Whatcom County Planning and Development Services (PDS) issued a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Significance and scoping notice on April 29, 2026, for a proposed rock quarry southeast of Sumas. The proposed Ranch Quarry project by Cowden, Inc. involves the creation of an approximately 64-acre open-pit rock quarry on a 108-acre site within Whatcom County’s Mineral Resource Lands district.
Operations at the site would include mining, rock sorting, and crushing. The project involves about 25 trucks entering and exiting the site daily, with the potential for traffic to double during peak seasonal operations. The subject parcels are located in the area north of the 5300 block of S Pass Road.
The issuance of the declaration of significance initiates the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) review process. Whatcom County PDS is seeking public, agency, and tribal government comments regarding the scope of the environmental review, including alternatives, impacts, and mitigation measures.
PDS identified the following areas for evaluation in the EIS review process.
- earth and geology
- surface and ground water resources
- air quality and greenhouse gas emissions
- plants and animals
- land and shoreline use
- transportation
- cultural and historic resources
- noise and vibration
An online scoping public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2026, from 6pm to 8pm via Zoom.
Public comments are being accepted through May 29, 2026, via the following methods.
- written comments postmarked by May 29, 2026, and mailed to Amy Keenan at 5280 Northwest Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226
- online via the public comment portal at RanchQuarryEIS.infocommunity.org by 4:30pm
- email to RanchQuarryEIS@co.whatcom.wa.us by 4:30pm
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