The representative of a company wanting to mine for aggregate — stone, gravel, and sand — in the area of the Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport says it would create a minimum of 25 new jobs, which represents a $25 million to $30 million investment in Halifax County.

David Miner of the Raleigh-based Almond Miner Government Relations said the operation would create about $300,000 a year in new revenue for the county. “Those 25 to 30 employees are direct employees, but the indirect employees will be about 25 to 50. These are people who are small businesses, whether it’s a trucking company or whether it’s somebody selling products to us.”

There are other benefits, he said. “You also have the benefit you do with any type of commercial activity, and that’s employees and vendors or people coming in who spend money in the economy. It will be money spent at grocery stores, it will be shopping at restaurants, convenience stores, and service stations.”

The company Almond Miner is representing is currently not being named, but Miner said that “corporate citizens like ours give back to the community. The community college has a foundation. They’re always looking for help. We have a record: when we come into a community and we create jobs, we invest, we give back to those communities. We give back to the schools, we give back to the community college, and those are things we have a long history of.”

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The land near the airport is what the company is interested in mining, Miner said, and the land is adjacent to the industrial park.

Miner said if the company gets a green light, there will be a long-term commitment to mine for aggregate, which would be used by the construction industry. “Mining is at the heart of the construction industry in this country. The aggregate industry is a huge industry that exists in virtually every state.”

Mining, he said, “is something that is very commonplace. We live and coexist with people and other businesses, and we have since the beginning of this country.”

Martin Marietta already owns property that has been permitted in the county, Miner said, and has had the potential to begin operations.”

The company that Almond Miner represents is interested in mining for construction material, he said. “Our materials are for construction — highways, residential, commercial.”

Counties like Halifax “are blessed to have natural resources,” Miner said. “That means Halifax can reap the benefits of shipping stone and aggregates that will be purchased in eastern North Carolina for various construction projects.”

The company would be a standard mining operation, Miner said. “I would remind you that in the state of North Carolina there are 400 mining operations currently.”

In North Carolina, these 400 mines are operating under the supervision of the state. “The state makes sure that these mines have their standards for safety and environmental concerns.”

There are some mistaken notions that the FAA doesn’t allow mining operations near airports. “That’s not true. I live in Wake County. RDU is an international airport, and right next to it is a hole in the ground. It’s a mining operation. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. People are confused and people don’t always have the facts. There’s information, there’s hearsay, there’s propaganda, so it’s important to look and realize that in the state of North Carolina 400 mines are operated safely and have for years and years.”

The company Almond Miner is representing currently has the corporate park and also operates in other states, Miner said. “We have a fantastic record. We have given information for economic development, the planning board, and now we’re going to give it to the public.”

Miner said he was OK with the action taken Monday to postpone the legislative hearing on proposed countywide mining regulations. “I think it’s a good middle-of-the-road approach. The public really does need more information. They need information on both of these businesses. They need to know how you conduct your business on top of the jobs they create, the tax base, how the negotiations go between the county and an ongoing business.”