US: Residents close to Lehigh Cement's Union Bridge cement plant that had been concerned over proposed changes to the mining provisions of the county code have largely had their worries addressed by Lehigh Cement Co., which is looking to expand its quarry in the town and transport limestone via a conveyor belt to its plant in Union Bridge.

Concerns about what time of the day Lehigh would be allowed to store excavated materials and how far away reclamation piles would be from property lines and public roads initially had residents worried about the impacts of the changes sought by Lehigh, a cement manufacturer that employs many residents in the area.

However, after discussions with residents about the proposed changes, residents confirmed that Lehigh had addressed most of their issues.

"They listened, we listened and the relationship at this point in time is pretty decent," said Brian Mobley, chairman of the New Windsor Community Action Project, which was initially concerned about the changes proposed by Lehigh to the mining provisions. Residents had feared that noise and lights late at night could be a nuisance to those who live near the quarry.