Help Preserve the Ecologically Unique St. Vrain River Watershed
Help Us Finish the Fight
For over 55 years, a coal-fired cement plant has operated in the heart of the Saint Vrain Valley — Boulder County's single largest source of CO₂ emissions, responsible for approximately 7% of local greenhouse gas output, and the subject of four consecutive state enforcement actions totaling nearly $3.5 million in fines.
In April 2024, Boulder County made a landmark decision: CEMEX had violated its grandfathered operating status by more than doubling truck traffic on Highway 66, and that status was terminated. It was a victory years in the making.
Then, on May 19, 2026 — eight days after the state of Colorado fined CEMEX $855,000 for air quality violations — Boulder County reversed its decision. The Director's entire merits finding was a single sentence: "The evidence shows that there was no significant increase in truck traffic to and from the property since the closure of the Dowe Flats quarry, compared with 1994 traffic." The actual 1994 truck count was 37 daily trips. By CEMEX's own traffic study — which our legal team believes significantly undercounts reality — that number is now 303.
Save Our Saint Vrain Valley and Good Neighbors of Lyons filed our appeal with the Boulder County Board of Adjustment. A public hearing will be held on October 7, 2026. The Saint Vrain Valley deserves better than this — and we intend to prove it.
How You Can Help
Your contribution to SOSVV will directly support ongoing legal and advocacy efforts to appeal Boulder County’s rescission, and reinstate the termination of CEMEX’s right to operate as they are now.
Our ask: Just$26 a month for the remainder of 2026. That's one coffee a week.
Your donation goes directly to legal fees for the Board of Adjustment appeal, managed through Save Our Saint Vrain Valley, a Colorado 501(c)3 nonprofit. Every dollar stays in this fight.
We are small. We are volunteer-run. And it is remarkable what a few dedicated people can accomplish when a community stands behind them.
Please Donate
SOSVV is a 501c3 and 100% volunteer led. All funds go towards legal expenses to protect and conserve the geologically unique and historic St. Vrain Valley.
Every dollar means so much (and boosts our morale too!).
Change begins at the local level. We’ve done it before.
Over the last 9+ years we have secured key campaign victories, and protected the Valley from an onslaught of industrial uses, and de-facto rezoning / spot zoning; campaigns holding Boulder County Land Use Dept, BCPOS, Aggregate Industries, Martin Marietta Materials, and CEMEX accountable to Special Use permit expirations, accountable to the residents, visitors, wildlife, and existing uses of the St. Vrain Valley.