Vulcan’s proposed operation in Comal County, Texas, moved one step closer to reality.

Vulcan Material Co.’s plans for a 1,500-acre limestone quarry in Comal County took another step forward, according to a report in the San Antonio Business Journal. All three commissioners of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved the operator’s air permit following an earlier decision by an administrative law judge that particulate matter and crystalline silica released by the operation would not exceed state limits.

The quarry has faced several challenges. An opposition group, Friends of Dry Comal Creek, has opposed the quarry and told the San Antonio Business Journal that it plans to file a motion requesting TCEQ to reconsider its decision. In addition, State Rep. Kyle Biedermann sent a policy analyst to permit hearings to read a letter into the record. The letter asked for the TCEQ to impose tighter standards on aggregate producers, claiming that current standards don’t protect public health, the environment, or local acquifers.