BACKGROUND	GLENN COUNTY GENERAL PLAN 2007 - 2027
	Agriculture & Resource Development MINERAL & ENERGY RESOURCES Notable mineral resources in Glenn County include natural gas and construction grade aggregate material (Glenn County Conservation Management Element, 1987). In addition, published reports indicate past attempts to exploit deposits of chromite, molybdenite and copper (CDMG, 1929). Primary areas for gravel extraction occur along Stony Creek and the Sacramento River, although there are other pockets of gravel scattered throughout the county. Figure 2-8 shows the location of sand and gravel operations within the county.
	Several gas fields contribute to a significant quantity of natural gas production in Glenn County. Of these, the Malton-Black Butte field located on the border with Tehama County in eastern Glenn County, and the Willows-Beehive Bend field located in southeastern Glenn County account for nearly 80 percent of total gas production in the county. Figure 2-9 shows the known gas fields within Glenn County. No oil or geothermal resources have been discovered in the county.
	The Energy Facility Siting in Glenn County-Working Paper (June 1991) prepared by Crawford Multari & Starr concludes that it is likely that natural gas production will continue in Glenn County for at least the next twenty years. No public information exists regarding planned or proposed facilities.
	Mining in Glenn County was primarily related to the extraction of strategic minerals during World Wars I and II. The extraction of chrome and manganese essentially ended in the late 1940s with the loss of government demand and subsidies (Fugro-McClelland (West) Inc., 1991).
	Aggregate Operations
	Gravel mining in the County has increased significantly in the past ten years. The County currently has five gravel companies that operate 17 sand and gravel mines. This includes two pits operated by the County itself. The County charges the gravel operations $.03 per ton of gravel sold on a quarterly basis during the calendar year. The tonnage fees are used to offset costs to run the state-mandated Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) Program.
	Agriculture and mining is the sector in the County that has experienced the highest job growth in the year 2000. It has increased 1.9 percent as a percentage of total employment since 1985. Transportation and public utilities is the industry sector in the County with the highest annual average increase earnings between 1985 and 2000, at 7.09 percent (2003 Glenn County Profile, Center for Economic Development, California State University, Chico).
	Employees in these industries live and work in the County. New gravel mining operations will be locating in the unincorporated area of the County within the next five years which will increase the need for additional housing. These are usually low- to moderate-income positions which will lead to the purchase of low- to moderate-income housing.
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