TEMECULA, Calif. (AP) — An Indian tribe has reached an agreement to purchase the site of a proposed rock quarry on a mountain near Temecula, ending a seven-year dispute over the controversial project.
The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians agreed Thursday to pay $3 million to buy 354 acres the developer of the proposed Liberty Quarry.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports (http://bit.ly/Su4SXR) developer Granite Construction will get another $17.3 million in exchange for agreeing to not operate a quarry within a restricted area of the site through 2035.
The proposed Liberty Quarry would create 1,000-foot-deep pit on a mountain, producing up to 5 million tons of sand and gravel for construction projects.
Critics argued it would create air quality problems, destroy a sacred Native American site and damage tourism.
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