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by Anna Sale |
10, 2004
EPEC Program needs new activists for Chapter Campaigns
As winter fades and we begin to see the first hints of spring, the WV Environmental Public Education Campaign program continues to focus on the Monongahela National Forest and mountaintop removal.
MNF Plan Revision
If you'll remember from Joe Carney's newsletter article in the Jan/Feb Sierran, the Forest Service is in the process of revising the Land and Resource Management Plan, a multi-volume document that governs how the entire forest will be managed for years to come. Having begun the process in 2002, the Forest Service is now developing alternative ideas and doing analysis on different parts of the forest. The Forest Service has acknowledged the quality of the existing plan and considers this federally-mandated process a revision of current management strategies rather than the creation of a new plan. In keeping with this approach, the Forest Service proposed an ambitious timeline for the plan revision process. They initially aimed to have a draft plan and EIS finished by August of this year, with the final plan approved by the mid-2005. Since that time, they have adjusted the timeline and are now expecting the draft plan and EIS to be released in early December 2004.
MNF Website
The Monongahela National Forest (MNF) website is a great way to familiarize yourself with the forest planning process as well as to keep up on the revision's progress. The Forest Service posts not only an electronic version of the newsletter and timelines, but also draft documents as they are completed. It can be accessed at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/plan_revision/plan_revision.htm. To date, five draft documents have been posted, including the draft species viability evaluation and the draft timbers suitability assessment. In addition, the Forest Service publishes monthly newsletters with updates on the plan revision's status. If you would like to be added to the newsletter mailing list, please let me know.
Along with Conservation Chair Frank Slider, Sierra Club volunteer Dave Saville, and the WV Wilderness Coordinator Matt Keller, I had the opportunity to meet with all of the MNF's District Rangers and members of the planning staff over the last few months. Our meetings have been very informative and we look forward to a positive working relationship with them. Everyone has emphasized their willingness to work with Sierra Club members on our management concerns in the plan revision process.
Bush Administration Policies
We are concerned, however, that the unfriendly attitude of the Bush Administration toward public lands' protection may impact the Monongahela in West Virginia. The Bush Administration has overseen the passage of the so-called "Healthy Forests Restoration Act," a law that allows the Forest Service to increase commercial logging under the guise of "forest health" and fire prevention. They are also chiseling away at the Roadless Rule with loopholes and poor enforcement, undermining a policy that protects areas with few, if any, existing roads and where natural processes are paramount. Furthermore, recently approved forest plans in nearby regions not only opened up the forest to off-road vehicles, but they also authorized substantial increases in the amount of the forest available for logging. There have already been suggestions that some lands protected under the current MNF plan may be at risk.
MNF Open House Schedule
In late February and March, the Forest Service will be holding Open Houses across West Virginia: in Elkins, Morgantown, Petersburg, Dunmore, and Richwood in February, and in Charleston on March 20. Refer to the Forest Service website for a complete schedule of the gatherings. These are important opportunities for us to express our future vision for the Monongahela National Forest on a range of issues, from watershed health, the protection of wild forests, and wildlife management to flood prevention and appropriate flooding.
You can get involved in the forest planning process by signing up for the Forest Service newsletter, accessing the Forest Service website, or contacting me to be placed on our listserve of concerned forest activists.
Mountain Top Removal
There have also been important developments in the campaign against mountaintop removal in the last few months. As you may recall, much of the EPEC program's outreach efforts last fall were organized around gathering comments on the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Impact Statement on Mountaintop Removal and Valley Fills. Over 70,000 people commented, many of whom expressed their opposition to the EIS' recommendation to lift current stream protection laws. But just one day after public comments were due, the Bush Administration proposed a rule that would do just that—lift the 20 year-old stream buffer zone rule, a law that states that mine waste and fill can not be dumped within 100 feet of streams. Citizen groups and environmental groups across Appalachia are outraged at the disregard for citizen input, particularly on an issue with such a direct negative effect on communities as mountaintop removal. Organizing efforts to collect comments are ongoing. Please get in touch with me if you would like more information as the campaign develops.
Jack Spadaro Update
On a positive note, you may remember from the last newsletter that the Sierra Club had joined with other citizen and environmental groups to oppose the retaliatory termination of whistleblower Jack Spadaro, the former superintendent of the National Mine Health and Safety Academy in Beckley. Spadaro, who has earned the trust of coalfield residents and miners over his 30-year career in mine inspections, repeatedly pointed out corruption in his own agency. After 306 million gallons of coal slurry spilled in Inez, Kentucky, Spadaro publicly criticized the Bush Administration's handling of the investigation, specifically for its failure to impliciate MSHA for enforcement failures. Spadaro has also criticized several of MSHA's no-bid contracts.
The Sierra Club joined with several organizations to criticize and wrote letters to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao.
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