Mine owners tell taxpayers group they won’t back down

Rick Churches and Joe Hardesty were preaching to the choir when they spoke at Monday’s meeting of the Taxpayers Association of El Dorado County. Owners of the Big Cut Mine near Placerville, the pair has been the subject of controversy for the past several weeks having run afoul of county regulatory agencies and more recently the district attorney and Sheriff’s Department. ... On the other hand, he said District 2 Supervisor Ray Nutting had met with him and remained supportive of the miners' concerns. Hardesty also drew support from the group when he announced, “I'm not going to voluntarily quit mining,”

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