"Kathy Omachi was eating at McDonald's in Reedley [Calif.] recently, and she counted 51 gravel trucks pass by -- all in the time she finished a hamburger and fruit smoothie. The lifelong resident of this farming town, which is southeast of Fresno and within a few miles of three rock quarries, fears that even more trucks, with their dirty exhaust, will be on the road if nearby mining is expanded."

"And that is exactly what is in the pipeline.

The owners of Fresno-based Gerawan Farming are seeking approval for a 900-acre sand and gravel mine, and asphalt plant just north of Reedley."

Kurtis Alexander reports for the Fresno Bee May 19, 2012. [2]