Public anxiety has been building across Dominica in recent weeks over a planned basalt quarry in the Stonefield Concord area, prompting the island nation’s Tourism Minister, Honorable Denise Charles-Pemberton, to step forward to directly answer constituent concerns. According to official documents from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the quarry operation is intended to extract raw basalt material to support ongoing expansion and construction work on the runway of Dominica’s planned new international airport — a major infrastructure project that has drawn both support for its long-term economic benefits and pushback from local communities worried about environmental and quality-of-life impacts. The project’s connection to a critical national development initiative has amplified public attention to the quarry proposal, with many local residents raising questions about unaddressed environmental degradation, noise pollution, and disruption to nearby residential and ecologically sensitive areas. In her public address, which was recorded and released to media for public distribution, Charles-Pemberton acknowledged the depth of community worry, emphasizing that the government is committed to full transparency around the project’s permitting, environmental impact assessments, and operational plans. The minister’s intervention marks a key step in the government’s engagement with local stakeholders, as the future of the quarry and its role in advancing the island’s flagship airport project remain top of public discussion in Dominica.