of the increase of diesel truck emissions or the diesel generators and their potential impact.

Health risks:
· There are obvious and documented health risks whenever Tons of TSP, Nitrogen Oxide, Sulfur Dioxide and Carbon Dioxide are released into the air. The proposed plant will dump over 500 tons each year into our mountain air, not to mention increase diesel truck emissions from increased truck volume.
· Over 200 school children each day (often dark mornings) wait for school busses to pick them up. 50+ additional trucks each day exponentially increases the risk of accidents involving children waiting for the bus.
· Ramah residents and school administration, complain that C&E gravel trucks pass through their small town ignoring the 20 mile an hour school zone signs and travel an estimated 40 to 45 mph.
· Door to Door health survey found that 45% of residents living within ½ mile of asphalt plants suffer from deterioration of their health after the opening of the asphalt plants.
· Typical health complaints from residents living around asphalt plants are sinus and respiratory problems, increased head aches and increase of blood pressure.

Water table:
· How will the toxic chemicals affect our water table?
· How much water does a hot mix asphalt plant and gravel pit use daily?
Fire hazard:
· Hot mix asphalt uses propane heaters and have been known to have explosions.
· What fire plan does C&E have that will serve and protect the community and it’s pristine wilderness it resides in?

Road damage:
· Hwy 53 currently suffers constant road damage from the volume of gravel trucks coming and going to and from C&E gravel pit.
· Who, ultimately will pay for the continuous road repair and re-paving that will be necessary due to the volume increase in big truck traffic?

Road hazards:
· C&E gravel trucks are directly responsible for hundreds of windshield dings, chips and breaks each year on Hwy 53.
· Over 100,000 tourists a year visit the Hwy 53 area attractions. Tourists are slow drivers. C&E drivers feel they own the road and know the road best, they always speed and law enforcement will not pull them over. There are no safe places along 53 for a big truck to pull over.
· Hwy 53 already suffers constant road damage from C&E gravel trucks. The Road repaving that the state did last year from BIA road 125 to Ramah city limits already is experiencing damage from Big truck traffic.
· Will the tourists and residents have to endure the damage to their vehicle due to the disrepair of the road?

Environmental risks:
· Pollutants mix with moisture and accelerate the deterioration of our Native American ruins, artifacts, petroglyphs and pictographs and our historic monuments – these are national treasures
· How will pollution and increased road traffic would affect our National Monuments – El Morro and El Malpais – and The Ice Caves?
· El Morro area situated in a bowl, will pollution stay and mount up?
· Pollutants in the air hinder the detection of forest fires – endangering forests, wildlife and firefighters
· Plant located at the onset of the hydro-geological recharge areas of the San Andres-Glorieta aquifer which runs west through Zuni and Navajo Indian lands, through McKinley and Valencia counties

Property Values:
· Historically, across the US where ever asphalt plants pop up property values go down. Studies document as much as 56% property value loss.
· What will be the immediate and long term affects on our properties along Hwy 53 and outlying areas?

Business loss/ economics/ local jobs

· Hwy 53 is a scenic byway. Almost all businesses along Hwy 53 and those just off Hwy 53, except for C&E gravel are solely dependant on tourism.
· Will the big rig traffic and road damage detour visitors/tourists from driving Hwy 53?
· Will C&E create local jobs? If so will the jobs off set the cost of the constant need for road repair? Will they offer economic stability to our community?
· Will the cost of constant road repair come out of the local tax payer’s pocket? Currently only 17% of Cibola county residents are tax payers.
· Will the state or county raise our taxes due to the need to continually repair the road damage?